Long before World of Warcraft, Harry Potter or video game roll-playing entered the cultural stratosphere, one fantasy world stood above all others Dungeons & Dragons.
Referred to by most as D&D, the Dungeons & Dragons world dates back to 1974, when a pair of friends got together and put their tales of fantasy into a tabletop board game.
Since then, D&D developed into something of a cultural phenomenon, an outlet for young, imaginative minds, gamers and geeks alike to immerse themselves in the world of elf hunters, dragons and sword battles.
This marks the setting for the delightfully poignant, and occasionally powerful, Iola High School production of She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition, which runs tonight and Friday at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.
Admission to the 7 p.m. shows costs $5 at the door. The production is geared for middle-schoolers and older, largely because of the sexuality and mortality themes the play explores.
(View a photo gallery of Wednesday’s performance here.)
MEET AGNES, a prototypically popular high-schooler. Shes a cheerleader, has a boyfriend on the football team, and a best friend who works at the Gap.
She doesnt much connect with her younger sister, Tilly, who has found herself at the opposite end of the social spectrum. Awkward, shy, struggling to find her clique. She does so through the world of fantasy: Dungeons and Dragons. There she becomes a fierce warrior alongside her closest friends, Lilith, Kaliope and Orcus.
Their disconnect doesnt much bother Agnes, who figures her sisters gaming is just a phase. Theres plenty of time to connect once she matures.
Alas, that doesnt happen. Tilly is killed in a car accident.
THE PLAY takes it from there, as Agnes, portrayed wonderfully by Lexie Vega, discovers her younger sisters old D&D notebook, and takes it to whomever can help her learn more about her younger sister.
She does so at the local game shop, where she meets Chuck, as charismatic and macho as any geek around, who happily agrees to serve as Agness Dungeon Master, or guide, through her sisters writings.
Henry Lohman shines as Chuck, who jumps at the chance to introduce a high-society senior into the D&D realm (Hes just a freshman). He brags to Agnes about his dial-up internet connection the play is set in 1995 in small town, Ohio and is eager to help Agnes learn more about Tillys thoughts and background.
OTHERS arent as excited. Isabella Duke, Josie Plumlee and Jon Poffenbarger are a delight as the aforementioned Lillith, Kaliope and Orcus. They derisively refer to the newcomer noob for short as Agnes, the Asshat when she hesitates in developing her D&D characters name.
What follows is a wondrous mixture of scenes, enmeshing real life and make believe.
Tilly, the effervescent Haley Carlin, reappears as her D&D character, as Agnes embarks on her Dungeons & Dragons quest.
