Metea Valley High School theater presents 'She Kills Monsters'

Metea Valley High School theater is putting on its fall play, "She Kills Monsters," on Nov. 2-4.

It tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly's Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister's refuge. In this dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and '90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a homage to the geek and warrior within us all.

"When I was first reading 'She Kills Monsters,' I was struck by the honesty of this script, not only within the era it was set, but also in the relationships between the characters. It captured the period of the '90s: the social taboos, the peak of stereotypes and cliques," said Matthew Wolksi, Metea Theater program director. "Nguyen focuses on the need to find your tribe and the desire to be fulfilled and discover who you are meant to be, finding that tribe that accepts you for who you are (hence our motto for this year is "We Accept. YOU."). Nguyen also hit a specific chord with me when one of our heroes asks a very pointed question: 'Did you have fun?'"

Wolksi continued, "This, to me is the question. The ultimate question. Our cast and crew (30 students overall) are people first, and too often, we see our kids participate in all these activities (which is always amazing), but we also see the stress that overtakes any joy, their spirit. This made me think about how we communicate with our students and the demands we often put on them. We never ask ourselves this often enough: 'Did they have fun?' We often model this as adults, setting the same tone for our kids. So often, we get caught up in the day's rituals, a never-ending checklist, that even our activities that should bring us joy have merged into the weekly grind."

There will be four showtimes: 7 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, Nov. 2-4, and an understudy show at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, in the main auditorium at Metea Valley High School, 1801 N. Eola Road in Aurora. Use Door 14. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before showtime. Concessions will be available.

General admission is $10 or $5 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased online at www.meteatheater.org.

"We want our students to feel accepted for who they are and what they want to be and do, to hold on to that feeling of joy within the school, to walk away from the day and answer the ultimate question with, 'Yes, I did,' and, of course, 'I can't wait to do it again!'," Wolski said.

For more information, visit www.meteatheater.org or contact Metea Valley main office at (630) 375-5900.

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