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Transcript

SHE KILLS MONSTERS

By Qui Nguyen

A Dramaturgical Introduction

by Charlotte Nodarse

In the Beginning...

  • Written by Qui Nguyen in 2011
  • Originally produced at the Flea Theatre in NYC
  • Has been produced a couple dozen times since
  • Won a few awards

In the Beginning...

Qui Nguyen

  • "Playwright, screenwriter, geek"
  • Known for use of pop-culture, stage violence, puppetry, and multimedia
  • Won several awards for his work
  • Co-founder of Vampire Cowboys Theatre Co.

Vampire Cowboys

  • Theatre company in Brooklyn, NY
  • Specializes in "geek theatre"
  • Founded by Nguyen and Robert Ross in 2000
  • Main season with special events
  • First Bite
  • The Rabid Vamps Fight Studio

Basically defunct now

Dungeons and Dragons: A History

  • One of the oldest tabletop RPGs
  • Extremely prevalent in pop-culture
  • Video games
  • Television and movies
  • Novels
  • But where did it begin?

In the distant year of 1967...

  • International Federation of Wargaming
  • Lake Geneva Wargames Convention - Gen Con I
  • Gen Con II and Dave Arneson
  • Castle and Crusade Society - 1970

Introduction of the fantasy element led to...

Chainmail and Blackmoor

  • Chainmail first published in 1970
  • Influenced by Conan the Barbarian
  • Dave Arneson's Blackmoor adaptations
  • Dungeons, XP, Game Master
  • Gygax loved it and added classes
  • New version playtested in Gygax's basement

This new version became known as...

Dungeons and Dragons: The Game

  • Swing and a miss
  • Tactical Studies Rules formed in 1973
  • 1974 - Dungeons and Dragons: Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargame Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Minature Figurines
  • Popularity like wildfire
  • Transition to TSR Hobbies in 1975

Evolutions and Additions

  • 1975 - Greyhawk, Blackmoor, and Tomb of Horrors
  • 1977 - division into Basic and Advanced
  • 1983 - spreads globally
  • 1989 - AD&D second edition is released

Tomb of Horrors Map

1980 and beyond

  • Gygax boxed out
  • Wizards of the Coast - 1997
  • Influence is still widely felt today
  • Immersive multiplayer role-playing games
  • Video game influence

1980 and beyond

Satanism, Witchcraft, and Murder - Oh my!

  • The Satanic Panic
  • Jack Chick and Chick Tracts
  • Backmasking

Satanism, Witchcraft, and Murder - Oh my!

  • James Dallas Egbert III
  • Patricia Pulling and B.A.D.D
  • Schnoebelen Articles
  • Von Lieth Murder
  • How did this affect D&D?

Critical Response

  • Ethical implications
  • Misogyny
  • Competition

A Musical Interlude

1995!

  • Several important events
  • Politics
  • Music and Television
  • OJ Simpson Trial
  • Domestic Terrorism
  • Internet and Home Computers
  • Pre 9/11

Let's take a closer look at society

LGBT and Women

  • AIDS Epidemic
  • Transition between 2nd and 3rd Wave Feminism
  • Riot Grrrl

Burn the Bras!

  • Second Wave Feminism
  • "Universality of Womanhood"
  • Women are not here for your consumption
  • Anti-porn
  • Third Wave Feminism
  • Beauty and Brains
  • Pro-sex
  • Riot Grrrls

Riot Grrrls Rule the World

  • Underground movement in the punk community
  • Addressed taboo women's issues
  • Reclaimation of sexist insults
  • Dissolution
  • From Riot Grrrls to Angry Women

D&D and the 90s

  • Faced intense competition
  • Not inclusive of women and queer folk
  • Rise of the internet

All the way down in Athens, Ohio

  • Population: 21,342; 90% white
  • Strongly middle class
  • Why did Tilly play D&D and not World of Darkness?

Now that you know all that...

  • Let's talk about our show!
  • The visual look of the show
  • All the pop culture references
  • D&D specific references

Design

  • Set - hex maps and castle ruins
  • Lights - color, texture, and movement
  • Costumes - 90s television
  • Sound - Realistic but mystical

Pop Culture

  • From television to new technological developments, this play covers several
  • Each planet is a different reference

THE INTERNET

The internet in 1995 was nothing close to what it is now

Video

THE INTERNET

Friends

  • In 1995, Friends was finishing up its first season and going into its second
  • Key things that happened: Joey got his role on Days of Our Lives, Monica dates Richard, Ross goes to China and comes back with a girlfriend

Scene description, page 21

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks

Page 23; Orcus

Twin Peaks

  • TV mystery drama that premiered in 1990 but was cancelled in 1991 - 2 seasons
  • FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper investigates the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer
  • Implements supernatural elements, campy melodrama, soap opera and horror tropes and was sorta surreal
  • Cult favorite, you can watch it on Neflix

Here's to You Mrs. Robinson...

