By Ena Huerta – Contributor

She Kills Monsters, directed by Nathania Bernabe and Bishop’s alum Jackie T. Hanlin, was run on the Centennial stage from March 9 to 12. 

The Bishop’s University drama department has impressed us all once again, this time with She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, also known for his work writing Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon and Strange World.  

The story follows Agnes Evans who finds her deceased sister’s Dungeons and Dragons handbook while sorting through her possessions. Within the pages of the journal, Agnes learns about the fantastical world which her sister used as her means of deeply personal expression, and discovers a side of her sister that she had not previously known.

She Kills Monsters utilizes impressive stage combat, imaginative set design, creative lighting, and brilliant sound. Each enemy encounter the party faced was met with well-rehearsed and excellently choreographed combat sequences, timed perfectly to 90s hit songs. The use of lighting to set the scene and create optical illusions added to the immersion, pulling the audience completely into the story. The cast made great use of every inch of the stage, demanding the attention of the entire audience. Additionally, the delightful and genuine character interactions were entertaining and gave the performance an extra level of personality.

Despite the story taking place during the mid-90s, the message was as relevant as ever, and tackled themes of LGBTQ identity, the struggles of fitting in, escapism, and coping with the loss of a loved one – all deeply personal aspects of life that surely resonated with many of the audience members.

She Kills Monsters is an absolutely delightful story about loss, grief, love, self-expression, identity, sisterhood, epic battles, and super awesome dragons. It is a love letter to geeks and nerds everywhere, yet tells a story relatable to everybody who makes the smart decision to watch it.