←Recommendations of The Drumhellers of Bloody Dick Creek

This bone-chilling play gave me goosebumps--literally--and that was from a staged reading with the lights on at the Kennedy Center last summer. These characters are so compelling, and their story is so disturbing, the play lingered with me long afterwards. I eagerly look forward to the live performance of this brilliant piece of theater.

This is an effective non-linear play that smoothly jumps in time, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride! The gritty subject matter and characters add tension and foreboding. I didn't see the ending coming, but it was a welcome jolt that ties things together. Definitely recommend Drumhellers!

One of the most original plays I've read here on NPX and an out-and-out classic! Love the going back in time and the ending is a shocker that is very well earned. Triplett's writing perfectly captures three very real people in a very real small town and we've all been in those towns just like Bloody Dick Creek and know the score of them, but his play is such a fresh take that it took my breath away by the time I finished reading. Will be adding other plays by this playwright for the future!

Bill Triplett’s memorable and memorably titled short play creates an atmosphere of doom and despair in its portrayal of a family confined to their limited Montana existence with little hope for escape or economic improvement. With three scenes ingeniously constructed in reverse time sequence, the play gradually reveals layers of animosity and suffering among its three characters, and is especially successful in its use of props like the stickpin, coffin, and blanket to symbolize their abusive relationships.

With a title like this, it had better be good, and it is. A fascinating combination of drama and dark humor. The startling ending made me swirm as I listened at the 2018 Midwest Dramatists Conference, but it was appropriate and explanatory, and right (for the play). I love this one. Highly recommend.

I had the pleasure of seeing this piece read at the 2018 Midwest Dramatists Conference. The Drumhellers of Bloody Dick Creek will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about family dramas. Grotesque, visceral, and stuffed full of dark humor; this is a piece I never got ahead of and has an ending so chilling it gave me goosebumps!

A staggering, taut family drama that takes the audience on a journey through time. It is incredible how much story is told in ten minutes in this darkly comic and wonderfully grotesque play. The moment you think you know where this story is going, it gets you with a gut punch ending. Give this a read!

This is a play that lives with you for a long time. It's brutal and dark and ugly, but it's so fascinating you can't help but lean in. This play may hold the distinction as one of the most darkly funny plays I've ever seen--with one of the most disturbing moments I've ever seen in a play mixed with some of the funniest lines I've ever read. I saw this read at the Midwest Dramatists Convention and the reaction from the audience was unlike anything I've ever seen. Triplett is one to watch.

This one has really stuck with me. It's moving, horrific at times and laugh-out-loud funny at others. (Seriously, the button line for the first scene is amazing.) I'd recommend reading twice, because Scene 3 so brilliantly informs what we thought we new from Scene 1.

Family values undermine this darkly funny play and make you laugh and cringe at the same time. It’s sharp and well-crafted, and it will stay with you and hope you never meet the Drumhellers anywhere but on the stage.