Watkins Mill High School O’Shea players will put on a performance of the play She Kills Monsters live at 7 pm from Thursday to Saturday in the auditorium. Ticket Admission for students is $3 and $5 for adults.

A teaser for the play was displayed during fifth and sixth period on Wednesday to drum up interest for its premiere on Thursday. After the pandemic, the theater community at WMHS performed plays with free admission as a means to entice people and resurrect their interest in live theater. This play marks the first instance of the O’Shea Theatre charging for a performance since 2021, indubitably representing a return to the glory days.

The play follows the main character Agnes, who is in the process of grieving her sister Tilly’s death. Agnes discovers Tilly’s Dungeons and Dragons notebook and embarks on a journey through the imaginary world her sister created.

The theater has officially been preparing for the play since October. Such preparations include building sets, learning lines, makeup, and implementing choreography for the fight scenes.

Additionally, the theater is notably divulging into a different genre than we have seen them perform in the past. A large majority of the plays at WMHS have been comedy or dealt with serious topics, while She Kills Monsters includes fantasy and mystical themes.

At WMHS, there is an emphasis on acceptance and teamwork within the theater club, likely contributing to their ability to pull off such extravagant performances. “A lot of us are friends,” said junior Jasmine Momyer. “Its a very welcoming community.”

“We’re all like a family here. There’s always so much support and commitment from the theater community in general, which I think is the key to successful shows and keeping the theater community alive,” said junior Lujala Ranjit.

This culture surrounding love and acceptance is encouraged by Director Scott Tarzwell, who served as the backbone of this production. “He’s [Mr. Tarzwell] a great guy. He’s very nice and caring,” said Momyer. “He’s supported us for so long and we’re very appreciative.”

“It’s a really rewarding feeling seeing everyone’s hard work click together and make a great show!” said Ranjit.