Noah Pligge has long been a fan of the play “She Kills Monsters” by Qui Nguyen, which Elmwood Park High School will present Oct. 29-31.
“I like the acceptance and the talking of queerness and different lifestyles and the nerdiness and Dungeons and Dragons,” he said. “All of that is not normally in a mainstream play.”
That’s why Pligge wanted to direct the show at Elmwood Park High School. Although he teaches at Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, Pligge directs all of the Elmwood Park shows.
He ran the suggestion past Grant McEachern, a music teacher and choir director at the school, who was chosen to be the producer and technical director of the fall show, and McEachern agreed that it was the right choice.
“I had a handful of reasons,” McEachern said. “Top of the list was the name ‘Monsters.’ The dates that we were going to be performing was Halloween. That’s probably a good start.”
He was also drawn to the themes which McEachern described as “dealing with loss in the family, trying out new things, making new friends, coming out of your shell. Especially after COVID I thought that’s a really good thing to be thinking about and working towards.”
– Original Credit: Dave Porreca
Pligge believes that the play is particularly appropriate for Elmwood Park High School. “There’s a very diverse group of kids in that school that span from different ethnicities, preferences, genders,” he explained. “It’s great to showcase their culture.”
Prior to auditions, Pligge shared a synopsis online with students and provided details about the show. “A lot of them liked the fantasy and the Dungeons and Dragons,” the director said. “There were a lot of kids that liked that the show represented them and their identity.”
The script the director is using is a “Young Adventurers Edition” of the play which changes the main character from an English teacher to a high school student. Junior Alanis Rivera stars as Agnes, whose younger sister died in a car crash. After her sister’s death, Agnes discovers her sister’s notebook and learns things about her sibling that she never knew.
There are 18 cast members and a crew of over 40 students.
“There has always been a giant crew,” Pligge noted of the shows he has directed at the school. “A lot of kids don’t necessarily like being in the spotlight but they like being able to help other people be in the spotlight.”
“We have a group working on props, we have a group working on sound effects, a group working on lights,” technical director McEachern said. “We had a number of technical issues—things not working—after nearly two years of being dark as a theater.”
In addition, crew members have been building sets.
“We’ve also had a graphic design group because we are doing projections throughout the show that are designed by a couple of students,” McEachern reported.
The highlight of working on this play for the producer/technical director has been getting to know the students, he indicated. “They’re energetic, they’re problem solvers,” he noted. “My favorite part is I can just say, ‘Figure this out,’ and they do.”
The biggest challenge director Pligge has faced in staging the play is making sure the cast and crew members feel safe. “We don’t know the effects that everyone has had since the start of this pandemic,” Pligge explained.
What Pligge is enjoying most about the process is working with the students. “They have such great attitudes and they want to work,” he said.
Pligge hopes that “She Kills Monsters” will have the effect on students in the cast and in the audience of “opening up their minds to the issues presented in the show. Being more welcoming to other types of people.”
Performances are 7 p.m. Oct. 29-30 and 2 p.m. Oct. 31 in the school auditorium at 8201 W. Fullerton Ave. Tickets are $5; free for students, staff and seniors.
