The dramatic comedy She Kills Monsters, which runs through Oct. 30 at the DVC Performing Arts Center, tells the story of Agnes Evans, a high school teacher who recently lost her sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she gets dragged into a journey of adventures in her sister’s imaginary world.

Written by Qui Nguyen and directed by Will Springhorn, She Kills Monsters features fairies, ogres and a dose of ‘90s pop culture. The story also touches on topics such as sexuality and bullying.

For Eleanor Bettencourt, who plays the protagonist Agnes, the biggest challenge was connecting with the audience.

“Since there are so many comedic jokes, it was challenging for me to make sure that the emotional aspects were also natural,” said Bettencourt, who started acting when she was in the seventh grade and said she has always considered it a sort of art therapy.

“I’m just very lucky to be part of such an amazing program like DVC, [which is] known for the theater,” she said.

The cast rehearsed for eight weeks prior to the show’s opening night on Oct. 14. The performance contains hand-made costumes, which the staff themselves produced, and which were fundamental for the visual construction of scenes.

DVC’s technical theater program helps students develop an understanding and mastery of theater skills through a range of hands-on roles that include set designer, makeup artist, lighting designer, scenic artist, set builder, stage technician, sound technician, prop artisan and light operator.

For many students, the school’s quality theater program has been an important stepping stone.

“Without the guidance of the drama faculty I would not have pursued my passion of technical  theater,” said Sunny Shergill, a DVC drama graduate who now works full-time at Clayton Valley Charter High School in IT and as a technical theater director.

Shergill  recently received a Shellie Design Award for lighting design, and has played many roles in theaters around the Bay Area.

For Bettencourt, the experience at DVC has already shaped her life on the stage.

“It’s such a great outlet for students to go and meet new people, and to explore themselves and art,” she said.