Battling Monsters and Unknowns

She Kills Monsters challenged my young cast to navigate very adult themes of grief, identity, and fantasy during a time of heightened stress. I directed this mid-pandemic, under strict COVID protocols. To lead a story so emotionally sensitive during a time of so much uncertainty required a lot from everyone involved. That’s why I focused first on building a foundation of trust, openness, and friendship.

Because of the adult themes of death, grief, and identity, I knew we needed to begin with structured time for team-building. I organized exercises that allowed cast members to connect as people before we asked them to connect as characters. I led with the qualities I wanted to cultivate: vulnerability, empathy, and presence. That intentional groundwork gave us the emotional bandwidth to explore the deeper parts of the play.

The pandemic added several layers of difficulty. Many of the cast were out sick at various points in the production, and protocol required they stay home for 2 to 3 weeks, so anxiety ran high.

But because of the trust we had built, the cast supported each other instinctively. One particular student who was out with COVID still contributed from home by building elaborate dragon head props we needed for performance. That sense of shared ownership, mutual care, and belief in the work helped carry us through. And that group dynamic of support in the face of this turbulance translated into a production with genuine and raw emotional weight.

The material itself required care. Rather than center our rehearsals on pain or identity labels, I worked one-on-one with actors to guide them through their characters’ internal lives. We explored themes of loss, connection, and discovery without requiring students to publicly share personal truths. These quiet, individualized conversations gave students the freedom and safety to deliver emotionally nuanced performances, even when navigating complex topics like grief and queer identity.

Directing this show during such a tumultuous time showed me that when leadership is thoughtful and prioritizes community, a team that is connected and that cares for eachother can carry each other through even the hardest moments.

A Piece of My Heart

Edward Tulane