Mainstage

Play It Straight

She Kills Monsters

by Richard Winters, Kerri Yund, Gary Wright
Directed by Adrienne Sher

By Qui Nguyen
Directed by Janey Pintar

The Play

Mr. Ross urges his Advanced Drama students to embrace the chaos of creativity, to dig deep, and to speak from the heart. His guidance bears shocking and hilarious fruit when his students find chaotically creative ways to push back against a new district mandate that requires the school to ‘out’ a gay classmate to her conservative Christian father. As the school day wears on, everyone on campus will be compelled to face some sticky personal questions: Should we obey the new mandate, or defy it? Keep quiet, or speak up? Roll over, or fight back? And, perhaps most importantly for the Advanced Drama class… what’s the best way to make a complete mockery of this culture war bullshit? Play It Straight explores the human element that inevitably comes into play when parents, principals, teachers, and students are pitted against one another as pawns on the political chessboard.

The playwrights

Richard Winters spent over three decades in both Professional and Public School Theater. His work in these two arenas informed and inspired Play It Straight. His other plays include Death of a High School Quarterback, Selfies, Some Gave All, Dancing Naked and Sleeping in the Middle of The Bed.

Kerri Yund first found theatre as a student of Richard Winters, and now is an elementary school teacher herself. Keeping her love of the arts alive, she has performed and done tech and dramaturgy for R25 Theatre Group and California Stage since 2022, in productions such as Chef, Hand to God, and Bakersfield Mist.

Gary Wright has written plays on commission for three theatre companies, and screenplays on assignment for several indie film producers. His screenplay Late Bloomers (co-written with Sam Kozé) is currently in pre-production with Salt & Light Films, with Dakota Gorman attached to direct.

Performances

Feb. 27 – Mar. 16, 2025
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 2:00 pm

Performance Location

Art Court Theatre in the Performing Arts Center (PAC160) at Sacramento City College

Cast List

The Play

An adventurous quest awaits! She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she packs up her childhood home after the death of her younger sister, Tilly, and her parents. When she finds Tilly’s Dungeons and Dragons notebook, Agnes is transported into a journey of discovery and a world of fantasy and adventure. Learning more about her younger sister, Agnes meets elves, bugbears, and other fantastical beings while connecting with people Tilly loved. This action-packed dramatic comedy is full of kick-butt fairies, nasty succubus, energetic 1990’s pop culture, and, most importantly, living life to the
fullest. Acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen’s She Kills Monsters celebrates the inner geek and warrior in us all.

Content warning: Adult language and themes including violence, bullying, and sexuality.Performances

Performances

May 2 – 18, 2025
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 2:00 pm

Performance Location

Art Court Theatre in the Performing Arts Center (PAC160) at Sacramento City College.

Auditions

Auditions: Friday, February 7, 2025, at 5:00 – 7:00 pm and Saturday, February 8, 2025 at
12:00 – 2:00 pm
Callbacks: Saturday, February 15, 2025, at 12:00 pm