Drama Department Steps It Up

Photo Credit: Rachel Fox

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Written by Rachel Fox

The Rimers of Eldritch, which opened Thursday as the drama department’s first performance in the M-A PAC, easily surpassed expectations.

Rimers takes place in a dying coal town during the late 1960s. The people are also dying- dying to leave their crumbling town and their own depressing lives, and eager to blame others for their suffering. The play revolves around a mysterious event that is not revealed until the final scene.

The play is intense. It’s dark, and even somewhat disturbing.  However, all in all, it makes you think. The title is a tad deterring, but like they always say, don’t judge a book, or in this case a play- by its cover. I was immediately sucked in. (And the title actually turns out to be symbolic.)

Most mysteries are whodunits, focusing on solving a crime and finding the culprit. Rimers is a mystery, but it is distinct in that the mystery is not who did it, but what happened. It is actually a compilation of flashbacks, with overlapping dialogue forming verbal scene changes. The characters are introduced in short scenes that don’t seem to connect, but as the play goes on you begin to understand how each person is connected to the big scandal, and slowly begin to understand the whole event. Because you only get bits and pieces through each segment of dialogue, it makes the play all the more surprising in the final scenes.

Because there are so many small scenes, the play allows for a large number of cast members. Each person contributes hints about the final event, and because every hint is important, nobody has a small part. Several students who are new to drama stepped out of their comfort zones to be in this production and did an excellent job. Overall, the acting was superb; everyone clearly demonstrated passion for the stage.

This play made for an excellent first performance in the PAC, as it made use of fantastic lighting and set arrangement that would never have been accomplished in room C-16. Congratulations to the cast and crew for presenting such an excellent play.

I seriously recommend going to see The Rimer’s of Eldritch, maybe even seeing it twice. I guarantee that the final “aha!” moment will leave you satisfied.

1. Breana Hume Says:
   November 18th, 2009 at 8:47 pm

   Thanks for the informative article! I’d heard that the play was going on, but I’d never understood what it was about! It has definitely made me want to go see the play!
   Also, great photo’s!

   [Reply]

2. Melissa Says:
   November 19th, 2009 at 5:11 pm

   I wish I had the time but the sound of it seems very dramatic and exciting! One to go down in m-a history!

   [Reply]

3. Claire Jungleib Says:
   November 19th, 2009 at 11:30 pm

   Thanks for the great review!
   The show is going great! Thanks to everyone who has come to see it so far!

   Only three more shows, so make sure to see it, the first play at the new PAC!

   [Reply]