We’re all holding our breath waiting to witness Lincoln’s upcoming fall spectacle She Kills Monsters, hosted and produced by our very own Lincoln students. This fall play follows the story of Agnes, a popular girl who recently lost her little sister, Tilly, who was an avid Dungeons and Dragons fan. In an effort to better understand Tilly, Agnes joins forces with Tilly’s close friend, Chuck, and ventures into a mystical world of magic.

From the dramatic lighting to the phenomenal action unfolding on stage, every Lincoln production is a spectacular sight to behold. However, we, as the audience, sometimes lack the chance to learn about the hidden workings of pre-play preparations, nor the inner thoughts and emotions of our actors before they hit the stage. To learn more about the exciting and exclusive inner scoop, I had the amazing opportunity to interview some of our very talented cast.

Charlotte Ortega: AGNES

What is Agnes like?
Charlotte Ortega: “Agnes always grew up “average”. She always felt like had to fit in within her community. As she grew up she tried more to conform to the high school environment and she became cheerleader, and it even says in the script she discovers makeup! She tries to become this person that everyone expects her to be, especially in the era of the 90s.”
What made you want to audition?
“I started acting mostly just to see how it went because I never thought, like, just because of my identity as a Hispanic woman, you know, I don’t see myself represented in plays as much.” begins Ortega. She continues to tell me about the amazing array of people she feels fortunate to work with, and how the environment she found in acting allows herself to express her vulnerabilities fully and artistically.
There have been students who are concerned about the content of the story. What do you want the audience to know from your perspective as an actress?
“Those themes like homophobia are in there to teach people how homophobia negatively impacts people and how it is wrong, and how it was a really real thing in the 90s and how it’s a really real thing today. I think it’s definitely one of the more emotionally complex plays that Lincoln has put on, and I think we’re taking an awesome risk.”

Gonzi Lorenzo-Rosa: CHUCK

What is Chuck like?!
“Well, he’s this nerdy kid who loves D&D,” laughs Gonzi.
What made you want to audition?
“I read the script and I was like, oh yeah, I wanna audition in this. I read it, like, super late at night when one of my friends sent it to me. I think it was, like, a few days before auditions started. He sent it to me like a while before, but I was like too lazy to read it, I’ll be honest.” Gonzi laughs. “I was like ‘ohh, I’ll read it sometime.’ And like one night I was like ‘okay let’s read through this,’ and then it was really good.”
What are you excited for in this production?
“This one I could talk about for literally an hour. I am SO excited to see the costumes and the set because one thing I loved about Mamma Mia was the costumes, and for Clue, I loved how they would transition out of scenes- they had walls on wheels and they would rotate them so it looked like you were in a different room. Lighting is also super interesting, like how they used lighting to make it seem like you’re in a different place or put the spotlight on someone, so your focus is on them. Stuff like that I think is super interesting.”

George Schneider: MILES

What is Miles like?
“He is a footballer and he clearly is, like, not the sharpest tool in the shed but uh, he’s someone who the entire time is trying to understand the main character Agnes, who is his girlfriend.”
How did you get into theater?
“I really was not into sports and my parents were really trying to find something to do, so when I was in like 2nd grade they put me into this like theater camp that was in the basement of a church and I put on a show and I was like, ‘this is what I wanna do with my life.’ So I’ve been doing theater consistently as much as I can since I’ve been in in 3rd grade.”
Why is Miles as a character important to you?
“Agnes throughout the entire time is deep in the Dungeons and dragons world and I think that Miles is kind of the character that kind of shows the outside world so it shows the more realistic side. I think you forget a lot when you’re in the show that what they’re doing is all being told as a story so it’s not really real, so the scenes with Miles is kind of like a breather from that and you get to be like ‘oh yeah, she’s living in this real world and she’s kind of forgetting those responsibilities and losing herself in the dungeons and dragons world.’”

Cori Manning: TILLY

How did you get into theater?
“When I was a little kid, I was like 9, I had wanted to do theater before that, and my mom was like, ‘cool, okay, I’ll sign you up for a beginner class!’ and then, I don’t know what happened, but she signed me up like the experienced actors program. And uh, yeah, it was crazy, and I got a lead. So yeah, that’s how I got started in it, and I’ve been doing it ever since!”
What’s your favorite part about theater?
“Ooh, I just love how everything comes together. Like I just think it’s crazy that you can start with nothing… I just love that moment when everything comes together and you’re just like… I just love that you can make so much with so little.”
What is something about Tilly that you really want the audience to see?
“I really want her relationship with Agnes to come across right. I think it’s really easy for that to become that relationship where it’s like, it’s very antagonistic, but I really wanna make sure that when I play Tilly that her love for Agnes really shines through in my performance despite some of the arguing that’s going on.”
What should the audience take away from the entire production?
“I want people to have a good time! I want people to really appreciate all the work that costuming and, all the, y’know, all the stuff that tech are doing. I just want people to go and want to see more!”