  • Page 24 - Vera references to "Mrs. Robinson"
  • Character from 1967 film The Graduate
  • Focus of Simon and Garfunkel song "Mrs. Robinson

Quantum Leap

Pg 29; Orcus

Quantum Leap

  • Sci-fi TV show from 1989-1993
  • Starred Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell
  • Bakula's character, Dr. Sam Beckett is trapped in the past in a time travel experiment gone wrong
  • In attempts to get back to late 20th century, alters historical events for the better

Must See TV!

Page 31; Orcus

  • Refers to NBC's Thursday night line up of television
  • Ad slogan used in the 90s
  • 1995 - shows like Friends, Seinfeld, ER, Caroline in the City, Suddenly Susan

Must See TV!

Smashing Pumpkins

  • Alt rock band active from 1988-2000, 2006-present
  • "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" released in 1995 on two discs - the album Miles has
  • "Siamese Dream" was released in 1993

Page 38; Miles/Chuck

The Cranberries and 10,000 Maniacs

  • The Cranberries - Irish rock bank active from 1989-2003 & 2009-present
  • Most recent album in 1995 - No Need to Argue
  • Featured Zombie - won "Best Song" at 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards

The Cranberries and 10,000 Maniacs

  • 10,000 Maniacs - American alt rock band active from 1981-present
  • Most recent album in '95 - Our Time in Eden
  • Performed at MTV's Inaugural Ball for Clinton in 1993

Page 56; Agnes

Poison

  • American glam metal band active from 1983-present
  • Lead singer: Brett Michaels
  • "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"
  • Pre-reality TV

Poison

Page 72; Vera's tattoo

George Michael

  • English singer and songwriter
  • Member of Wham!
  • Most well known for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Last Christmas"
  • Was out of the spotlight in 1995 due to the death of his boyfriend in 1993
  • Died in 2016 at age 53

Page 72; Agnes

Power Rangers

  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - television series from August 1993 - November 1995
  • Super popular but parents thought was too violent for young kids
  • Nominated for Emmy in 1995
  • Movie of the same name released in June 1995

Page 74; Orcus

Reservoir Dogs Walk

1992 Tarantino Flick

Reservoir Dogs Walk

Stage direction on page 33

D&D References and Characters

What is in a name?

  • Lilith - according to Jewish myth was Adam's first wife, made as equal
  • Left Eden when she refuses to be subservient to Adam
  • Demon queen
  • Calliope - Greek muse of eloquence and epic poetry
  • Lover of Ares - the god of war
  • Also a pressurized air musical instrument

Tiamat

  • D&D - 5-headed draconic goddess
  • Mesopotamian Myth - primordial goddess, symbol of the chaos of creation
  • After a war where her husband is killed, she fights his murderers in the form of a giant sea dragon

Orcus

  • God of the Underworld in both D&D and Roman mythology
  • One of very few demon lords to be detailed in every edition of D&D

Orcus

Succubus

  • A demon that appears as an attractive woman in order to seduce men
  • Repeated sexual encounters can result in deterioration of health and even death
  • Modern day folklore - sirens
  • D&D succubi do the same thing
  • Typically leads to dead mortals and happy demon lords

Lilith, demon queen and succubus

Bugbear

  • Hobgoblin comparable to bogeyman
  • Typically chaotic evil; Humanoid
  • First appeared in Greyhawk
  • Has since appeared in every edition since

Appears page 25

Dark Elf/Drow

  • Drow - generally evil, dark skinned and white haired, subset Dark Elves
  • Dark elves - just dark colored elves
  • Drow -chaotic evil/neutral evil
  • Naturally resistant to magic
  • Heightened senses and dexterity
  • First appear AD&D 1e

Kaliope Darkwaller

Paladin

  • Templar or Crusader - knight in shining armor type
  • Lawful good alignment
  • Warrior that can cast healing, protection, and counter-evil spells
  • NOT magic missile (page 80)

Faeries

  • Usually humanoid with supernatural abilities and connection to nature
  • Two types of crossbreed
  • Half Fey - fey/human or fey/giant
  • Feytouched - 1/4 fey; Half fey with human or giant
  • All feytouch have an abnormal characteristic - colored hair, speak in rhyme, etc.
  • Present since first edition, crossbreed in 2nd

Faeries

The Beholder

  • Spheroid body covered in scales or leathery flesh
  • Giant eye situated above a toothy maw with smaller eyestalks surrounding it
  • Central eye can emit a broad field of energy that can nullify magic
  • Present since first edition
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