Who are you? What year are you? What are your interests?
Greetings! My name is Grayson Buesing and I am a sophomore this year. I enjoy anything that relates to theatre and the arts, as well as literature, sports and gaming.
What exactly do you do for She Kills Monsters?
In this production I play Miles, Agnes’s football boyfriend who often comes off as “tryhard” and “frat” but is also genuinely caring and sweet. Eventually, he ends up playing Tilly’s D&D module alongside Agnes.
What brought you to join the cast, crew, pit for She Kills Monsters??
I missed my chance to audition for the show last spring, so when I heard that Homestead was producing it this fall I couldn’t let my second chance go to waste.
Do you have any stories from rehearsals, practices or crew sessions?
The rehearsal process was definitely a big adjustment for me. The outdoor rehearsals were quite literally a breath of fresh air, and working the fight scenes definitely led to some funny moments.
She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes discovering who she is by discovering who her sister was. It’s about love and life, friendship, LGBTQ stories, and grief. How have you connected to this story? How will the audience connect to this story?
The thing I love about this show is that it conveys a message that needs to be heard. I’m super pumped that we are able to do the show this fall rather than last spring because with all the current events we are experiencing, I feel like this message needs to be heard now more than ever. I have personally connected with many characters in the show; Agnes, Chuck and Ronnie are some notable examples. But it’s Miles’s impact on the story that I can relate to the most. At first glance, he doesn’t seem very important, but he eventually morphs into the role of the unsung hero. Even though he can be a muscular dork sometimes, he does so many little things for Agnes that, although not explicitly mentioned, impact her relationship with Tilly near the end of the show. Even when Agnes enters adulthood, she still looks back on the joyous memories she experienced with Miles and the party.
What is it like putting on a show in the time of COVID? How is it different? How is it the same? Other thoughts?
Producing a show during COVID brings about many changes that force us to adapt as actors and as people. Masks, for example, obstruct our diction and projection, making clear speech all the more difficult. They also remind us of the importance of body language and how facial expression is only a small part of manifesting a character. Aside from acting restrictions, social distancing and sanitation are absolute necessities in the theatre, resulting in a much cleaner production environment. I can confidently say that Figg is happy about that!
What’s one thing that is different in this play or rehearsal process than anything else we’ve done in the Homestead Theatre Department?
Aside from the changes I’ve already discussed, this show uses a combination of meaningful acting, exhilarating fight scenes and even a bit of dancing to portray an important societal message. She Kills Monsters obviously isn’t the first show to do this, but it does it in a way no other show has; it tells the story of a geeky, homosexual teenage girl named Tilly, through the experiences that her “pop culture” sister endures from a “nerdy” RPG module. She Kills Monsters conveys an infinitely powerful message relative to today’s society, and I can never be grateful enough to have as important a role as I do in it.
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