One might associate fantasy fans and theater fans as being disparate groups of people, but they will come together for Benicia High School’s fall play “She Kills Monsters,” which opens tonight.
However, the fantasy elements will be intertwined with the harsh realities of grieving and growing up.

Qui Nguyen’s comedic drama only debuted off-Broadway in 2011 but is quickly becoming a popular production for high schools. The story is set in the ‘90s and centers around Agnes Evans (played by Ellie Bettencourt), a young high school teacher reeling from the loss of her parents and teenage sister Tilly (Pilar Gonzales) in a car accident. Agnes learns that Tilly was an avid “Dungeons and Dragons” player after uncovering a notebook of game scenarios and soon becomes a part of that world— both literally and figuratively— while learning about the side of her sister that she never really knew.

Director Nathan Day said he chose the play due to its themes, which he felt audiences could relate to.

“It’s a really strong story about connection to family and the struggles that kids go through when they’re growing up,” he said. “It has underlying themes besides the relationship of the two main characters who are sisters. It’s also about finding where you belong when you grow up, bullying and a lot of issues that kids deal with nowadays.”

Day also says the play has a “beautifully written script” that students can connect with.

Due to its premise, “She Kills Monsters” essentially has two worlds: the real world and a fantasy realm, which allows Benicia High’s drama department to incorporate elements not seen in other productions. The play begins with an animated short film put together by the school’s fine arts department. It also utilizes puppets, a professional fight choreographer was brought in to assist with the swordplay scenes, and Day said the fantasy-inspired costumes were built from scratch.

“There’s a lot of different components in that we used a lot of different departments here at school,” he said. “There’s a lot of different elements that come together and tie a lot of the departments in for this production.”

Day said the play has a larger cast than other schools and that, coupled with accommodating space for the various scenes on stage, presented challenges for the cast and crew.

“The hardest part was getting everything to really fit on the stage because there’s a lot of different locations,” he said. “The original set design was scaled down a bit when it comes to fantasy just because of time and budget. Trying to intertwine the fantasy world and the real world was a bit of a challenge.”

“It’s come together,” he added. “It’s a way of trying to reimagine how you can build a set on stage.”

The cancellation of school for a few days back in October due to the unhealthy conditions of the Northern California fires led to lost rehearsal time, but Day said the cast has been working hard the entire time.

“They’ve done their job, they’ve worked really hard to build their characters,” he said. “It’s a very large cast which can sometimes be cumbersome. They’ve really moved forward in a professional manner. They’ve done their job to tell the story of their characters, which is really what you want when it comes to theater.”

Among the many things Day hopes high schoolers will take away from the production is the theme of family connections.

“This story is a reflection of not taking them (parents and siblings) for granted because you don’t really know how much time you’re gonna have with those individuals that are around you and really capitalizing on the time that you have with the people that you’re connected to,” he said.

Due to the script’s ‘90s pop culture references and mild language, “She Kills Monsters” will also appeal to young adults, which is why Benicia High’s production is rated PG-13.

“It’s a great production, but it does have edgier themes,” Day said.

“She Kills Monsters will debut tonight at 7 p.m. in Benicia High School’s Performing Arts Building, located at 1101 Military West. Subsequent performances will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturdays, Dec. 2 and 9 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and can be purchased at the box office or online at bhs.beniciaunified.org. For more information, go to bhs.beniciaunified.org/performing-arts/theater-arts/.