Picnic By William Inge

7/22/2019 Picnic By William Inge

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Picnicby William Inge

Libby West and Bo Foxworth in Picnic


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2A N o i s e Wi t h i n

About this Study Guide 3

About the Play 4

Cast and Crew 4

Synopsis 4

What Can PicnicTeach My Students? 4

The Life of William Inge 5

Bringing Picnicto Life Onstage 6

Picnic and William Inges America 8

The Birth of the Teenager 8

Small Town America: An Extinct Species? 9

Reading and Watching Picnic 10

Speaking Picnic 10

Love, Conformity and Defiance: Discussing 11

the Characters of Picnicwith Libby West

Notes for the Post-Performance Discussion 14

Suggested Activities 15

About Theatre Arts 18

Theatre Vocabulary 18

Theatre Lore 19

About A Noise Within 20

Table of Contents

Costume Design by Jennifer Brawn Gittings


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P i c n i c S t u d y G u i d e

3

Classical plays are an indispensable part of our cultural her-itage. It is the mission of A Noise Withins educational pro-

grams to present these plays to students as living texts and toprovide them with the opportunity to see such great literaturecome to life on the stage, as the playwrights originally intend-ed their work to be experienced. With the goal of increasingstudents lifelong understanding and enjoyment of classicworks and of theatre-going, A Noise Within is honored topartner with you in the effort to preserve our literary heritageThis study guide has been prepared as a prelude to A NoiseWithins production of Picnic,William Inges Pulitzer-Prizewinning play about the emergence of teen culture in 1950sAmerica. Please use it as a reference or as a teaching aid as

you prepare your students to enter the classical world.All of the information and activities outlined in this guidewere designed to meet the education content standards setforth by the state of California. Together, the activities fulfillcontent standards in English Language Arts and in Theatre, asfollows:

EN G L I S H LA N G UAG E ART SReading:

Grades 9 and 10: 1.1, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 3.7,3.8, 3.10, 3.11, and 3.12

Grades 11 and 12: 1.1, 1.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5,

3.8, 3.9Writing:

Grades 9 and 10: 1.2 and 1.4Grades 10 and 11: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 1.9 and 2.2

Listening and Speaking:Grades 9 and 10: 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.8, 1.9, 1.11 and 1.12Grades 11 and 12: 1.4, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.11, 2.2, 2.3

THEATRE STANDARDS , GR A D E S 9-12Artistic Perception - 1.1 and 1.2Creative Expression - 2.1, 2.3

Historical and Cultural Content 3.1. 3.2Aesthetic Valuing - 4.1 and 4.2

Thank you for your

commitment to sharinggreat literature with

your students. It is a

commitment that

A Noise Within has

shared with you since

its founding in 1991,

with the staging of

its first play, William

Shakespeares Hamlet.

About this Study Guide

L to R - Libby West, Mary Boucher and Deborah Strang in Picnic


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About the Play

Cast and Crew

Picnicby William IngeDirected by Craig BelknapPresented by A Noise WithinOctober 7, 2005 - November 27, 2005

Cast (in order of appearance)

Helen Potts Julia SilvermanHal Carter Bo FoxworthMillie Owens Jennifer DeCastroverde

Bomber Mose HalperinMadge Owens Libby WestFlo Owens Mary BoucherRosemary Sydney Deborah Strang Alan Seymour Andrew HopperIrma Kronkite Kathleen TaylorChristine Schoenwalder Ariane OwensHoward Bevans Mark Bramhall

Crew

Stage Manager Veronica StellAssistant Stage Manager Kara NelsonSet Designer Michael C. SmithCostume Designer Jennifer Brawn GittingsLighting Designer James P. TaylorSound Designer Ron WyandProp Master Peter VealDialect Dwight BacquieDance Choreographer Marvin TunneyTechnical Director Joel ForsytheScenic Artist Vika Teplinskaya Master Electrician Jaymi Lee Smith

Synopsis

Picnic masterfully captures the lazy, late summer atmosphere

of a small, Kansas town just like the one in which theplaywright grew up. The tranquility and amiable boredom,however, are disrupted by the arrival of Hal, a wayfaringstranger, who arrives to work some odd jobs at Helen Pottshouse. Hals friendliness is not enough to earn the trust ofMrs. Potts neighbor, Flo Owens, who remains suspiciousof his rough nature and lack of proper upbringing. Flosdaughters, Madge and Millie, meanwhile, struggle toreconcile their own ambitions and self-perceptions withwhat society expects of them as young women. Madge inparticular, the beauty of the town, grows more and moretorn between her requited love for the straight-arrow,

A-student Alan Seymour (who enjoys Flos approval) andher irrepressible attraction for the escape Hal offers from thestaid perfection of her life. Taboos are broken all around asthe adults find it ever harder to control the young men andwomen of postwar America.

