The Laguna Beach High School theatre cast and crew of She Kills Monsters were in for a treat when the playwright, Qui Nguyen, came to see their show Oct. 29.
Nguyen spoke to the students after the show on the importance of friendships and how remaining close to good friends is important in life. Nguyen was in town visiting his lifelong best friends with whom he grew up in Arkansas and who just happen to have a child in the LBHS production. Nguyen is an award-winning playwright, Emmy-winning TV writer, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter. You may recognize Nguyen’s writing credits from such productions as: AMC’s Dispatches from Elsewhere, Netflix’s The Society, Syfy’s Incorporated, and PBS’s Peg + Cat. Nguyen co-wrote Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Raya and the Last Dragon along with Adele Lim, Marvel Studios writer, and is currently writing and co-directing Disney Animation’s 2022 film Strange World, which premieres in just a couple of weeks on November 23, 2022. It was also recently announced that Nguyen is writing a Society of Explorers and Adventurers film with Ryan Reynolds as producer.
She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans, who loses her parents and little sister, Tilly, in a car accident.
Having been very distant from her sister while she was alive, Agnes embarks on an adventure to get to know her sister better by playing a Dungeons & Dragons module that Tilly had written, and discovers things she’d never imagined. The plot takes place in reality and in the imaginary game world; in the game world Agnes learns about Tilly’s exploration of her sexuality and how she struggled with her sexuality in reality. The public can purchase tickets at https://lbhs.booktix.com. Play Showtimes: Nov. 4 at 7 p.m., Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. Laguna Beach High School Artist Theatre is located at 625 Park Ave., Laguna Beach.
