Copley Thespians Raise More Than $9,300 After School Cancels “She Kills Monsters”

Copley High School theater students have now raised more than $9,300 after their fall production of She Kills Monsters was canceled following a parent complaint about the play’s content.

Emily Neuhauser, president of the Copley Thespian Society, organized a GoFundMe after the school canceled the production even though casting had already taken place and rehearsals had begun.

According to Neuhauser, concerns centered on the relationship between two characters, Tilly and Lilith. She says the students believe the play’s larger message is about grief, friendship, identity, acceptance and learning to appreciate people who may be different from ourselves.

After the cancellation, students were forced to quickly obtain rights to a different show, recast roles and restart the production process.

But the cast and crew were also given another option: perform She Kills Monsters independently through a local community theater.

That led students to launch the fundraiser, originally seeking $800 to cover performance rights.

The response quickly exceeded expectations. As of the latest update, the fundraiser had reached $9,311.

Among the donors is actress Carrie Coon, a Copley native and Copley High School graduate, who contributed $1,000.

Neuhauser thanked supporters in an update to the fundraiser, writing, “I genuinely cannot believe how successful this has been so far,” and adding that the students are excited to see so many people in the community supporting them.

She says money raised beyond the original goal will help cover additional production costs, including costumes, sets, publicity and other expenses.

Neuhauser is also encouraging supporters to attend the Copley-Fairlawn school board meeting on Oct. 20, saying the students want to prevent similar situations from happening in the future.

The independent production is expected to move forward, with additional details still to come.