"She Kills Monsters" (2017)
Written by Qui Nguyen
Directed by Dr. Judith Pender
Scenic Design by Elise Christiansen
Lighting Design by Carin Brooks
Costume Design by Stephanie Lucky
Monster Design: Nathan Hatfield
Monster Artisans: Elise Christiansen, Tony Wilkenson, Jenn Bobo, Kalani Lewis, Nathan Hatfield
Tiamat
The tiamat started as a block of foam carved into the rough shape of a dragons head. We used that to shape and bend chicken wire and sculpture wire mesh into a rough head shape. Then each head was covered in several layers of paper-mache, with alternating layers of newsprint and cheesecloth. Next we used spray foam to build up more detail before being covered in paper-mache. The entire exterior was painted with marine epoxy for durability. The lower jaw snapped into plastic quick release clips inside the head, giving us adjustment in how low the back hung. Conduit was curved to hold the top half of the head in place, and then the conduit was bolted to a metal hiking backpack frame. Handles were added to the lower jaw, so puppeteers could operate the mouth. Puppeteers were hidden behind black skrim inside the mouth, and stood inside repurposed dog-run tubes.
The Beholder
The beholder was a 6’ promotional balloon covered in several layers of paper-mache, with alternating layers of newsprint and cheesecloth. Details were added with spray foam and then carved. The entire exterior was covered in a layer of marine epoxy for durability. The eye itself was clear thermoplastic molded over a dome shape. A slit was cut to allow an actor to stab through the eye without damaging it. The additional eye stalks were pantyhose stuffed with newsprint, then marine epoxied for added strength.
Gelatinous Cube
The gelatinous cube frame was constructed out of plastic conduit, as it had more strength when under tension than standard pvc at that diameter. They also had curved conduit right angles as opposed to the chunky 90 degree bends in standard pvc pipe. We stretched metallic green spandex over five sides frame to achieve the wet and bouncy appearance. The flexibility of the conduit frame also helped with the bounce. A slit was left in the front so an actor could get “eaten” by the cube. Puppeteers would pick the frame up from the inside of the cube and walk it on stage, as well as pull the slit open to consume the actor.
