MCCC Students Present RIMERS OF ELDRITCH at Kelsey Theatre 11/12-15

Theatre students at Mercer County Community College will present Lanford Wilson's "Rimers of Eldritch" as their fall production. This sobering look at small town life will be performed Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12, 13 and 14 at 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14 and 15 at 2 p.m. at the Studio Theatre on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.

"Rimers" is often seen as a darker version of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," offering a character study of a dying Midwestern town where the remaining townspeople are grappling with a murder. Soon enough, gossip and accusations start flying, as the town's presumably upstanding citizens pass judgment on those they consider less worthy. In the end, says MCCC Theatre Program Coordinator Jody Person, "Audience members will walk away judging for themselves about who is good and who is guilty."

According to Person, the play provides a richer understanding "about a part of America that we don't always hear about. The audience will find simplicity and emotional honesty in this work and its message of tolerance," he said.

Written in prose, but with a lyrical, non-chronological timeline, "Rimers" features an ensemble cast of fifteen actors. All the actors remain on stage for the duration of the performance, with the onstage scenery encompassing the entire town - from the courtroom to the church to the front porches of the citizens.

The cast includes Lindsay Andreansky of Monroe Township as Eva Jackson; Alexa Black of Monroe Township as Lena Truit; Lauren Chohn of Lawrenceville as Cora; Christoper A. Kess of Baltimore as Peck Johnson; Gabrielle King of Trenton as Mavin Johnson; Ben Knight of Windsor as Preacher/Judge; Kimberly Konczos of Hamilton as Mary Windrod; Mandee Leigh of Levittown as Evelyn Jackson; Solomon Mason of Ewing as Walter; Keegan McDonald of Princeton as Skelly Mannor; Jessica Noll of Lawrence as Nelly Windrod; Tommy Searl IV of Princeton as Robert Conklin; Jessica Stanley of Princeton as PatSy Johnson; Abena Ofari-Atta of Princeton as Martha Truit; and T.J. Walton of East Brunswick as Josh Johnson.

The show is directed by Louis Wells, an adjunct professor at MCCC and Rutgers Newark and a graduate of Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts. MCCC's Entertainment Technology students will provide lighting and sound for the production.

Tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for students and children. Tickets may be purchased by calling MCCC's Kelsey Theatre Box Office at 609-570-3333 or online at www.kelseytheatre.net.

 

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