Update: This blog post was edited on 1/20/26 to reflect the show date change from 1/23 to 3/6.
January twenty third there is a Minnesota state-wide mass strike: “no work (except for emergency services), no school, and no shopping."
January twenty third there is a Minnesota state-wide mass strike: “no work (except for emergency services), no school, and no shopping."
Are you intrigued by tabletop gaming or it's biggest fan?
Wanna see a friendly, all-queer cast perform in an accessible, immersive play in Minneapolis?
Or want to get out and be a part of the community and support local artists at a one-night-only performance?!?
Then read the following artist interview with Cassandra Snow of Monsters, Not Monoliths: A DnD Actual Play, Live! produced by TitTeRPiGs Productions and then make your way to Phoenix Theater in Uptown on Friday, March 6th at 7:30 PM. Don't let price stand in your way, as pay-what-you-can options are available OR support the artists and pay the reasonable $25 ticket price for this unique theatrical experience.
See you in Uptown to be in community together. Stay safe and look out for each other.
Artfully,
Wanna see a friendly, all-queer cast perform in an accessible, immersive play in Minneapolis?
Or want to get out and be a part of the community and support local artists at a one-night-only performance?!?
Then read the following artist interview with Cassandra Snow of Monsters, Not Monoliths: A DnD Actual Play, Live! produced by TitTeRPiGs Productions and then make your way to Phoenix Theater in Uptown on Friday, March 6th at 7:30 PM. Don't let price stand in your way, as pay-what-you-can options are available OR support the artists and pay the reasonable $25 ticket price for this unique theatrical experience.
See you in Uptown to be in community together. Stay safe and look out for each other.
Artfully,
Artist Interview: Cassandra Snow
Cassandra Snow is a theatre maker, author and tarot reader in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They've performed improv most recently at HUGE Improv, Strike Theater and Bryant Lake Bowl but are excited to be coming back Phoenix Theater in Uptown which feels like an artistic home to them.
You may know Cassandra from their tireless work as co-artistic director of Gadfly Theatre Productions or from their various admin or educational roles at Hennepin Arts, Mixed Blood and more.
You may know Cassandra from their tireless work as co-artistic director of Gadfly Theatre Productions or from their various admin or educational roles at Hennepin Arts, Mixed Blood and more.
 | Tell us about Monsters, Not Monoliths. What can audiences expect when they enter the theater? Cassandra: I am so excited for this show - Manny and I spent 15 years producing theatre together as well as really fun "out there" events and this brings us back into that fold ! When the audience comes, they'll be walking into a heightened TTRPG play space. For the live show, the GM is really focused on telling a coherent and self-contained story that audiences and us players will love. As co-producer, I'm bringing immersive ideas of how to make the show more fun beyond that. |
"[The audience] will be be sucked into a long form improv where the dice AND THEIR contributions help us tell the story."
~Cassandra Snow, Minneapolis Theater Maker, Author and Tarot Reader
In addition to being a cast of seasoned actors and improvisers, audience will get some dice rolls in themselves. They'll get to shout and suggest things that will impact the story if they choose to. (When prompted, like in improv). They'll essentially be sucked into a long form improv where the dice AND THEIR contributions help us tell the story.
The story itself takes what anime calls Isekai (which is a story where characters are transported from our ordinary world to a magical one) and turns that idea on its head. In our story, monsters, magic and creatures we don't expect show up in our world.
They're amazed and horrified by it, bringing both comedy and a mirror to our lives. Each player/character will have to decide how to deal with this and what their role is. Add in audience ideas and dice rolls and it should be a whimsical and unpredictable time (if rooted in very real issues)!
This cast and creative team bring a strong sense of care and justice into the work. How do those values show up in the story and in the way you play together on stage?
Cassandra: One thing we really want to do with this show is highlight how different personalities and skillsets and values can still work together to find the best, most compassionate solutions possible. DnD is a perfect set-up for this exploration. Tabletop Gaming itself is doing this work on a microcosmic scale. Theatre itself is like this too. Its putting a bunch of people with similar but tweaked passions into a room and alchemizing that into something awesome.
This specific show format gives us a chance to play with that and "say something" while ALSO making the "work" of justice fun, personable and rooted in connection. I think we often scare people when talking activism or advocacy - this show will (hopefully) remind people that being who they are and forming real relationships with people of all ilk IS ALSO the work, and we have a hell of a lot more to gain by coming together but highlighting our own specialties than we do by savior mentality or anything like that.
