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On February 7, stage director May Liang visited the Dramaturgy class at UNLV taught by Stefano "Stebos" Boselli, assistant professor of Theatre History and Dramaturgy and resident dramaturg at Nevada Conservatory Theatre. The Dramaturgy students had brainstormed several questions for the director, and her answers to some of them are synthetized below.

Stebos: The play is inspired by a “nerdy” popular game format – Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) – played by teenagers at a particular point in our recent past. Can you tell us about your research in preparation for the show?

Liang: D&D has experienced a huge resurgence during the pandemic, and everyone of all ages is enjoying this game right now. My personal connection to it is that I have loved ones and friends who got really into it when COVID hit. My partner is a great Dungeon Master and was actually able to come and lead a couple of sessions with the actors as their D&D characters. I thought this type of real-life experience could help them find their characters through roleplaying, a HUGE aspect of D&D and, dramaturgically, give them insight on what the teens in the play are doing when they come together. The feeling of community and joy can only be palpable and understood through actual play.

Stebos: Qui Nguyen’s playtext contains relatively little information on the characters. How did you go about casting the roles?

Liang: Part of my artistic statement for whenever I work on a show is to share a reality or a perspective that I hold dear, and that is the diversity of people in our world. The script is very freeing in that it doesn’t give specific race/ethnicity to any of the characters, so I could do whatever I wanted. My work always uplifts people of color while also casting for those I think are best in portraying my vision. I got very lucky with the talent at UNLV and for callbacks, I actually had three different full cast combinations I could have chosen. All of them had a unique energy, and I’m very grateful to have gotten the talented actors that I did end up casting.

Stebos: What is your organizing concept for this show?

Liang: Since the play took place in both the world of D&D and also in the reality of 1995, I had to create a physical space that could accommodate both. I tasked my set designer, Irene Nguyen, to think of a set that is more abstract so that the audience can easily use their imagination to fill out the rest of the scene. She came up with the brilliant idea of using the different dice utilized in D&D to create set pieces that could be modular for both worlds, and we ended up with a concept of a giant tabletop D&D setup. I want the audience to feel like whenever we are in the world of D&D, we are miniaturized onto the tabletop. The rest of the concept was rounded out by the projections, also designed by Irene, as well as created through the wonderful lighting by Paige Borak. Her design really is what moves us through the play between the world of reality and D&D. 

Stebos: What is your process for approaching a piece like this, where movement and style are such an integral part of the storytelling process?

Liang: Half of this play are stage combat scenes, and this show could not be what it is without the brilliance of fight director Sean Boyd. This play is, in a lot of ways, a musical but without the music. The stage choreography of the fights had to match the epic tone of the fantasy world but also the vision of the story I wanted to tell. Sean was able to seamlessly merge these two needs together and create fights that I know will awe and inspire the audience.

Stebos: This piece touches on serious and dark topics that are dealt with through humor. How do you see the connection and balance between those two sides?

Liang: For me, the heart of this play is the journey of the sisters’ relationship – of Agnes and her quest through grief to forgiveness. Without the base of this very real and human process, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the joy that she finds along her journey. There is no levity without despondence and vice versa – I hope the audience comes along for the ride.

Stebos: If you could pick one line in the play to sum up your vision, what would that line be and why?

Liang: “Did you have fun?” This question is asked of Agnes by Tilly, but for me it’s a question that we, as the cast and crew of the show, are asking the audience. After years in an uncertain world, I hope that people come to the theatre to answer this question for themselves once again.

Stebos: What do you think will resonate most about this show with audiences in Las Vegas? 

Liang: I hope that we are able to spread some joy through this production and bring excitement to the audience. I know that some of the D&D facts are not exactly accurate (for instance, Doppelgangers can’t actually turn into Gelatinous Cubes), but I hope that this show also shares the joy of the community that is created around D&D. I want to showcase the core of why people play this game: to find fun, adventure, and a family wherever a sense of play and care can be nurtured.