By ALLISON RUWALDT
The Northwestern Oklahoma State University theater program presented the student-directed play Monster, from October 1 to 3.
Monster is a one-act historical fiction that follows five authors as they spend three nights trapped in a house due to a storm. The story mainly follows the tumultuous romance between Mary and Percy Shelly and how their dynamic unfolds.
NWOSU senior Jaden Matthis directed this dramatic and spooky story. She said she wanted a scary play for her Capstone because she knew it would be in October.
Everyone in the cast had great things to say about Matthis’s directing. Aiden Slater, a sophomore at NWOSU who played Lord Byron in Monster, said she was always prepared and fantastic to work with.
“She is fantastic, you’re gonna hear that from every single person,” Slater said. “There was never a moment where I was afraid of how the production would end up.”
As previously mentioned, Slater played the play’s antagonist, Lord Byron. Byron is an obnoxious individual and the owner of the house everyone is trapped in. He was a talented author who wrote under a pseudonym about controversial and somewhat radical topics for the time.
“He is very antagonistic, and he is very cruel in some ways,” Slater said. “He can be problematic in some ways, and I think a lot of that stems from his upbringing.”
Slater spoke about how he did not relate to the character easily, as Byron was not the best person, but at the end of the day they share a similar goal. Slater spoke about the research he did that helped him connect, and he realized that Byron pushes everyone in the show as a way to show that he can love them.
“That’s basically the reason he’s chasing everything,” Slater said. “No matter what’s happening, I always said he was chasing the love in the scene.”
In total, the story follows five people: Mary Shelley, Percy Shelly, Lord Byron, John Polidori, and Claire Clairmont. The group members share ghost stories through the nights, and try to work through complicated dynamics.
Although the play has its comedic moments, it displays tragedy and loss in serious ways. The story follows the romantic dynamics between Mary, Percy and Percy’s first wife, Harriot. He left her to run away with Claire and Mary,and she was left heartbroken. She began writing letters to him, which are read periodically throughout the play.
Lily Post, a junior at NWOSU, played Harriot. She spoke about how she was fascinated with the role and the depth that she got to portray. She spoke fondly about the person and how she wanted to bring honor to the portrayal of Harriot.
“Becasue I mean she was a real person, and I don’t wanna discredit her character and who she was,” Post said. “She was always described as a very kind and intelligent woman.”
Post spoke highly of the show in its entirety, saying that everyone involved gave it their all, and that is what made it a great show. She mentioned that Monster was many students’ first production, but they did so well that she would not be able to tell if she did not know.
“I’m so proud of everyone involved because they’ve all done great work,” said Post. “They have taken it and gone above and beyond and it’s fantastic.”
Matthis spoke about how her favorite part of the show was Saturday night, when she got to enjoy the show with family and friends. She also spoke about how she enjoyed her adjudication on Friday.
“I felt really prepared for it, I know my show front and back,” Matthis said. “Every choice that I made a reason behind it, and I know my team did good work.”
The show was spoken very highly of by those who watched, and it is clear that there is no lack of creative talent in the NWOSU Theater Department.