Live actual play means the story can change in real time based on dice rolls and audience energy. What excites you most about that unpredictability as performers and storytellers?
Cassandra: Some of the people in this show are extremely seasoned improvisers who are VERY used to that energetic tradeoff. So for, say, Chris Rodriguez, that idea of interplay and HAVING to think fast on his feet is the whole draw of what we're doing. Its the adrenaline and the unpredictability they are seeking. For some of us its a chance to play on a larger scale - with audience, etc. and learn more about ourselves as storytellers, improvisers and character actors. I think we run the gamut- but what congeals us is a love of curating audience experience and also trying new stuff!
For audiences who love theater but may not have experience with tabletop games, what do you think will feel most familiar or surprising about watching a campaign unfold live?
Cassandra: I i think a lot of people don't understand how story-oriented a good TTRPG is! So much of the draw is essentially getting to play pretend with your friends for a few hours. There are, of course, game mechanics and there are, of course rules that you have to follow. Still, an actual play essentially watches like long form improv with a few very surprising twists and turns that even we have no way to account for. It's as silly as it is anything else, and yet in all the silliness sits love of the game, shared experience, and a raw, human heart. Its so much like any other art - don't let the idea that there are game mechanics scare you off!
This show welcomes longtime TTRPG fans as well as newcomers. What do you hope someone who has never played Dungeons and Dragons before takes away from the experience?
Cassandra: For those people, we have our very experienced GM not only guiding the story, but making sure the audience knows what's going on. The big takeaway for people interested but inexperienced in TTRPGs, we want it to look as accessible as it is or can be to get started and we ALSO want to showcase that really, games can be anything! It's not all the highest of fantasy but it can be! There aren't limits beyond the game mechanics existing, and once you start playing you realize that those things actually help you play better and relax into the game structure.
The story itself takes what anime calls Isekai (which is a story where characters are transported from our ordinary world to a magical one) and turns that idea on its head. In our story, monsters, magic and creatures we don't expect show up in our world.
They're amazed and horrified by it, bringing both comedy and a mirror to our lives. Each player/character will have to decide how to deal with this and what their role is. Add in audience ideas and dice rolls and it should be a whimsical and unpredictable time (if rooted in very real issues)!
This cast and creative team bring a strong sense of care and justice into the work. How do those values show up in the story and in the way you play together on stage?
Cassandra: One thing we really want to do with this show is highlight how different personalities and skillsets and values can still work together to find the best, most compassionate solutions possible. DnD is a perfect set-up for this exploration. Tabletop Gaming itself is doing this work on a microcosmic scale. Theatre itself is like this too. Its putting a bunch of people with similar but tweaked passions into a room and alchemizing that into something awesome.
This specific show format gives us a chance to play with that and "say something" while ALSO making the "work" of justice fun, personable and rooted in connection. I think we often scare people when talking activism or advocacy - this show will (hopefully) remind people that being who they are and forming real relationships with people of all ilk IS ALSO the work, and we have a hell of a lot more to gain by coming together but highlighting our own specialties than we do by savior mentality or anything like that.
Live actual play means the story can change in real time based on dice rolls and audience energy. What excites you most about that unpredictability as performers and storytellers?
Cassandra: Some of the people in this show are extremely seasoned improvisers who are VERY used to that energetic tradeoff. So for, say, Chris Rodriguez, that idea of interplay and HAVING to think fast on his feet is the whole draw of what we're doing. Its the adrenaline and the unpredictability they are seeking. For some of us its a chance to play on a larger scale - with audience, etc. and learn more about ourselves as storytellers, improvisers and character actors. I think we run the gamut- but what congeals us is a love of curating audience experience and also trying new stuff!
For audiences who love theater but may not have experience with tabletop games, what do you think will feel most familiar or surprising about watching a campaign unfold live?
Cassandra: I i think a lot of people don't understand how story-oriented a good TTRPG is! So much of the draw is essentially getting to play pretend with your friends for a few hours. There are, of course, game mechanics and there are, of course rules that you have to follow. Still, an actual play essentially watches like long form improv with a few very surprising twists and turns that even we have no way to account for. It's as silly as it is anything else, and yet in all the silliness sits love of the game, shared experience, and a raw, human heart. Its so much like any other art - don't let the idea that there are game mechanics scare you off!
