“Death doesn’t discriminate
Between the sinners
And the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
And we keep living anyway”
– Wait For It, Hamilton: An American Musical
Picking the plays for the drama club is never an easy task. Finding the right piece that will spark the interest of the students, showcase their talents, fit our budget constraints, and is appropriate to be performed by teens are only a few of the factors weigh in the decision making process. After racking my brain and combing over my script collection, I came to a few conclusions: we have a wide variety of talents, our students don’t want to do the same shows everyone does, and the drama club is primarily made up of dorks. With that in mind, I came back to the script for She Kills Monsters, which I had first read a few years before at the recommendation of my girlfriend. While it wasn’t perfect, I felt the show had a lot of heart and bold characters which the students could sink their teeth into. I ordered a copy of the “Young Adventurers Edition” which was an edit of the script specifically tailored for high schools to perform and watch. When it arrived, I learned the playwright had revised the story completely, and I was enamored with the new version of the play. After the first read, I put down the script and knew I had found our show. The play dealt with topics important to our students, such as growing up as an outsider, bullying, finding yourself, the way we hide who we really are, sibling rivalries/relationships, and grieving the loss of a loved one. These important topics, woven into a show full of badass combat opportunities and a lot of comedy, have created the perfect show for Maskers. I sent the script off to the student leadership board for the drama club. They quickly sent back positive feedback. I told the general membership I had picked our show and got ready to order the rights to the show. The students eagerly awaited my official announcement after I teased the show had been picked. I could not wait to share this awesome piece with them.
One week later, our lives were changed forever when our drama club president, Dustin Blake, passed away due to an undiagnosed heart condition. It came so out of nowhere that it was impossible to process. Suddenly the themes of the show I had picked were a lot more real. I struggled with if we should continue or not with She Kills Monsters. On one hand, Dustin loved what he knew about the show, the show was the embodiment of the heart of our club, and maybe a show like this might help the students cope. On the other hand, I feared it might strike too close to home, and I never want to make any student uncomfortable. I decided to send out an anonymous survey with all the pros and cons of doing the show listed. I didn’t want the group to sway each other one way or another. I wanted each student’s voice to be heard. The students overwhelmingly voted in favor of continuing on with She Kills Monsters. We decided it would be the best way to honor Dustin and everything he meant to the organization.
