She Kills Monsters - Darlington Theatre Players (9 February 2025)

1999. A time of George Clooney on ER. Twin Peaks. Quantum Leap. I'm Just A Girl style 90s pop. And internet speeds of 56 kb/s. Before social media apps, the smartphone, influencers, and 24/7 connectivity.

How did people who were a little different - dare I say it, nerds - express themselves in such a nascent internet era?

Well, one way was to immerse yourself in a world of fantasy and magic via games such as Dungeons & Dragons which had been around since the 70s. I played a similar game in high school back in the early [redacted]. We were too contrarian for D&D. Ah, the misplaced arrogance of youth.

You could tell a lot about someone from the character they chose to inhabit. It was a serious representation of an inner world of imagination and creativity where you came to genuinely care about your fantasy self, your companions, and the quest you were on.

This is where I probably shouldn't reveal I used to play a particularly nasty Vampire called Lord Sisyphus in Runequest. Yep. Take from that what you will.

Ahem. Moving on...

She Kills Monsters is a love letter to the nerd in all of us and a celebration of the game that liberated people from the average and mundane, at least in their imaginations during game sessions.

It's also about cherishing loved ones for who they really are even when they're no longer around.

Yes, the superstructure may encompass nerddom but there are much deeper themes at work here. The context of the world of the quest is critical.

Let's back up. I'm being a bad DM. I need to set the scene better…

Thoroughly average Agnes (Candice Preston) loses her parents and younger sister Tilly (Sophie Boyland) in a car crash. She finds a journal of Tilly’s D&D quest and seeks help in trying to understand a sister she never really knew through the game world she created. Enter Chuck (Luca Daniel) who becomes her Dungeon Master and guides Agnes through this strange new world while boyfriend Myles (Andre Victor) is more concerned about moving in together.

Agnes fights monsters real and imagined as she navigates Tilly's carefully constructed realm to discover aspects of her sister she never expected. Crucially, Tilly’s sexuality and someone she loved who may not have felt the same way.

There are real threshold guardians other than the ones encountered in the game here. For Tilly, being a closeted gay student in small town Athens, Ohio in 1999 was not an easy thing.

D&D is an escape and a tool of empowerment. Tilly becomes Tillius the level 20 Paladin who fights dragons and leads a company of hardy warriors - Lilith Morningstar (Verity Lux), Kaliope Darkwater (Mary Carter), and Orcus (Sean Wcislo) in a land where everyone is gay.

The show is incredibly funny. First time director Connie Wetherilt leans into the 90s of it all and the joy of game play with a fast paced and, at times, goofy execution which is fun to watch. You ain't ever seen a game map introduced like this one, for example!

Production values are high with an impressive set from Gary Wetherilt who also does monster design and construction. There are a range of creatures that are simply a sight to behold. Or flee. Or stand and fight.

House Wetherilt is also represented by Yvette's signature array of wigs and suitably striking make-up while costume designer Merri Ford adds colourful flourishes to these fantastical characters contrasted by geek chic in the real world.

There is a clever sound design (Guy Jackson) in both music cues and effects that summon peak 90s memories for those of us who recall such a time. With atmospheric lighting design by Shelly Miller as we plunge into the depths of Newlandia in search of a lost soul and five headed dragon. All of this is a nice mixture of parody and affection.

As are the performances.

Candice Preston anchors the craziness that swirls all around her as a stoic and determined Agnes. She brings emotional heft to genuinely dramatic moments and relatable disbelief as the outsider. It's an excellent turn.

She's well matched with Sophie Boyland who gets to play a duality and does so in style - the vulnerable Tilly who hesitantly explores her sexuality in life; and the courageous Tillius who fights Tilly's demons in the game.

Andre Victor brings a quiet naturalism to Miles and is used as a foil for a strand of comedy dealing in wordplay and double entendre as the real and imagined clash.

Helen Kerr plays high school counsellor Vera with typical poise, not quite crossing the line into the outright bizarre... until she portrays a series of fever dream entities in the game world with more than a little razzle dazzle.

Okay, there's a LOT of craziness and the following embrace their roles with total commitment:

Luca Daniel goes BIG as the pre-eminent nerd, Chuck, who lays down the lore and injects more than a little male adolescent fantasy to proceedings.

Verity Lux vamps it up as the spawn of Satan himself as a demon who enjoys feasting on entrails; while also playing the sweet natured and shy girl of Tilly's dreams in the real world.

Mary Carter threatens to steal every scene she's in as a Dark Elf with a speech pattern that is hilarious. Think an emotionless Spock but at a third. of. the. verbal... speed.

Sean Wcislo plays a demon overlord as a slacker who'd make The Dude blush. Instead of bowling he records 90s television shows on a set with *gasp* a built-in VCR player! Clap when appropriate ;-)

Kailem Mollard brings Penn Jillette style theatrics to the Narrator, only shorter; while Adam 'AJ' Giltrow's fate as Steve is one that I'm still quite emotional over... and over... and over. Steve, when will you learn?!

