A single female paladin raises her sword, surrounded by a leather-clad demon queen, a staff-wielding dark elf and an English teacher. Joined by the overlord of the underworld, they defeat bugbears, beholders and evil cheerleaders.

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This is not a moment from a wonky Dungeons & Dragons game but the basis of “She Kills Monsters,” the acclaimed work of geek theater that opened the University of Georgia theater season on Oct 3.

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The play by Qui Nguyen opened in the 100-seat Cellar Theatre to a sold-out house. Directed by professor T. Anthony Marotta, it is a bittersweetly funny exploration of grief, queer identity and geek culture. “She Kills Monsters” follows teacher Agnes Evans as she copes with the death of her teenage sister Tilly. While reading Tilly’s D&D rulebook, Agnes comes to know her sister better than she ever did before. The story is told through puppetry, stage combat and good old-fashioned acting.

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Creating this performance was no easy feat. The cast worked upwards of 20 hours a week for six weeks to bring the play to life. Junior Bryson Parker, who plays Steve, described the process as “an experience [he’s] never really had in a rehearsal room.”

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In addition to learning the mechanics of D&D, the cast spent a lot of time working on puppetry and fight choreography with Marotta, a member of the Society of American Fight Directors.

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Central in the rehearsal process has been the offstage relationships. Senior Savanah Hudson, who plays Agnes, said that the cast was her favorite part of the show. Indeed, every cast member expressed nothing but gratitude and admiration for their fellow actors.

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Junior Rachel Hoover, who plays Tilly, remarked that the cast is a “wholesome group of people who just want to create a really cool show.”

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Perhaps some of this experience can be attributed to the fact that all but one member of the “She Kills Monsters” cast are undergraduate students. Many shows produced by UGA theater are focused on the performances of master of fine arts acting students. While undergraduates may still make up the majority of the casts, they usually have fewer opportunities to play leading roles.

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For example, the next play of the season, “Niagara Falls” by Steve Yockey, has a cast of eight graduate and nine undergraduate students; only four of those undergraduates have speaking roles. In “She Kills Monsters,” protagonists Agnes and Tilly are both played by undergraduates—Hudson and Hoover, respectively. Both have played ensemble roles in department productions before, and both are grateful for the chance to play a lead opposite a cast of their peers.

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The contributions of graduate students can sometimes cause tension between the subsets of students.

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While he has had several great experiences working with graduate students, Parker said sometimes it seems undergraduates are treated as “little kids who don’t know anything about theater.” Often times they are also overlooked when directors ask for suggestions or help with warm-ups, according to Hudson.

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However, when the experience is positive, it seems to be excellent. The sole graduate actor, T. Lynn Mikeska, received nothing but praise from her younger castmates. They appreciated that she never took advantage of the power that graduate students sometimes—inadvertently or intentionally—hold over undergraduates. Instead, the cast felt able to learn from her experience.

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Ultimately, the social dynamics of casting fade away once the play is performed. Then, the pressure is on the performance, and here the cast truly shined.

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Hudson’s Agnes was earnest and real; Hoover’s Tilly had the quirks of a 15-year-old with the strength of a warrior. Together with Parker’s comically tragic Steve, Mikeska’s sarcastic Vera, and the rest of the ensemble, their performances landed poignant gut-punches between punchlines.

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Since day one, the cast has been dreading that the experience will inevitably come to an end. Hoover remarked, “I never want to stop performing it.” Unfortunately, in two weeks time, she and the rest of the company must. They encourage anyone seeking a new and exciting theatrical experience to see “She Kills Monsters” before it closes on Oct. 13.

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If the opening night response was any indication, audiences will be amazed by the power of undergraduate actors and the awesomeness of geeks.