POINT PLEASANT — Audiences answered the call of adventure in Point Pleasant Borough High School’s fall play, “She Kills Monsters.”
This play tells the story of high-schooler Agnes Evans as she grapples with losing her younger sister, Tilly. When Agnes discovers Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she is thrust into an adventurous journey within the fantastical world that was her sister’s sanctuary.
The narrative oscillates between reality and the game world, where Agnes embarks on a thrilling quest to save her sister’s soul. Along the way, she encounters homicidal fairies, raunchy ogres and bloodthirsty cheerleaders. Agnes also learns about Tilly’s exploration of her sexuality, and uncovers a new aspect of herself.
This dramatic comedy by acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen is “a heart-pounding tribute to the geek and warrior within us all,” according to a press release from the department.
The show was staged Nov. 21, 22 and 23 in the high school auditorium, captivating audiences with the impressive acting and inspiring and creative sets.
The play was unusual, in that most of the actors were double cast, meaning different actors played the same role on different evenings. This excluded two of the show’s leads, Emily Peters, junior, and Avery Jackson, senior.
Emily portrayed Tilly Evans and Avery portrayed Agnes Evans. The actors say they are best friends in real life, so portraying sisters was second nature and a dream for them to perform.
“This show went off 100 times better than we could have ever expected. We all came together as a cast and helped each other out. Everyone who was double-casted really helped their other out and me and Avery had a really good time working with everyone. It was a really good experience,” said Emily.
Avery said, “It is the Point Borough magic. It always feels super hectic up until a few days before and then it suddenly all comes together…I think it went over pretty well. We’ve had a lot of people reaching out to us saying they loved the themes and messaging of the story and it was really fun to put on. We all had a great time. It all ended better than we could have expected.”
One of their favorite moments in the play was a scene where Tilly and Agnes have a fight where they bicker just like siblings would.
“Emily and I have this one scene where we are basically having an older sister-younger sister brawl, screaming at each other in the face. It was so much fun because that is pretty much how we fight,” said Avery. “We fight like sisters, it felt very real, it felt very fun to act out.”
Emily said, “Avery is like an older sister to me. She yells at me all the time just like our real characters and it was nice to hear from a lot of people that we had good chemistry on stage.”
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