In preparation for the upcoming action-packed production of “She Kills Monsters,” taking place November 10, 11, 12 and 17, 18, 19 in Manion Theater, University of Wisconsin-Superior students had the opportunity to participate in a masterclass at the Duluth Playhouse with Rick Sordelet, one of the top fight directors in the country.

“I think the masterclass will help the cast not only safely work on the fight scenes in “She Kills Monsters,” but do it in a way that helps the audience believe what they are seeing,” said Josh Porter, a senior majoring in communicating arts: theatre and digital filmmaking concentration. “For me, as the fight captain for the production, this masterclass was an opportunity to do the same. The masterclass was also an opportunity to see how one of the best fight choreographers in the country works and how to translate that into a positive work environment.”

Sordelet, a UW-Superior theatre graduate, is one of the top fight directors in the country. He has 72 Broadway shows to his credit and has staged many Disney theatrical productions including “Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Tarzan,” “Aida,” and “The Little Mermaid.” Sordelet has hundreds of productions off-Broadway and in regional theater. He has been teaching stage combat for Yale School of Drama for 22 years, as well as for the famous William Esper Studio in New York.

Working with a Broadway legend like Sordelet brought multiple emotions and expectations for the attending students.

“I was expecting a lot more weapon combat training and a much more serious environment,” said Porter, from Osseo, Wisconsin. “What I didn’t expect was to be laughing and learning in an environment that felt like taking a class with a ton of friends. My favorite part was taking everything we learned and putting it into our own mini choreographed scenes at the end of the masterclass.”

“She Kills Monsters,” directed by UW-Superior assistant professor of theatre Sean Naughton, is an exciting, contemporary piece of theatre about Agnes, a young woman whose younger sister was killed suddenly in a car accident. Driven by grief, and the feeling she never really knew her sister, Agnes begins playing a “Dungeons & Dragons” role-playing game with her sister’s friends and goes on a journey of personal discovery that changes the way she sees the world. “She Kills Monsters” is a funny, heartwarming, theatrical and full of puppets and sword fights dealing with themes of grief, loss, identity and daring to be your most authentic self.

“It was a blast to work alongside actors of the Duluth Playhouse as well as Rick Sordelet to make our show even better,” said Porter. “I’m sure many of my fellow UWS students would say the same.”