The cast of the spring play, The Rimers of Eldritch, performed in the William Mount-Burke Theater May 12-14.

The show highlights a court case about an attempted rape and murder that takes place in Eldritch, a small coal mining town in the Bible Belt during the late 1960s, and follows the reactions of the local townspeople leading up to, during and after the event.

Eva Jackson, played by Jane Richardson ’19, is the victim of a sexual assault, but the perpetrator of the act is left anonymous until the final minutes of the show. The local hermit Skelly Manor, played by Nick Massenburg ’17, witnesses the attempted rape and tries to stop it, but his intentions are misunderstood by Nelly Windrod, played by Micah Patt ’17, and he is shot dead. Mary Windrod, played by Juliannae Wenc ’17, is on trial for the murder, but is acquitted quickly. The question soon becomes who the rapist actually is; most believe that it is Skelly who tried to rape Eva, but a local café owner named Cora, played by Marissa Michaels ’17, vouches for Skelly’s integrity. The town itself is riddled with religious undertones, paired with an internalized hatred and critical outlook personified by two gossiping old women played by Mia Pangasnan ’19 and Tanvi Dange ’17. A substantial portion of the play is spent establishing the background history of the town and fleshing out the characters of Eldritch.

Other members of the cast of The Rimers of Eldritch include Nigel Woodroffe ’19 as the judge and preacher, Harry Mooney ’17 as Robert Conklin, Matthew Stefanowicz ’19 as a trucker, Alex Deland ’17 as Walter, Femia Tonelli ’19 as Evelyn Jackson, JT Piesco ’17 as Josh Johnson, Nicholas Gordon ’18 as Peck Johnson, Lauren Herelle ’16 as Mavis Johnson, Phoebe Leftridge ’18 as Patsy Johnson and Isabella Lagrego ’19 as Lena Truit. 

“I liked that the musical part of the play complemented the play so well, and it was set up in a way that even the most intense scenes were either preceded by or had music after them. I loved that the audience wasn’t just the audience but was a part of the play, and that the set was a part of the audience,” Marisa Parra, language department teacher, said.

The play is riddled with time skips highlighted by light cues, some scenes lasting mere seconds before the spotlights shine on another part of the play. The lighting in the play created much of the suspense and anxiety in the play, and was highlighted by the sound effects.

“Working tech [behind the scenes] was very interesting because I was able to see how lights add more feeling to a scene, and can change the connotation of a scene. Sound makes the whole auditory experience better, and it’s interesting knowing how the actors have to practically shout their lines rather than speak at a normal volume in order to have the whole audience hear them. The lights had to be timed exactly in order to create the proper scene,” Sara Vargas ’18, member of set crew, said.