During the weekend of January 13th and 14th, hundreds of theater students from high schools all over Illinois participated in a performance of the comedy-action play, She Kills Monsters. One of these students was LFHS’ very own senior Taylor Ross who had the role of Farrah in the show. Taylor spent many months putting this show together Now one month later, she reflects on her time during the All State process of She Kills Monsters.

Can you quickly explain All State, the show, and your role?

“The All State Theater Fest production is a production put on by students and faculty from all over Illinois. At the beginning, you audition with other people from different schools. We spend multiple months putting it together and then perform it at Theater Fest in January. This year it was She Kills Monsters, and I played Farrah. Farrah was a murderous fairy who used a bit of foul language, but she was also incredibly comedic and really fun to play.”

What were auditions like?

“For my first audition, I went to Bolingbrook which is about an hour away. I did a one to two minute monologue for the directors. You had the option to go and sing but I didn’t because I didn’t want to. So I left. And then I got a callback… I was at the University of Michigan for a theater camp, and my mom drove me all the way from Michigan to Bolingbrook so I could do my callback. When I did my callback, they had me read for Tilly (one of the show leads) a whole bunch of times. I waited a while and I ended up getting Farrah which I was super excited about because I love that character so much. She’s literally me.”

Was traveling each month difficult?

“Everyone met up at Bolingbrook for one long weekend each month… I was just staying in a hotel room. Honestly, it was just kind of fun to get away from Lake Forest, no offense, but to be like, ‘This is my place.’”

What was your very first rehearsal like?

“I was very nervous because I knew nobody there except for Lucy (Malloy, LFHS student also at All State) but I barely saw Lucy because she was working on lights the whole time and I was working on rehearsing. So I was very nervous to meet everyone. I did my best to make friends. They had us in these circle groups in the beginning which was awesome. We did character development, we did a read through, and everyone there was just incredible. Everyone was so welcoming, especially the faculty. Every single person there was  some of the kindest people I’d ever met; they cared so so much about you and about the production. I felt like I could talk to any of them about anything.”

How much work did you have to do at home in between the rehearsals?

“A good amount. I was the understudy for Tilly, so since I never really got a chance to rehearse for her that often at Bolingbrook, I had to work a lot at home for those lines. Also at home I had to work on the fight choreography because after a month, it takes a while since you’re not really used to practicing with swords and daggers every day. So I took one of the practice staffs home so I could practice sword fighting. I did a fair amount of work in between, but really everything just goes crazy on rehearsal weekends.”

Was the fight choreography a lot of fun?

“It was so much fun. I love fight choreography, and our fight director Allison Dornheggen was just such an incredible fight choreographer. She put in so many details to add to the story and it was just an incredible load of fun. You don’t get to do that every day- learning how to fight, but safely, and learning about your body and things you never thought you could do.We’re making something from the bottom up.”

In the days leading up to the show, were they stressful?

“They were very stressful but also so much fun. We went down to Illinois State University on Monday (Jan 8th) and then half of that week was entirely for dress rehearsals and setting up the set. We built the set at Bolingbrook and then we loaded it all in trucks and built it back up again at ISU. The stage was huge, I think the theater sat 3,000. We had some points where we got behind, but we always picked back up on it. The week was stressful, we would go from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. on our feet, in the show, all the time, but it was also just so much fun to be with everyone and knowing you only have a few days left with these people. Just cherish the time that you have with them.”

What were the actual performances like? The actual shows?

“The actual shows were just exhilarating, being on stage in front of that many people. High schoolers were such an enthusiastic audience, the energy radiating from the audience was just incredible. Every time I did my scene and I got to say one of my big lines, I had to hold for applause and cheering every time because the audience loved it so much. I just soaked it all in because it was so gratifying to have done all of that work and then have it all pay off in the end.”

What was it like ending the show?

“It was very gratifying to know that I had done this whole thing and it had all come to an end and it had ended perfectly. It was also very very sad because we’re all from all over the state, some people are like four hours away near St. Louis. And I was like, ‘I may not see some of these people again.’ So it was definitely very sad, especially with the ending of the show is very bitter-sweet and high energy. I got to say how much I loved everyone and how much I cared for them and how incredible they were. I still miss them a whole bunch but I’m incredibly glad to have that experience.”

How do you feel now, after everything? 

“I think I’ve finally recovered, I was just exhausted after that week. It’s a lot of energy to spend that amount of time with very little sleep. I’m just very grateful that I had that experience. I think back and I learned so so much, whether it be about theater or whether it just be about living and interacting with people. I think I’ve really realized how many incredible people there are out there, I would’ve never had the chance to meet that if I just didn’t take the chance.”

Did it inspire you to play more Dungeons and Dragons?

“It did actually, it did. She Kills Monsters is actually a very important show to me. It was the first show I saw here at LFHS. It’s where I met a lot of my friends for the first time in some very awkward interactions in eighth grade. So it was a very full circle moment for me to have that in my senior year. To be that person for someone else, to be that person who I can make friends with through this show, and be able to express my love for Dungeons and Dragons and the gay storyline of the play- it’s just incredible to be able to experience and have that complete storyline come full circle.”

What was your favorite memory?

“Honestly, the audience reaction to my part was just so incredible. I didn’t know if people would think it was funny or not. It was very profane; there was a lot of swearing, it was very much a character, it was very much over the top. And I was hoping people would take it well and they just took it amazingly. They were cheering, they were laughing really loudly at every part. It made me feel so happy that all the work I was putting in was paying off.”