Which brings us to the tandem of Sophie David and Ebony Uetake as Evil Gabbi and Evil Tina, two succubi who just might be the most dangerous creatures in this made up world. They play their roles well but there's a clear tonal shift here with an inherent nastiness that is a little uncomfortable. But then real monsters say and do things that cut the more sensitive of us to the bone.

This is an entertaining show with surprising emotional depth underneath all the fantastical elements. It looks and sounds great with a frenetic energy that captures a certain niche culture with respect, affection, and loving mockery. I had a fun time with it. She Kills Monsters is on at the Marloo Theatre in Greenmount until 22 February.

Photos by Sean Breadsell

The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of Macbeth - Darlington Theatre Players (6 July 2014)

One of William Shakesbear’s most famous plays is, of course, the great comedy McDuff, also known by superstitious actors as The Polish Play; going on stage with scuffed footwear being terribly poor form likely to bring bad luck. It’s the hilarious story of a general manager who rises to become CEO of the Scottish Bank… or something like that. I can’t seem to find that page in my notes. Anyway, for the purposes of this review the details don’t really matter. This production sees the combined forces of the Darling Scarp Players Association and The Farnsworth Amateur Women’s Bowls, Bingo and Abseiling Club on full display at the recently renovated Marloo Theatre in Donnybrook, now featuring running water and heating!  

The title role is played in convincing style by Sally Ketteringham with able support by Gail Storm and Greg Boyd. The set is a work in progress - think Olympic stadium in a third world country a month before the Opening Ceremony - though the costuming was quite accomplished given the amount of curtains, drapes and bed linen used. The director has clearly encouraged the use of improvisation and the entire cast respond magnificently to the challenge. The play also features the best use of fishing rods since last years’ spectacular Fly Fishing The Musical at the neighbouring Garlic Theatre Club. There was quite the controversy, however, when a female reviewer stormed on stage at the end of the play and insisted on giving a full blown critique right there and then. Allegations have also been made that the raffle at intermission was rigged. All in all though, a satisfying afternoon’s entertainment…

Ricahrd Hyde, Film Critic

Okay, there may have been one or two inaccuracies in the above review…

In every instance all amateur or community theatre productions do their utmost to put on the best show possible. They may not always have the resources or sheer talent available but they substitute this with passion, ingenuity and a genuine sense of camaraderie. This play throws that all out the window with one simple premise:

What if the worst amateur theatre company ever tried to put on a production of Macbeth?

The result is a funny and charming show as every conceivable mishap befalls the production – missing actors, disabled actors, actors who forget their lines, actors with inflated egos, actors with laryngitis, a set that falls apart with a decent shove, props that don’t appear, props that mysteriously appear, sound cues missed, overly loud sound design, you name it. It’s very much a farce that delivers consistent laughs throughout; the charm coming from a throwback sensibility to English comedy of the sixties and seventies. In other words it’s all good fun with some iconic Shakespearean moments sabotaged in glorious fashion, especially “Out, damned spot!” (a moment that plays with the agony of ‘corpsing’) and “Double, double, toil and trouble” turned into a dance routine!

Siobhan Vincent is very good as Thelma who plays Macbeth in most earnest fashion as everything collapses around her until finally she has had enough before rallying to return for a glorious death scene. Rodney Palmer is also a standout as the stand-in for the missing actress slated to play Lady Macbeth, drag and all. The three witches - Alyssa Burton, Rachel Vonk and Taneal Thompson - cackle away merrily whilst bickering amongst themselves, with Thompson starting off in crutches and eventually becoming wheelchair-bound after a series of unfortunate off-stage ‘accidents’. She also plays McDuff while Burton doubles as Duncan. Fi Livings is Minnie Small who plays Banquo with a particularly amusing set piece involving a shopping trolley as she haunts Macbeth. Richard Coleman is the play within a play’s producer who is pressed into service on stage as circumstances deteriorate. Ray Egan gives an Are You Being Served? style spin to the big city adjudicator George Peach with his surname a running gag as mangled (or is that sliced?) by Neroli Burton’s Chairwoman of the Guild who tries valiantly to keep things on track. The fourth wall is constantly broken which is all part of the gag – we recognise elements of inadvertent disaster from shows we’ve seen in the past, just not all at once.

It’s an oddly constructed play with Marjorie De Caux starting proceedings as a pianist ‘playing’ various tunes for quite some time (with the stage curtain closed behind her) before the play begins proper. The traditional community theatre raffle is incorporated into the start of Act Two and it ends with the extended critique by Egan’s Peach before the actors take their bows. I enjoyed it though and laughed throughout. While it takes pot shots at bad theatre it does so almost lovingly in its over-exaggeration which makes it quite endearing.

For the record, Sallie Ketteringham actually did the costuming (with De Caux) and handles the show’s publicity; Gail Palmer is the Director; and George Boyd is one of the stage managers. The show is on at the Marloo Theatre in Greenmount until Saturday 19^th July.