Left to right Tilly Evans, played by Gabrielle Nixon, Agnes Evans, played by Elizabeth McCoy, Lilith, played by Madison Wilson, and Orcus, played by Jeremy Guillot decide to go on an adventure to find Tilly’s soul, which Orcus had traded to a dragon known as the Tiamat, in a game of Dungeons and Dragons arranged by the late Tilly Evans. Annie Goodman/The Lion’s Roar

The university’s most recent comedy and drama sold out every night of production. “She Kills Monsters” took the stage of the Vonnie Borden Theatre from Nov. 7-10 at 7:30 p.m. 

Freshman elementary education major Gabrielle Nixon who played one of the main roles, Tilly, shared how she felt the production went.

“I think it’s come really well,” said Nixon. “We’ve sold out every night, and everyone’s been enjoying it, and it’s been a lot of fun.”

Nixon explained how she felt the cast had become “tight-knit” by working closely with one another.

“This show tops any show I’ve ever done in my entire life, and for everyone else as well,” said Nixon. “All of the work that’s gone into this is more work than I’ve ever done. Custom-made puppets and costumes and armor and all the swords and weapons were custom made by the props. There’s just a lot of work that’s gone in it.” 

Students with different talents and expertise came together to put on the production. 2012 alumnus Avery Brent was the mind behind the 14 puppets used in the show.

“My favorite part of working on ‘She Kills Monsters’ is seeing the finished product all together,” said Brent. “Everything came out amazing. The puppeteers are fantastic. They bring my creatures to life. I’d say the biggest challenge would be the sheer number of puppets in this production. It’s called ‘She Kills Monsters,’ so naturally there has to be a lot of monsters. It’s kind of crazy when I look back at it, I almost can’t believe I pulled it off.”

Senior art major Veronica Hall was in charge of designing and making the props and weapons for the production.

“This is my first show where I’ve done props and weapons,” said Hall. “There’s specifics that come to stuff that’s stage ready, so anything that has to touch the stage also has to be safe. So, it has to go through Ben, who’s our fight coordinator, and does safety checks on the weapons. My favorite prop I made was either the staff, which is really cool, it lights up, or the axes. That’s my favorite thing to work on.”

Freshman business major Megan Blomquist, who played Farrah, the fairy and Evil Gabbi, the succubus cheerleader, shared her experience.

“Besides simply getting to perform, my favorite part about performing in this show is that it has majorly broadened my acting experience,” said Blomquist. “I have never before played a villain role, let alone two. It’s a whole different ball game being a villain, and I love it.”

Senior English major Lauren Lambert attended the show and shared her thoughts on it.

“I feel like overall they represented the game well,” said Lambert. “Also looking at how you cope with the loss of a loved one, that was really interesting.”

Alumnus Gregory Griffith shared what he took away from seeing the production.

“Just appreciate people in your life,” said Griffith. “Make sure you get to know them for who they are and appreciate their differences even if you don’t have the exact same interests as them. Just kinda learn about why they like what they like to do, and that might give you some insight.”