This show welcomes longtime TTRPG fans as well as newcomers. What do you hope someone who has never played Dungeons and Dragons before takes away from the experience?
Cassandra: For those people, we have our very experienced GM not only guiding the story, but making sure the audience knows what's going on. The big takeaway for people interested but inexperienced in TTRPGs, we want it to look as accessible as it is or can be to get started and we ALSO want to showcase that really, games can be anything! It's not all the highest of fantasy but it can be! There aren't limits beyond the game mechanics existing, and once you start playing you realize that those things actually help you play better and relax into the game structure.
What didn’t I ask that you’d love to share with audiences before they come to see the show?
Cassandra: I'm just obsessed with this cast and want everyone else to be too so here's some basic bio stuff I want to share!
Ernie Hsu was the absolute star of the last show I produced. Ernie is so talented, so funny and so imaginative. By day you can catch them doing sex education work at Family Tree Clinic. When they aren't working they are diving into experimental, queer and funky work in a myriad of ways! Most recently they did a backyard staged reading of "Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions" by Larry Mitchell.
Chris Rodriguez is one of the 3 genius minds behind Very Good Improv, which opened in the face of Huge Theater closing to provide improv education, community and opportunity. You may have seen him at Strike Theater recently, or any number of other venues where he rocks the stage many nights a week. My personal recent favorite was working together on History Is Queer! As part of Queer & Funny Improv, but he's probably best known for being in the long-running Star Trek improv.
Mickaylee Shaughnessy is equal parts traditional actor and improviser, and one of the funniest people I've ever met. Audience may recognize her from Improvocation, scaring the poop out of you during Haunted Basement, or most recently from "Misfits and Mistletoe" at The Phoenix Theater.
Manny Elliott is my queerplatonic life partner and co-parent so this might sound biased but they are the best GM in the whole world. They do this professionally at Bad Wolf Studios, and are pumped to be bringing this passion and experience to the stage. We ran Gadfly Theatre Productions together happily for 16 years, until the pandemic taught us that free time is nice, actually, so we've stayed on hiatus to enjoy life. TiTteRPiGs is a much lower stakes venture, but with their game prowess and our combined producing experience, we're hoping to elevate the actual play experience and are specifically focusing on live shows with hopes to revamp our podcast when we have some pennies saved up for things like editing.
Cassandra: I'm just obsessed with this cast and want everyone else to be too so here's some basic bio stuff I want to share!
Ernie Hsu was the absolute star of the last show I produced. Ernie is so talented, so funny and so imaginative. By day you can catch them doing sex education work at Family Tree Clinic. When they aren't working they are diving into experimental, queer and funky work in a myriad of ways! Most recently they did a backyard staged reading of "Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions" by Larry Mitchell.
Chris Rodriguez is one of the 3 genius minds behind Very Good Improv, which opened in the face of Huge Theater closing to provide improv education, community and opportunity. You may have seen him at Strike Theater recently, or any number of other venues where he rocks the stage many nights a week. My personal recent favorite was working together on History Is Queer! As part of Queer & Funny Improv, but he's probably best known for being in the long-running Star Trek improv.
Mickaylee Shaughnessy is equal parts traditional actor and improviser, and one of the funniest people I've ever met. Audience may recognize her from Improvocation, scaring the poop out of you during Haunted Basement, or most recently from "Misfits and Mistletoe" at The Phoenix Theater.
Manny Elliott is my queerplatonic life partner and co-parent so this might sound biased but they are the best GM in the whole world. They do this professionally at Bad Wolf Studios, and are pumped to be bringing this passion and experience to the stage. We ran Gadfly Theatre Productions together happily for 16 years, until the pandemic taught us that free time is nice, actually, so we've stayed on hiatus to enjoy life. TiTteRPiGs is a much lower stakes venture, but with their game prowess and our combined producing experience, we're hoping to elevate the actual play experience and are specifically focusing on live shows with hopes to revamp our podcast when we have some pennies saved up for things like editing.
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Ticket Info for Monsters, Not Monoliths: A DnD Actual Play, Live!
Date and Time:
Friday, March 6th at 2026 at 7:30 PM
Ticket Price:
$25 with Pay-What-You-Can options available
Location:
Phoenix Theater
2605 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN
Friday, March 6th at 2026 at 7:30 PM
Ticket Price:
$25 with Pay-What-You-Can options available
Location:
Phoenix Theater
2605 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN
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