Hi, my name is Emily Neuhauser, and I am the president of the Copley Thespian Society.

Recently, our high school’s fall production of She Kills Monsters was canceled following a parent complaint regarding the content of the play. The cancellation came after casting our showing and starting rehearsals, leaving our cast and crew to quickly obtain the rights to a new show, recast roles, and begin the entire production process again from the beginning.

The concern surrounding She Kills Monsters centered on the relationship between two characters, Tilly and Lilith. However, at its heart, She Kills Monsters is not simply a “queer show.” It is a story about grief, friendship, identity, and learning to accept and appreciate people for who they are—even when they may be different from ourselves. The message of acceptance and understanding is one that we believe is incredibly important.

Although our school production has been canceled, we have been given an opportunity to bring She Kills Monsters to life through a local community theater. Our cast and crew would still have the chance to perform the show we worked so hard to prepare, but there is one major obstacle: funding.

We need to raise money to obtain the performance rights for the show, which could cost up to $800. As students who have already invested so much time, energy, and passion into this production, we are hoping that our community will help us make this opportunity possible.

Any donation, no matter the amount, would bring us one step closer to putting She Kills Monsters on stage. Your support would not only help fund a production—it would support student artists, theater education, and a group of young people who are determined to continue creating despite an unexpected setback. Anything raised past our goal will go towards supporting our program and to any additional costs such as costumes, sets, publicity, etc.

If you are unable to donate, sharing this fundraiser would mean just as much to us. We are incredibly grateful for everyone who supports the arts and believes that students deserve the opportunity to tell meaningful stories.

Thank you for supporting the Copley Thespian Society and for helping us tell a story that deserves to be told.