Grain in the Blood graced Pipe Dreams’ stage as its first play of the Fall 2025 season. Premiering on October 9th, the packed 80-minute play ran until Sunday, the 12th.
Expectations were high for the group’s fall semester premiere.
Pipe Dreams, Millikin’s student-run theatre group, had been hard at work in rehearsals in preparation for the show for the past 5 weeks under the direction of Junior Max Cline. Grain In the Blood, written by Rob Drummond and originally published in November 2016, featured Peyton Collette as Autumn, a girl running out of time.
The story explores themes such as familial duty, sacrifice, and ethical complexities that bring with them numerous questions, of which many are left unanswered, adding to the overall intrigue expressed by audiences.
The actors greatly expressed their character complexities, from the tense and pressing moments to the brief areas of comedic relief, bringing the show to life.
Evangeline Meister as Violet and Nolan Evans as Issac were crucial in bringing the tension to the stage, expressing the moral dilemmas central to the theme, and necessary in driving the plot. Both Meister and Evans were fantastic in grasping the audience’s attention.
They brought with them many unanswered questions throughout their moments of underlying tension and secrecy throughout the show.
It should go without saying, however, that Claire Walker perfectly embodied the rather pragmatic character that is Sophia, Autumn’s grandmother. Sophia, desperate to buy Autumn time, is a complex and controlling character whose morals are anything but black and white.
A personal favorite of mine was Eddie Gallagher as Burt. Burt, described to be deadpan comedic relief with an outside perspective, is a character you can’t help but laugh at. Despite the serious delivery, Gallagher’s acting brought with it the stony humor necessary in alleviating the seriousness brought by the sacrificial and ethically complex themes embodied by the show.
I’d like to give a shoutout to the crew and props designers, who, without their dedication, would not have brought us this show. The set, though small and simple, was incredibly detailed and managed to give the complex illusion of a lived-in world.
And finally, hats off to the swings, played by Ella Amarante and Leon Simmons Jr., whose versatility and dedication are necessary should they have to perform at a moment’s notice, and who took the stage on the dedicated “swing” night.
As we move into the season, be sure to catch Pipe Dreams’ next production, How to Destroy an American Girl Doll, from October 30th to November 2nd, and support your fellow Millikin students.
