More than a game: Sisterhood at center of D&D play

Jan. 5—Because Dustin Atkins has been playing Dungeons & Dragons for more than two decades now, he knows what's really important when directing a stage play about the game.

"It's like any campaign you go into. The story is more important than the game," Atkins said. "If there is no good story, there is no game. You lose the group."

Want to go?

"She Kills Monsters," presented by Dream Theatre Co., will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at Studio 124, 124 S. Main St. The play features adult content and has been given a PG-13 rating by the presenters. Tickets: $15.

Details: 417-622-6740.

"She Kills Monsters," a play with D&D at its center, brings a story of sisterhood and understanding in between scenes of fighting monsters and accomplishing heroic feats. It will be presented by Dream Theatre Company at Studio 124, running Thursday through Saturday.

Written by Qui Nguyen, "She Kills Monsters" tells the story of Agnes, a woman who loses her parents and little sister, Tilly, to a car crash. As she struggles with the loss, Agnes finds a D&D campaign Tilly wrote. Seeing it as a way to learn more about her sister, Agnes recruits one of Tilly's friends to run the campaign.

Picking up a figurative sword and learning to fight alongside Tilly's in-game friends and the dungeon master help Agnes learn what meant the most to Tilly. Agnes plays a hero alongside Tillius the Paladin and her stalwart friends, Lilith Morningstar and Kaliope Darkwalker, who fight against evil monsters, wizards and more.

A relatively new play that debuted in 2011, "She Kills Monsters" has become a popular choice for its themes of acceptance and finding your family. While the jokes and the swords are sharp, Atkins said the play is filled with heartfelt moments.

"Hands down this is one of the most emotional plays I have ever seen," Atkins said. "I've been working with everyone on this play for the last six weeks or so, and there are parts of it I watch and still get teary-eyed, even when I know what is coming."

D&D has found new popularity because of the pandemic and pop culture. Live-play shows such as "Critical Role" and inclusion in TV shows such as "Stranger Things" have brought the game into the spotlight like never before. Fans of the game will see an older, more combat-emphasized version of the game represented in the play, not the current edition.

But they will recognize some of the classic monsters that players have fought, including a large dragon. Atkins said the crew took on the challenge of designing those larger monsters inside a smaller theater space that isn't exactly as large as a dragon's hoard.

"The biggest challenge is making sure everything can function within the space so that it doesn't dominate everything that's there," Atkins said. "We have taken to doing a lot more puppetry and tried to minimize what is on stage whenever the monsters come out."

Cast members are also getting a chance to take on some swordplay, as players in the show's game take on real-life personifications of their heroic warriors. The cast includes Rachel Mobley, Damaris Horn, A. Richins, Ethan Moser, Jerry Bland, Josie Thompson, Era Stone, Josiah Horn, Mary Beth Gritten, Kaitlin Morrill, Lauren Keczkemethy, Emily Szura, Jay Atkins, Sarah Schowengerdt and Cora Spieth.