The Rimers of Eldritch

The Rimers of Eldritch
Written by	Lanford Wilson
Characters	Robert Conklin Eva Jackson Skelly Mannor Evelyn Jackson Nelly Windrod Mary Windrod Patsy Johnson Mavis Johnson Peck Johnson Josh Johnson Lena Truit Martha Truit Wilma Atkins Cora Graves Walter Preacher/Judge Trucker
Date premiered	July 13, 1966
Place premiered	La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club New York City
Original language	English
Subject	A murder trial in a decaying Missouri town
Genre	Drama
Setting	Eldritch, Missouri

The Rimers of Eldritch is a play by Lanford Wilson. Set in the mid-20th century in Eldritch, Missouri, a decaying Bible Belt town that once was a prosperous coal mining community, it focuses on the murder of the aging local hermit (Skelly Mannor) by a woman (Nelly Windrod) who mistakenly thought he was committing rape when he actually was trying to prevent one.

The play premiered at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in July 1966. The play, directed by Michael Kahn opened Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre on February 20, 1967, where it ran for 32 performances. The cast included Dena Dietrich, Don Scardino, Helen Stenborg, Susan Tyrrell, and Bette Henritze, who won the Obie Award for Distinguished Performance.

Wilson adapted his play for a television movie broadcast by PBS as the first episode of its Great Performances series on November 4, 1972. Directed by Davey Marlin-Jones, it stars Roberts Blossom, Susan Sarandon, Rue McClanahan, K Callan, Will Hare, Kate Harrington, Frances Sternhagen, and Ernest Thompson. It was later broadcast on PBS on March 20, 1974.

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