I have read both, seen both, and directed the YA version.
I much prefer the YA version, especially for high schools, primarily because all of the characters in the YA version are high school students. I thought that made the relationships much more immediate than in the other version.
In the original version, Agnes is a counselor at the high school where her younger sister was a student. Agnes, her friend Vera, and her boyfriend Miles are at least 5 years older than the sister Tilly and her high school D & D players.
The language is more extreme in the original, and (if I remember correctly) Tilly's homosexuality is definite. In the YA, Agnes is left wondering if her sister was gay, or even trans, and that seems far more interesting to me. Love shouldn't be conditional, and in this case, it isn't.
We had a wonderful time producing the SKM. One of our cast members served as the D & D expert, which was essential since I had no experience with D & D. I cast four additional students to join the fairy and narrator in playing the monsters. Costuming was great fun, and the stage combat was terrific. Rather than use legit stage weapons, we staffs, sticks, and big plastic swords from a Halloween shop, spray-painted silver and bedazzled.
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CJ Breland
Retired Theatre Arts Educator
NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2022 13:20
From: Michael Stofko
Subject: She Kills Monsters Young Adventurers Edition
I am looking at She Kills Monsters YA Edition for my Spring Play.
What are the pros and cons?
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Michael Stofko
Teacher
Holy Redeemer High School
PA
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