Ashleigh Heaton
Editor-in-Chief
11 years ago, The Rimers of Eldritch came to Coppell High School as the first production ever performed in the Black Box Theater; the chilling performance left the audience both in awe of the performance space and what they knew as truth. Now, the dark show returns as director Bill Ballard brings it back to the stage it began at, adamant to make it more powerful than the first.
The play follows the fictional town of Eldritch and its citizens as they facilitate cheating, murder and attempted rape through the gossip they spread, and explores the dark side of human nature and the power of words.
“These people gossip, they lie, they cheat, they steal,” Ballard said. “If you lie enough, sometimes you can’t figure out what the truth is, and that’s what happens in this play.”
Though the show presents many dark themes not normally presented at a high school level, Ballard hopes the audience will understand the importance of looking at these aspects of life.
“It’s probably a part of life that people don’t necessarily want to look at, but it doesn’t hurt to look at it once and awhile,” Ballard said. “I hope people understand that sometimes, art can be ugly.”
However, to slightly dilute the dark edge of the play, Ballard is approaching the show as an allegory, with the characters acting as symbols. To achieve this, Ballard plans to add distance between the audience and actors by staging the show as if it were a black-and-white film, with the set and characters dressed in black and grey. Though it is a different approach from the original, the message will not be lost.
“The Rimers of Eldritch shows people as they truly are,” senior Mandy Mullarkey, who plays Eva, said. “As Mr. Ballard described it to us, the people of Eldritch are covered with rime, which is frost, and cover their true emotions as well as their actions. But we get to see them for who they really are.”
The actors of the play have the especially taxing responsibility of conveying these dark themes, which demands a certain level of theatrical maturity. For Mullarkey, the physical aspect of her character poses a challenge.
“Eva is a crippled girl who walks with a limp,” Mullarkey said. “The most difficult thing about her character is trying to convey emotion while keeping up her physical difficulties – I have to juggle between the two.”
Rimers consists of an ensemble cast, with there being no stand-out leading character. Because of this format, each actor has the opportunity to fully develop their character and fully explore their limits, as well as grow in their friendships with other cast members. For senior Faith Kindervag, who plays Cora this is especially true.
“I’m extremely excited to work with [senior] Mackenzie Orr,” Kindervag said. “We’ve performed together since we were little, maybe 8 or 9, but we’ve never gotten to work very closely on stage. In this production, we finally have the opportunity to play off one another and we have a natural chemistry that makes each scene so fun to perform.”
Despite the heavy subject matter, the cast and crew of Rimers are very positive in regards to the work they are producing and the experience that accompanies it.
“This is one of my favorite shows I’ve ever done,” Kindervag said. “I love the show, my role, my fellow actors, my director, everything – it’s a great show to do my senior year. I’ll never forget it.”
Rimers will return to the Black Box on February 17 and will run through the weekend. Ballard hopes audiences will pull a positive moral message from the depths of a dark show.
“If I could make one thematic sentence about the play, it’s that words are weapons and they hurt, if people don’t choose them right,” Ballard said. “We have to think before we speak and be careful with the words we use because words can be just life a knife or a gun – they hurt, they can even kill.”
Shows are Feb. 17-19 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box. Tickets are $5 for students, $7 for adults. All CHS staff and administration can receive one complimentary ticket.
