ARTS SPOTL IGH T: FALL PLAY
Stage Combat, Giant Dragons, and a Fantasy Game This fall Madeira’s theater program embarked on a quest to produce a fall play of epic proportions. She Kills Monsters—Young Adventurer’s Edition took us into the 1990’s world of the fantasy role playing game, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)! It told the story of high schooler Agnes Evans as she dealt with the death of her younger sister, Tilly. As Agnes learned about her sister’s life, struggles, and love of D&D, the game came alive onstage, where she battled monsters both real and imagined. Beautifully choreographed moments of stage combat paired with flashing LED lights, larger-than-life puppetry, and a dramatic sound score completed the production. Over the ten weeks of rehearsals, students learned stage combat from master fight choreographer Casey Kaleba. Kelsey Meiklejohn, the show’s director, tackled sensitive subjects, such as bullying, loss, and identity with the actors, serving as their guide through the journey to performance. Actors learned to trust each other, work together, and think outside the box as they addressed these issues and performed exciting fantasy fights. Arts Department Chair Sasha Newman and Production Manager Adalia Tonneyck led the stagecraft class in creating unique costumes, giant dragons, and even a twelve-foot-tall 20-sided die. Students took on roles of Assistant Costume Designer (Sydney Marenburg ’20), Master Carpenters (Caroline Potter ’20 and Addison Callaghan ’21), Assistant Set Designer (Angela Zheng ’20), and Puppet Master (Malena Cecchi ’21). Students were challenged to step outside their comfort zone, learn new skills, and create something epic, magical, and unlike any theater production they had done before.
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MADEIRA TODAY WINTER 2020
