A sibling reunion built around punches, grappling, and years of unspoken resentment is playing out at the Wyly Studio Theatre, where Dallas Theater Center is staging the regional premiere of Ngozi Anyanwu's The Monsters through November 1. The play follows Lil, a determined young fighter who idolizes her estranged older brother Big, a local MMA star, as she seeks him out hoping he will help train her — only to find their reunion forces both of them to confront a complicated past.
A Story Rooted in a Real Fighter's Career
According to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, Anyanwu said The Monsters was inspired by her own brother's career as a retired MMA fighter with the CFFC league. In the same interview, she said she wanted to explore the perceived brutality of mixed martial arts versus the reality of the people involved, along with what she called the theatricality of martial arts training. Anyanwu has also directed a production of the play herself, and told the outlet that patience and collaboration were the most challenging parts of directing her own work.
Anyanwu said the sibling dynamic at the center of the play feels relatable because family relationships can carry love, longing, disappointment, and regret all at once. She added that Lil and Big express themselves through aggression and punches, and that coaching and following directions function, in their world, as expressions of love. The Dallas production runs about 90 minutes without an intermission and is directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, according to BroadwayWorld.
Training Like Fighters, Not Just Actors
Preparing for roles this physically demanding meant actors Akron Watson and Tiana Kaye Blair did more than memorize lines. The pair underwent extensive mixed martial arts training with fight director Jeffery Colangelo, per WFAA.
Watson, a Dallas native, plays Big and previously performed on Broadway in The Color Purple and The Play That Goes Wrong, and starred as Aaron Burr in the Chicago production of Hamilton, according to the Kennedy Center. He also recently played Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in Dallas Theater Center's production of Ragtime, per NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Blair, who plays Lil, is a member of Dallas Theater Center's Brierley Resident Acting Company.
The Play's Off-Broadway Acclaim
The Monsters was a world-premiere co-production and an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award recipient, according to the Edgerton Foundation. The play had its Off-Broadway run at Manhattan Theatre Club, where it earned a New York Times Critic's Pick designation and nominations from the Lucille Lortel, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle awards, Dallas Theater Center says. The play also completed runs at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse.
Anyanwu's other stage works include Good Grief, The Homecoming Queen, The Last of the Love Letters, and Leroy and Lucy. She holds an MFA in Acting from UC San Diego and received a Humanitas Award for Good Grief, her semi-autobiographical debut, as reported by American Theatre.
New Artistic Director Sees a Personal Fit
Jaime Castañeda, who was appointed Dallas Theater Center's Enloe/Rose Artistic Director in December 2025 and is scheduled to officially start in July 2026, told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth that the play centers on love between family and the power of connection. He said he believed Watson was a perfect fit for Big after seeing him perform in Ragtime, and called Blair's performance as Lil one not to be missed. Castañeda added that he expects the production to stay with audiences for weeks after they see it.
Castañeda previously directed Kristoffer Diaz's professional-wrestling drama The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Dallas Theater Center in 2012, early in his career, according to KERA. He grew up in Texas and founded North Texas's Firestarter Productions more than 20 years ago before directing nationally.
Where to Catch It, and What Comes After
The Monsters runs at the Wyly Studio Theatre inside the Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre through November 1. Dallas Theater Center holds post-show audience discussions titled Stay Late after every performance, led by Watson to connect audience members directly with the creative team, according to BroadwayWorld.
The Wyly Theatre sits on the AT&T Performing Arts Center's 10-acre campus in the Dallas Arts District, which also includes outdoor spaces like Annette Strauss Square and serves as home to resident institutions including Dallas Theater Center and Dallas Opera, as Hoodline has previously reported.
