<\/a>A large puppet takes center state during a rehearsal of Theatre in the Rough’s “She Kills Monsters,” which opens Friday, at McPhetres Hall on Monday night. (Meredith Jordan \/ Juneau Empire) (Meredith Jordan \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
The play, which has been staged in high schools and colleges more than 800 times, and its adult themes have been the subject of controversy. In 2021, the superintendent of an Ohio school district canceled the play, saying it had a potentially gay character and hence wasn’t appropriate for K-12 audiences. But a GoFundMe sprang up and raised $5,000 to stage it elsewhere, and the show went on.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Nguyen wrote a version of the play called “She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition,” which turned Tilly into a cheerleader and uses less profanity. Jensen said they are producing the original two-act play and there are “some bad words.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“She Kills Monsters” “has a lot of emotion, with high drama, and high fantasy action I didn’t think you could do in theater,” said Gwen Mitchell, who plays Tilly. It’s about sisterhood, and the relationship between the two characters, but there is a lot more to it. “I think the audience is going to understand it and I think they’re going to be pretty impressed.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Jensen co-founded Theatre in the Rough with husband, Aaron Elmore, in 1991, and they serve as co-artistic directors. The division of labor for “She Kills Monsters” has her directing, handling costume design, sound design, dance choreography and office duties, including marketing. Meanwhile, Elmore provides set design, fight choreography and puppetry, among other things.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Elmore is known for his puppetry, but his work on “She Kills Monsters” takes it to another level, Jensen said. “It’s more like moving statues.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
The show culminates with a colorful giant dragon that takes up the entire stage, and more, and takes nine people to run it. The fight scenes, played out with the fantasy backdrop, are also compelling. It helps that as a Shakespeare company, Theatre in the Rough has staged more than a few sword fights, another area of specialized training for Elmore.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“The vehicle is the Dungeons and Dragons game, but the story is about the two sisters and Agnes really getting to know her sister Tilly,” said Jenson. She has an emotional tie to the play, and it spoke to her the first time she read it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Jensen said she suffered the loss of a twin brother when she was very young. “It’s a very specific and tender kind of pain when you lose a sibling young.” She felt she also lost her parents, because they were not the same after. “I would have loved it if there was a magical world where I could get to know him better than what I did,” she said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
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Know & Go<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t What:<\/strong> Theatre in the Rough’s “She Kills Monsters.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t When:<\/strong> At 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 28; Saturday, July 29; Thursday, Aug. 3; Friday, Aug. 4; Saturday, Aug. 5; Thursday, Aug. 10; Friday, Aug. 11; Saturday, Aug. 12. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 6; and Sunday, Aug. 13. Free preview at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 28. Pay-as-you-will show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t