At James Clemens, ‘The Rimers of Eldritch’ cast, crew critique their play

MADISON – “The Rimers of Eldritch” is the type of play that makes the audience think, exactly what actors in James Clemens Theatre wanted for their one-act play for Trumbauer Drama Festival in 2021.

“I care about the message we are putting out to the community,” senior Sadie Libby said. “This play was written 60 years ago. It was relevant then, and it’s relevant now. It might inspire a change of perspective . . . maybe a call to action about sexual assault.”

Brody Millsaps, a junior, said the show is “dramatically tense. It’s very character-driven, and each character has an internal logic, which makes the characters really human.”

Senior Lee Bennett said ‘Rimers’ gives the opportunity for the audience to find someone they connect to and ask themselves, “Am I contributing to the problem?” “As a complex play, the audience must think harder. The show really allows me to step outside of myself and my high school experience and portray a character . . . I get to really act.”

“The show exhibits complex people having complex emotions. No one is ALL good or ALL bad. There’s a whole bunch of in-between,” junior Carly Parker said.

“When we first read it, we all really enjoyed the jumping timeline. It’s a real challenge to pull off,” Landon Rendon said.

Junior Adam McDougal realized ‘Rimers’ would be a challenge. “I wanted to push myself beyond what I had done in the past.”

Junior Alura Withrow was pleased with this dramatic piece, because her last two shows were comedic.

“Even though the play was written over 50 years ago, it’s still relevant. There’s no such thing as ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’; everyone has darker aspects. People are nuanced, less black and white,” junior Elizabeth Swaine said.

“There’s a lot of darkness in every character, which makes you reflect on the darkness in yourself,” sophomore Alex Butler said.

Many plays “fall into the trap of telling the ‘bad apple story,’” junior Brody Millsaps said. “This story builds an environment around the characters. That environment is what CREATES the bad apple. People of Eldritch are reactions to their environment, and the awful system that makes it an awful place to live.”