By: Stella Strickland
Mrs. O’Grady, the new theater director, and the theater staff have been working hard on the fall play called “She Kills Monsters.” The play will be available to watch Nov. 11-14, taking place in the Salisbury High School courtyard. The outdoor performance is a big change, because of COVID the theater program had to make their performance outside for the first time. The theater crew has been busy making sure the play is performance-ready, by staying late Monday through Thursday and practicing from 3:30 to 6:15 p.m after school.
Since it is Mrs. O’Grady’s first year here, she chose a play many students can connect to for a good first impression. “She Kills Monsters” is the first play of the school year and the crew and actors have been working vigorously almost every day of the week. Mrs. O’Grady stated, “For my first play here I wanted to do something that I thought students could relate to.”
“She kills monsters” is a story of an average girl named Agnes Evans. She plays dungeons and dragons to learn more about her little sister Tilly who died in a car accident.
According to Gabi Lozada, rehearsals look very different than they have in the past. “Our show is going to be held in the courtyard of the high school with the vision of having a “movie in the park” vibe.”
Because of being outside, the theater staff had a harder time producing the play, but the crew and Mrs. O’Grady seemed to have overcome it. “The production is limited in terms of setting, lights, and sound, but it also allows for us to get creative with what we have! The whole cast and crew is working really hard to make this show the best it can be, so I’m positive it will turn out well,” says Gabi Lozada regarding the setting of the play this year.
Creating a play takes weeks worth of preparations including costumes and props. Salisbury was lucky enough to have costumes donated by Pennsylvania Playhouse, Monaco Music Theater, and the Northampton Community College Theater Department. They also donated useful props to make the play even better.
Gabi Lozada, a senior and the main character Agnes in the play, is extremely excited to have such a major role. “I have always participated in Salisbury Theatre productions. Because it is my senior year, I wanted to close off that tradition well and audition for “She Kills Monsters.”
Despite all of the hard work being done by the theater staff, all of them need to be trusting and be supportive of each other.
Freshman stage manager Hailey Bender had some doubts about being in theater for the first time. She said she got comfortable as soon as she started. “As a freshman, this is my first year doing theater so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but so far it has been fun. I was nervous going into it because I wasn’t sure what to expect. It turned out I was nervous for no reason.”
The staff of the theater program has been working together almost every day of the week for hours. Hailey also talked about how each and every person is easy to talk to and very supportive, making producing a play easier.
Even though there have been many changes to the theater program in Salisbury, they still figured out a way to make “She Kills Monsters” possible.
Tickets will be available at the door; you can not purchase them ahead of time. They are $8 for all and you can pay with cash or check.
Leave a Reply