Umble Center’s stage lit up with glow-in-the-dark dragon masks and dramatic fight scenes for the first time on Friday, Nov. 8. “She Kills Monsters,” a production by Qui Nguyen, tells the story of Agnes Evans, an average girl living an average life. Her world is turned upside down when her parents and her younger sister, Tilly, die in a tragic car accident. The play follows Agnes in her attempt to reconnect with Tilly through her love for Dungeons and Dragons.

Brenton Abram-Copenhaver, technical director at Goshen College, came on as the director of this production after two failed attempts to find someone who could take on the time commitment. Abram-Copenhaver had already been working with the designers since day one, so the selection felt appropriate.

When Abram-Copenhaver was appointed, the production was behind schedule, so the story came together rather quickly. Abram-Copenhaver attributed the most rewarding aspect of the production to the students: “The cast is so incredibly talented! The choices that they brought every night in rehearsal reflected the work they were doing outside of [rehearsal] … I learned, I think as much if not more as they did during the process of this.” 

The production bounces back and forth between Agnes’ reality as a high school English teacher and her adventure in Newlandia. Fatima Zahara, a senior music and theater major from Orlando, Florida, plays Agnes. 

When asked what compelled them to their specific role, Zahara said, “I really like [Agnes] because she kind of represents

the fear of being terrible to someone and never seeing them again … She represents regret, insane regret.” 

Mairin Mendoza, a junior theater major, was cast as Tilly. Mendoza looked forward to playing Agnes’ sister and getting to interact with Zahara on stage for the first time. She enjoyed being able to laugh at her character: “What drew me to Tilly is that she’s cringe. I just needed a chance to be cringe.” 

Teo Kingsley, a sophomore theater major, plays Chuck, an old friend of Tilly’s and the dungeon master for Agnes’ game. Kingsley was eager to audition after learning it would be in production this fall: “I always really liked this play … when I read the play I knew I wanted to play this character at some point.” 

Kingsley asks that the audience immerse themselves in the play: “Allow yourself to be drawn into this world … It’s a great way to escape what’s been going on in our society while still really telling a very relevant story.” 

“She Kills Monsters” is deeper than its imaginary world and stage lights. Abram-Copenhaver says, “This is a moral play. It tells the story of acceptance … The story is one of empathy.” 

Naomi Klassen, a senior history and criminal and restorative justice double major, was a part of the audience on opening night. She said, “I think while it is under the guise of being kind of comedic, the play is inherently about some pretty sad topics such as grief and homophobia. I think all of those were handled with a lot of care.” 

“She Kills Monsters” will be performed for a second weekend on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the box office or at goshen.universitytickets.com.

With reporting by 

Mackenzie Miller