Monsters aren’t just for Halloween. Dallas Theater Center’s regional premiere of Ngozi Anyanwu’s The Monsters combines mixed martial arts (MMA) and family drama. The play is now running at the Wyly Studio Theatre in the Dallas Arts District through Nov. 1.
Lil is a determined, young fighter who idolizes a local MMA star, Big. Big just happens to be her older brother. After years of separation, Lil reconnects with Big, hoping he will help her train. As they work together, the siblings revisit their complicated past and try to find common ground.
“I have three siblings, and after reading the script, I immediately felt the power of connection and the ability to actively work toward that connection. So often plays, books, and movies focus on romantic love, so it’s refreshing to see the love between family at the heart of this play,” said Jaime Castañeda, Dallas Theater Center’s Enloe/Rose Artistic Director.
The show incorporates MMA choreography into the narrative. The cast features Akron Watson who played Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in Dallas Theater Center’s recent production of Ragtime as Big and Dallas Theater Center Brierley Resident Acting Company Member Tiana Kaye Blair as Lil.
“I saw Akron Watson perform in Ragtime at Dallas Theater Center and immediately thought he’d be a perfect fit for the role of Big. Plus, our amazing Brierley Resident acting company member Tiana is giving a performance in the role of Lil that is not to be missed. It’s the kind of production that will stay with people weeks after they see it,” Castañeda said.
Ngozi Anyanwu talks about her personal connection to MMA, directing her own work, and the sibling dynamic.
NBC DFW: How did decide on the title of the play? Who – or what – are the monsters in this show?
Ngozi Anyanwu (NA): The title is very much a play on words, about how we’re perceived and what we really are. The second question is for the audience to decide – you’ll have to see the show to know who “The Monsters” truly are.
NBC DFW: Why did you want to incorporate mixed martial arts (MMA) into your storytelling?
NA: The play is very much a love letter to my brother, who is a retired MMA fighter with CFFC league. I was really interested in the perceived brutality of the sport versus the reality of the people involved with MMA and how theatrical one could make the duality of the brutality and the beauty of martial arts training. Having a front row seat to my brother’s career made me realize how inherently theatrical that juxtaposition really is.
NBC DFW: You directed a production of The Monsters. What is the most challenging aspect of directing your own work?
NA: Patience, patience, and more patience! Giving forth your vision while having the patience to hear others’ thoughts on the work is crucial, as is letting others contribute to you play while maintaining your original vision. Collaboration is not easy, but ultimately you make something that you couldn’t even had imagined. In my opinion, directing is so much about creating space for other artists to be able or have owner ship over your play. It’s as much about leading as it is letting go, which can be very hard to do with your own play.
NBC DFW: What makes a sibling relationship a powerful, compelling story?
NA: Almost everyone has family that they love, that they miss, that disappointments them, that they wish they had, that bring about regret. I think a lot of people can relate to that concept here with the sibling dynamic.
NBC DFW: What can Lil and Big express through MMA that they can’t express through words? What do they end up learning about each other through MMA?
NA: They say all the things through aggression, with a punch! I think coaching is a kind of love language and taking direction and following orders is another kind as well.
Learn more: Dallas Theater Center
