The Court Youth Company’s production of She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, directed by Ben Freeth, is described with the tagline as “join the adventure whether you are a D&D enthusiast or newcomer”. I come in somewhere on the spectrum between the two, having watched and enjoyed a number of adventures at Dungeons & Comedians (Little Andromeda), and recently played my first game of D&D.

The story follows the very average Agnes, as she deals with the loss of her teenage sister Tilly. After Tilly’s death, Agnes finds her sister’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook and immerses herself in the fantasy world created by Tilly.

This show is anything but average. We are seamlessly transported from the real world (and some cracking 90s tunes) to a fantasy world of elves, fairies, demon cheerleaders and, of course, dragons. Agnes is joined by the adventurers of Tilly’s creation on a journey to not only fight monsters, but understand her sister better.

The visual design and production of the show is fantastic; set and AV (Rosie Gilmore), lighting (Geoff Nunn), costumes (Tina Hutchison-Thomas), sound (Nephtalim Antoine), and puppets (Edwin Beats and Rebekah Head) all contribute to bringing the fantasy world to life. Under the direction of Ben Freeth, a clear vision has come together, with great parallels between action within the game and events in the real world.

The cast are truly impressive; they hit the comedic, dramatic, and emotional moments so well, I have to remind myself of how young they are. The future is truly bright for these actors. The ensemble must be applauded for filling many roles, not only the story’s minor characters, but for their puppeteering, and work with set and props. The whole cast bring good energy to the clever choreography (Kira Josephson) and fight choreography (Lizzie Tollemache and David Ladderman).

I could rave about each of the actors independently, but have to give special mention to Grace Opie as Agnes and Ben Camm as Dungeon Master Chuck, who barely leave the stage over the 90-minute performance. Grace brings a great maturity to the role and Ben is undeniably funny and accurate in their portrayal of a very nerdy teenager, with a great passion for D&D.

I’m accompanied to She Kills Monsters by my friend who could definitely be described as a Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast, regularly playing and DMing games. He laughs at a few more nuanced jokes that I don’t get, but it’s still a very enjoyable experience for someone with less knowledge of the game.

She Kills Monsters at its core is a good story, told well. A story of sisterhood, and not really knowing someone until it’s too late. Framed by a fantasy world, the show helps us, the audience, “experience something different”. It’s a true celebration at the intersection of Dungeons & Dragons, nerd culture, and theatre. All three can be used as an escape, or a refuge from life’s challenges, but also a way to get to know each other better.

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