Wrapped in sweaters and fleece hoodies, the cast of Rimers of Eldritch remains frozen onstage as two actors rehearse a scene from the play where a murder trial grips a small town.

Rimers of Eldritch, a production of the Penn State School of Theatre, is set to perform from Tuesday to Saturday at the Pavilion Theatre.

Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Lanford Wilson, the play examines the trappings of gossip and its consequences amid a dramatic murder trial.

"Especially now politically, just because we find things to be collectively true, doesn't means things are collectively true or just," Richard Price (graduate student-theatre) who plays the character of Skelly Manor said.

In Rimers, characters "gloss over the truth" as a "defense mechanism with having to face that truth," assistant director Matt Toronto (graduate student-theatre) said. Those who are honest become outcasts.

"Everyone can identify with times and places where everyone feels like an outsider," added Toronto.

Perhaps inspired by the poem "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Wilson uses the title as a metaphor for frost, which covers the ground, making everything appear white and pristine even though it may not be underneath, Toronto said. The word "rimer" and "eldritch" sequentially means "frost" and "eerie."

Rimers travels through time and place using the repetition of words to fade from one scene to the next. The play's structure is best described as "impressionist little moments," Cary Libkin, theatre professor and director said.

"It's almost like someone threw the play in the air and tried to piece events together," Price said.

"I think the audience will enjoy wanting to put the puzzle together," said Sean Bradley, (senior-theatre) who plays the character of Robert Conklin. "It has an ending that's almost 'Sixth Sense-esque' that will make people want to see it again."

The difficulty in Rimers is that the entire cast is onstage for the entire performance.

"It's really a test of endurance - being in the moment onstage," Bradley said.

On a desk in the far corner, University Creamery coffee cups and copies of the script mark the rehearsal process at nearly a month with a cast composed of professors, undergraduate and graduate students.

"There's just a diversity of talent in the play, it really brings a diversity to the cast," Brittany Kirkpatrick (junior-theatre) who plays character Martha Truit said.

Tickets cost $10 for previews and $14 for regular performances.