Josh Brown - The Appalachian

Cast members of Lanford Wilson’s “The Rimers of Eldritch” rehearse a scene
Tuesday evening. The play is currently running in Valborg Theatre.

Off-Broadway play takes imagination further

Janelle Silverman - Entertainment Beat

The Appalachian State University Department of Theatre & Dance will present Lanford Wilson’s “The Rimers of Eldritch” through Monday at 8 p.m. in Valborg Theatre.

Written by Wilson in 1964, the play explores diversity and hypocrisy in a small town and the conflict between good and evil, said director Dr. Linda Welden, a professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance.

Welden said the play attempts to portray “the deterioration of a small town when the industry leaves and the people are left.”

Welden was attracted to “Eldritch” because it is one of Wilson’s experiments with the 1960s off-Broadway movement. Wilson, who has written many other plays, has won a Pulitzer Prize for his work.

The citizens of small-town Eldritch (population: 70), seem to be relatively beautiful and normal on the surface, but on the inside they are emotionally frozen, vile and hateful, said Welden.

The outcast characters are abused and mocked within the town. The play features a young, crippled girl (Eva) and an old man whom the townspeople think should be put away where no one can see them.

Welden said the play shows how people can “be Christians but not really [love] their fellow man. … We don’t always live up to what we believe … so, [the theme] is still vital to today.”

The only prop in the murder-mystery is a shotgun, although there will be a pantomime of other props, with a specific sound-design that goes with each, she said.

The use of sound designs means other props will not be seen, but as the characters use the invisible items, sound effects will accompany them.

Susan Lutz, an assistant professor in the department of theatre and dance, co-directs the play and helps the cast members with their movements. “Lutz has been wonderful to work with,” said Welden.

Each character in the play has developed a representative gesture unique to each person, she said.

The cast consists of 17 students, mostly theater majors, including Marie Anderson, Caryn Crye, Bryan Crossan, Brad Evans, Ashley Kirby, Ryan Ledwig, Mandy Harris, Cat Traqhagen, Jessica Hunt, Josh Price, Scott Hoppmann, Caroline Sharp, Jen Allman, Vanessa Welch, Rebecca Coffey, Jon Bateman and Lynn Wilson.

Tickets for the show are $4 for Appalachian State students and $6 for the general public.