The Hotchkiss Dramatic Association (HDA) produced its final play of the year, “She Kills Monsters,” from May 5 to 7. The show tells the story of high schoolers coping with death, fear of the unknown, bullying, and sexuality. The production was directed by guest director Christine Crawfis and Mr. Brashears, resident designer and technical director, who designed the set, costumes, and lighting along with HDA Tech students. 

The drama-fantasy-comedy by playwright, director, and screenwriter Qui Nguyen debuted in 2011. In the play, protagonist Agnes Evans (Lucy Hall ’25) struggles to recover from the sudden death of her younger sister, Tilly Evans (Caroline Block ’25). As she mourns the loss of her sister, Agnes realizes that she never really knew much abut Tilly while she was alive. 

However, everything changes when Agnes finds Tilly’s journal, which contains a Dungeons & Dragons campaign that Tilly wrote. Agnes seeks out a classmate (Jack Herold ’24) to teach her how to lead the campaign. As Agnes proceeds through the adventure, she learns about Tilly’s struggles dealing with bullying, homophobia, and coming to terms with her sexuality. In turn, Agnes heals from her sister’s death and learns to embody Tilly’s bravery. 

The play was packed with action scenes, which required actors to learn extensive fight choreography and physical stunts. The student-directed Blackbox musical, “Ordinary Days,” will be performed on May 17, and additional Blackbox plays will debut on May 24.