By Vernon Aguirre
It is time for the first show of the 2012 Polk State Fine Arts season. Picnic by William Inge, like life, is a sometime comic, sometime tragic story of roles and mores, and how things don’t always work out the way they are supposed to.
Directed by Polk State’s Paul Carbonell, and starring Austin Thomas as Hal and the incomparable Leisa Englert as Madge, Picnic promises to be another “must see” production form Polk State Fine Arts!
Picnic opens at the Winter Haven Main Stage Theatre for a FREE PREVIEW on Feb 2, and runs February 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Curtain is at 7:30.
All performances are free to Polk State College students, faculty, and staff and free for high school students.
Tickets are $5.00 for general public
Box Office opens 30 minutes prior to curtain.
For Advance tickets contact Sharon Bevis at sbevis@polk.edu or (863) 297-1050
polk.edu/theatre
Picnic
By William Inge
“The summer’s flower is to the summer’s sweet…” Shakespeare’s sonnet #94
The play takes place in Independence, Kansas over the Labor Day weekend in the joint backyards of two middle-aged widows. One house belongs to Flo Owens, who lives with her two young daughters Madge and Millie, and a border who is a spinster school teacher. The other house belongs to Helen Potts who lives with her elderly and invalid mother. The sparks begin to fly when Hal, Alan, and Howard—the gentlemen—come ‘a calling.
Dramatists Play Service, INC.
“Few writers have captured women in their social environments as well as William Inge and it’s in the respect that Picnic, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, retains its power.”
Curtain UP
From the director:
The first time I saw this play it was in a large outdoor theater setting that wasn’t much more than an open stage with a couple of doors for houses, and a few flood lights. There were no seats…just grab a blanket and sit on the hill and enjoy a summer play. This may sound ideal for a play set over the Labor Day weekend with the story unfolding “outside” between two homes…but the vastness of the set and the lack of technical control allowed the story to get lost. The primary loss came in the form of an emotional connection that the ensemble couldn’t create because they were too concerned with projecting to the top of the hill and facing up and out. The demands of the theatre space worked against the intimacy of the story. My hope is that by bringing this play to life in an intimate environment the story will penetrate the intimate heart of each player and audience member. Once the heart is touched then hopefully the memory will be engaged in seeing some bits of youthful or maybe of family stories that may connect with the Owens and the Potts. If you like this story you may want to look into a few examples of Inge’s other writings such as; Bus Stop, The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs, and Splendor In The Grass.
Special Thanks: To Tommy Altman and his Stage Craft students who painted the houses, Ilene Fins and Bill Kimble from Harrison School for the Arts for props and costumes, and Tom Johnson from Theatre Winter Haven.
Theatrical Production: Miguel Angel Corona, Alec Gomez, Richard Marceau, Drew Rotolo, Nadine Sampson, Brandi Whitten for helping with everything. Polk State College Foundation, SALO, and Polk State Contributors. This play is being produced with rights granted by Dramatists Play Service, INC.
Characters: Ensemble:
Flo Owens……………………………………………………… Amanda LeVasseur
Madge Owens………………………………………………… Leisa Englert
Millie Owens ……………………………………………………Devon Maver
Helen Potts…………………………………………………….. Marguerite Berrios
Rosemary Sydney…………………………………………… Erika Williams
Irma Kronkite………………………………………………….. Leah Gardner
Christine Schoenwalder & Mama……………………… LaPassion Webster
Hal Carter……………………………………………………… Austin Thomas
Alan Seymour………………………………………………… Charlie Sigler
Howard Bevans…………………………………………….. Baron Leon
Bomber Gutze………………………………………………l Gregory Yang
Production Team:
Stage Manager & Light Board Operator…………… Sydney Reynolds
Assistant Stage Manager……………………………….. Jessica Glover
Assistant Stage Manager………………………………… Tina Mitchell
Sound Board Operator & Props………………………. Michael King
Sound Designer…………………………………………….. Emmanuel Stewart
Costumes…………………………………………………….. Jennifer Kellett
Technical Director/Sets & Lights……………………… James Sharp
Assistant Technical Director……………………………. Ben Selser
Director – Producer……………………………………….. Paul Carbonell
