Nerd stuff: ‘She Kills Monsters’ opens at new Cyrano's location

Long, long ago, before you could download any number of apps to your smart phone and play fantasy games anywhere you like; before you could log onto your computer and create an avatar that represents your personality and ego, there was a tabletop game that started it all. Dungeons and Dragons has been an obsession for some, the butt of jokes for others, but mostly a way for people to get together and have fun. ‘She Kills Monsters’, presented by Cyrano's Theatre Company, opened this week at the company’s new location off Debarr, and tells the story of a game of D&D — and so much more.

Set in the mid-90s in Ohio, ‘She Kills Monsters’ is the tale of a young woman, Agnes (Taylor R. Campbell), who has lost her entire family in a tragic car accident a couple of years prior. Agnes is in the process of packing up her family’s home in order to move in with her boyfriend Miles, (Brandon Williams), and needs to clean out her younger sister Tilly's (Jessica Faust) room. She discovers a notebook that contains a D&D quest and decides that she should play the game in order to feel close to her deceased sister one more time. The journey helps her discover truths about Tilly, and some about herself as well.

The pre-show and intermission music that played was an excellent choice to set the mood for the time period, and often times, high school location for the play. As the show continued the skill of Sound Designer Lily Werts was obvious. Sound effects helped the scene changes become seamless, and let you know exactly where you were at each moment. This helped immensely as the sparse scenic design by Matthew Allar requires quite a bit of imagination from the audience. The beautifully painted floor and walls are in the design of a D&D gaming table, and are a very clever choice for a show that includes acting, puppetry, dance and fight choreography, weapons, and a 14 member cast. The lighting design by Frank Hardy combined with the actors and set allowed for the audience to be transported into the adventure, and the collaboration between all involved was wonderful.

The script by Qui Nguyen has several poignant moments, and they are perfectly matched with the hilarity of other moments. Director Ryan Buen found each of those emotional points, as well as the messages and life lessons in the story and the audience watching the sold out Sunday matinee performance felt each of them. There were several pauses made by the cast to give time for those in attendance to finish laughing or cheering. The characters of Chuck (Isaac Kumpula) and Steve (Tyler Browning) drew my eye more than once with hilarious antics and geeky charm.

No less impressive is the fight choreography from Frank Delaney. At times the entire stage was full of actors, each wielding real weapons that have been dulled for the performance. Actors Faust and Campbell, along with Paul Rios as Orcus, Kaichen McRae as Lilith, and Colby Bleicher as Kaliope, looked like seasoned professionals while wielding axes, daggers, staffs, and in Bleichers case, a whip.

Costume Design by Giselle Nisonger, along with Hair and Makeup by Zoey Grenier greatly assisted in showing the difference between the actual world, and the fantasy world. The looks were spot-on, not only for the elves, demons and paladins, but also for the teenagers and adults that spent their days at Athens High School.

The cast is full of fantastic performers, especially the women who have taken to these roles as badass warriors with gusto and style. Stephanie Leigh and Sarah Bethany Baird are also a delight playing evil cheerleaders Gabbi and Tina. Stephanie Leigh, as Farrah, is another character you won't easily forget. It is refreshing to see a show with such a large cast that is mostly comprised of women — especially female characters that are fleshed-out, realistic and strong.

For Campbell, it was the female characters that drew her to the show in the first place. She even set up a Skype audition so that she could make sure that the creative team was able to see her. For other cast members, their love of D&D first sparked their interest.

As a member of the audience I was most taken with not only how beautifully the performance was done, but also with the subject matter beyond the silliness and fantasy. This show touches on issues of loss, growth, and love, as well as making some valid points about social issues, all while being entertaining and fun. As I walked back to my vehicle one thought ran through my mind: Fantasy is a wonderful escape from everyday existence, but life is the greatest adventure of all.