ONLINE: She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms

media release:  First Stage continues its imaginative exploration of all things virtual with SHE KILLS MONSTERS: VIRTUAL REALMS, a comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games. The play is written by acclaimed young playwright Qui Nguyen.  Premiering at New York’s Flea Theater in 2011, with productions following in Chicago, Boston and Washington, D.C., the play was the seventh most produced play at U.S. high schools during the 2018/19 school year, the first time the work was made available for educational, amateur and stock licensing. This year a new adaptation was released by Concord Theatricals intended for virtual audiences via video conferencing platforms such as Zoom.  

SHE KILLS MONSTERS: VIRTUAL REALMS tells the story of high schooler 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, however, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres and ’90s pop culture, Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all. Sponsored by the Molitor Foundation. 

SHE KILLS MONSTERS: VIRTUAL REALMS streams now – November 22, 2020. Tickets are available for $15, $25 or $40. Patrons are encouraged to choose the price point that best fits their family and budget. Ticket buyers will receive an access code to stream this performance through the streaming service Broadway On Demand. Tickets can be purchased online at www.firststage.org or by phone at (414) 267-2961. Please note: this production contains some mature language and mild adult themes, and is suggested for audiences ages 13 and older. 

New this year: Family All-Access Pass Membership includes streaming access to this and all other virtual productions this season and starts at $200 per household. More information is available at: www.firststage.org/membership. 

Playwright Qui Nguyen had this to say about his new virtual adaptation, “I’m super excited to make SHE KILLS MONSTERS available in this way. Not only is it a fun challenge to re-imagine the play as something that would exist online, I also think it’s a great opportunity to explore a new means of creating live performance. The immediate benefit to making an online edition of She Kills Monsters is it allows all the schools and theatres that planned on producing it this season to have a means to continue to do so.” He continued, “But even beyond that, the ‘Virtual Realms Edition’ also creates a more accessible version of the show to different communities of actors and performance groups that would not be able to perform the show otherwise. Now, regardless of physical or financial challenges, there’s a way for (almost) everyone to be able to embody these characters and inhabit this world. That’s what excites me the most – that it’s now available to even more people to do.” 

Added First Stage Artistic Director Jeff Frank, “This remarkable production has struck a resonant chord with the young people of America, and we are thankful that the playwright has created this new version especially for digital rehearsal and delivery. It is packed with magic, wonder and power.”