Hillmyer is taking on the lead role of Agnes in this production, which she said has been a cathartic journey.
Grace Hillmyer is a senior at the University working towards her BA in theatre on the performance creation track. Agnes immerses herself in the fantasy world of D&D, full of interesting characters and epic sword fighting, while simultaneously uncovering truths about her sister and the difficult realities of grief. The play tells the story of Agnes, a teenager seeking to learn more about her late younger sister, Tilly, through one of the things she loved most in life: Dungeons & Dragons. It runs at the Rarig Center’s Stoll Thrust Theatre Nov. The fourth show of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Theatre Arts & Dance season touches on grief, sexuality, identity and truth-telling in a unique way that prioritizes playfulness, finding joy and owning your passions. Between on-stage combat, sword fighting and lots of Dungeons & Dragons lore, “She Kills Monsters” is more than your average coming-of-age story.