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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2019)
PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, NOVEMBER 1, 2019 KeizerCommunity Slaying beasts and fi nding yourself KEIZERTIMES.COM Next McNary play is an action-adventure By MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes Mythical creatures and ac- tion-adventure will be on display as the McNary High School theater department will be putting on their rendition on She Kills Monsters — a trib- ute to fans of the popular fanta- sy role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons — for their fi rst show of the 2019-20 season. The show will play at Ken Collins Theatre with 7 p.m. showings from Nov. 6-9 — their will also be a matinee showing at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9. Tickets can be pur- chased at the door for $5. McNary theater teacher Tom Cavanaugh got the idea to do this show after seeing the performance done at Dallas High School last year. “I was blown away by the story and the action. There were awesome, high school rel- evant topics that the kids could explore,” he said. The plot of She Kills Mon- sters revolves around the main character, Agnes, played by Elise Myers. “It’s defi nitely a lot of pres- sure,” Myers said about being the lead of the play. “But it al- lows me to embrace my char- acter more because I know I can’t let anyone down. This is something I can do and I am really appreciate that I got this opportunity.” Agnes begins the show as a high schooler trying to deal with the sudden death of her teenage sister, Tilly. However, when Agnes stumbles upon her sister’s old Dungeons and Dragons notebook, she gets thrust into a world of fanta- sy and adventure that was her sister’s safe-haven — featuring homicidal fairies, nasty ogres and 90s pop culture. “It’s defi nitely different from past productions. There are a lot of mythical creatures and extra costumes,” Myers said. Many of the masks, cos- tumes and battle equipment for fi ght scenes were made by Mc- Nary students. “We have a really good tech team here. It all looks pretty be- lievable from sitting in the au- dience.” said Brayden Menan, who plays the role of Chuck. While most productions by the McNary theatre depart- ment are family-friendly, does have a PG-13 rating due to some language and mild adult themes. “I would say that anything you see in this show is on par with what you would see in most primetime TV. I’m a little overcautious with my ratings, just because I want people to know what they are getting into when they come to a show,” Cavanaugh said. “There is defi nitely some language and some things that would be considered adult content. It’s not over the top bad at all.” Despite the show featur- ing fantasy and comedy, much of the material also has a very dramatic and real-life feel to it. “Even though it’s big and extravagant in terms of visu- als, the source material and the problems that the charac- ters deal with are very real, so it keeps it all very grounded,” Menan said. Many of the actors play KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings Dylan Lopez and Rowan Mahoney do battle in one of several fi ght scenes in the play. nostalgia.” Whether you’re passionate about Dungeons and Dragons, or even if you’ve never played the game at all, Cavanaugh be- lieves that audience members will fi nd something to connect with in the show. “I think anyone who has any level of nerd or geek about them will have plenty of refer- Dungeons and Dragons in their spare time, which adds to their excitement of doing a show like this. “Being able to bring this to the stage and have people ap- preciate it is going to be really cool,” Myers said. “I think a lot of high schoolers, or anyone that has played the game in the past, will experience a lot of ences that only they will get,” Cavanaugh said. “I just think there is so much heart and hu- mor in the show that if you have never played D&D, or if you were born after the 90s, you will still enjoy yourself. It’s got broad appeal, but it’s also got very specifi c appeal as well.” KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings Elise Myers plays Agnes, the protagonist of She Kills Monsters in the McNary production debuting next week. What’s on your HONEY-DO LIST? New Appliances with minor cosmetic flaws from TOP BRANDS such as UNFINISHED CABINETS 10% OFF! and WITH THIS COUPON Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Valid through 11-30-2019. as much as Waterproof Vinyl Wood Plank Flooring 75 % OFF original price Metro Paint 1 $ 60 SF 1x6x6 Cedar Fencing starting at 3 GRADES IN STOCK 1 $ 00 PER BOARD starting at 5 00 $ / gallon ALL PRICING IS VALID THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 2019 B M B C BUILDING MATERIALS BARGAIN CENTER, INC. *At BUILDING MATERIALS BARGAIN CENTER, our stock is always changing and these examples may or may not be in stock at any given time. 775 FRONT STREET NE - SALEM - CALL US AT 503- 363 - 9070
