Masquers Kills Monsters: Theatre club performs D&D adventure

Masquers, the student theatre club of the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, performed its 2024 production, She Kills Monsters, at the Blanche Davis Theatre from Nov. 6 to 9. She Kills Monsters, written by Qui Nguyen, tells the tale of a woman who, after the death of her sister, sets out on a Dungeons and Dragons adventure to learn about her sister’s life and process her grief.

She Kills Monsters is “a heartfelt and adventurous exploration of friendship, loss, and the power of imagination,” said Director Zoe Palmer. Palmer is a fifth-year UWRF Stage and Screen Arts, or SASA, student. “We not only witness a coming-of-age story,” they said, “but also a celebration of diverse identities and the strength found in embracing who we are.”

The production featured dozens of characters and monsters, from succubi to a Gelatinous Cube, multiple sets, and a final battle against the three-headed dragon Tiamat.

The play is the result of the work of 13 actors and 20 production staff members.

Liam Powers, a sophomore Psychology student, played the Narrator in his first speaking role. Lucy Curtis, a junior SASA student and the Masquers President, played Agnes Evans, and Sophia Anderson played her sister, Tilly Evans. “This was her first-ever big role and she’s a freshman here [at UWRF],” Zoe Palmer said. “She was so happy about it.”

Charlie Hilo, a UWRF Music and Business student, played Chuck. Ryan Bartley, who also held roles in UWRF’s Urinetown and Night of the Living Dead productions, played Miles. Kinsey Peterson played the demon queen Lilith Morningstar in their first campus production.

Chloee Skille, a Psychology and SASA student, played the dark elf Kaliope Darkwater. Isaac Dow, who returned to college, and the stage, after a 4-year hiatus, played the demon Orcus.

The production was student-led as well.

“[She Kills Monsters] is my favorite project I've ever done,” Palmer said. Palmer started college not as a theater student, but as a film student. They did not plan to become involved in theater at all. “I did not expect my favorite project would be a play,” they added.

Palmer was involved with the production from the very start.

Each year, Masquers members attend the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, or KCACTF. The 2024 KCACTF Region III event, which was held from Jan. 9 to 14 at the University of Michigan–Flint, was the first one that Palmer attended. As part of the festival, Palmer and some of their friends attended a Jan. 9 showing of She Kills Monsters.

Palmer had never heard of She Kills Monsters before the showing. “I didn’t know anything about it,” they said, “… and it was everything I loved. I love Dungeons & Dragons, and I’m part of the LGBTQ community. I felt very connected to the play.”

“One of my friends told me, ‘You could turn this into a Masquers show,’” Palmer said.

Palmer had wanted to direct a Masquers show since fall 2023, and She Kills Monsters was the perfect opportunity. “I was fine if I had to direct any other play, but this one I really wanted to direct,’ they said. In spring 2024, Palmer submitted the idea at a Masquers meeting, and She Kills Monsters was chosen as the 2024 Masquers production.

Palmer was also chosen to direct the production. Despite their excitement, Palmer was anxious about the undertaking. “I was very nervous,” they said. “It was a really big project. I was told that this is the biggest Masquers project that has ever been made.”

“We worked on it all summer,” Palmer said. Masquers held meetings in May, June, July, and August. Palmer worked on ‘blocking’ the production, which is determining the movement and positioning of actors on the stage. They also prepared for auditions.

Then, “we started working really hard [in September] once the school year started,” Palmer continued. Masquers held auditions the second week of the semester, and launched into rehearsals the next week. Meetings were held every week as Nov. 6 drew near.

“There were some moments where I had to make last-minute adjustments with the blocking,” Palmer said. “The actors were very patient…. They were just really happy to be here. All of the actors were having a blast throughout rehearsals.”

One of the challenges for the production team was creating the final battle against Tiamat. Palmer said the team wanted to make the scene “feel magical.” Mary Rother, one of the prop designers, created the dragon prop, and the production team used shadow puppetry to bring the prop to life. “It was all collaborative,” Palmer said.

Palmer recalled the team’s last performance on Saturday, Nov. 9, and, afterward, the ‘strike,’ where the set was taken down and all the costumes and props returned. “It was very emotional; we all kind of cried,” Palmer said. “But it was super cool.”

She Kills Monsters is Palmer’s last production at UWRF, as they are graduating summer 2025. “I would like to officially consider myself a theatre kid,” they said with a laugh.