Wh at C a n P i c n i c Te a c h M y S t u d e n t s ?

For budding playwrights, Inges play offers an instructiveexample of a classic play structure: a three-act work set in a

single day. Picnicvividly depicts the 1950s as one of themajor turning points in American society: intense patriotismand modest values run up against a generation coming intoits own and discovering its impulses and passions. Notionsof ones proper place, determined by class and education,are challenged by the ever more seductive life of the nomad.Finally, Picnicis a brilliant, literary portrayal of the emotion-al turbulence and the questioning of self-identity that beganto mark teenagers lives in the 1950sor at least that wasfinally recognized by adult society at that time.

Bo Foxworth and Jennifer DeCastroverde in Picnic


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5P i c n i c S t u d y G u i d e

5

William Inges Kansas boyhood is reflectedin many of his works. Born in Independenceon May 3, 1913, he was the youngest offive children. Inges fascination for thetheatre began early. In the 1920s, affluentIndependence hosted many cultural eventsand artists. As a member of the Boy Scouts,Inge had a unique opportunity to observethese performances. In 1935, he graduatedfrom the University of Kansas with aBachelor of Arts Degree in Speech and

Drama. From 1938 to 1943, Inge was amember of the faculty at Stephens Collegein Columbia, Missouri.

In 1943, he moved to St. Louis, where heworked as the drama and music critic forthe St. Louis Times. While working at theTimes, Inge became acquainted withTennessee Williams and accompanied himto a performance of The Glass Menagerie.Inge was so fascinated by the play, andespecially by the way in which Williams

drew from his own life in writing, that hewas inspired to write his own play, andwithin three months he had completedFarther Off from Heaven. He returned to ateaching position at Washington Universityand began serious work on turning afragmentary short story into a one-actplay. This work evolved into Come Back,Little Sheba, which earned him the titleof most promising playwright of the1950 Broadway season and was set in

a run-down neighborhood of a Midwesterncity. He followed this with the PulitzerPrize-winning Picnic, Bus Stop (produced byA Noise Within in the 2001-2002 season),and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs.

All of these plays were later adapted as filmsand were set in towns inspired by the one inwhich Inge grew up. Specifically, Inge createdcharacters who had come to know each othervery well if only because their environment

was so small that they were forced to spendso much time together. The playwrightexplained:

Ive always been glad that I grew upin Independence, because I feel itgave me a knowledge of people and alove of people. Ive often wonderedhow people raised in our great citiesever develop any knowledge ofhumankind. People who grow up in

small towns get to know each otherso much more closely than they doin cities...Independence lies in thevery heart of our country, and somaybe its people have more heart inhuman affairs. Big people come outof small towns.

(From a speech delivered for the IndependenceCentennial Ceremony in 1970)

What Inge neglected to mention in his praiseof the small town, however, is that neighbors

come to know each others secrets as well astheir strengths, and his struggles with alcoholand his sexualityInge was gay in an erawhen it was considered a mental illnesswere widely known, causing him muchshame throughout his life.

In 1960, Inge wrote his first screenplay,Splendor in the Grass, which won him theAcademy Award for Best Screenplay. His nexttwo plays were unsuccessful. This promptedInge to leave New York in 1963 and move toCalifornia. In 1968, he resumed his teachingcareer at the University of Irvine, but,becoming increasingly depressed, he quit in1970. Inge committed suicide on June 10,1973 at his home in Hollywood, where helived with his sister. He was buried inMt. Hope Cemetery in his hometownIndependence, KS. His headstone readssimply, Playwright.

The Life of William Inge

Inge createdcharacters whohad come toknow each othervery well if onlybecause theirenvironment wasso small that theywere forced tospend so muchtime together.


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About the Play

Bringing Picnic to Life Onstage

Picnicis set on the side-by-side front porches of Mrs. Flo Owens andMrs. Helen Potts.

Mrs. Owens House

Mrs. Flo Owens: The single mother of Madge and Millie, Flowants her daughters to enjoy a happiness and success in loveand marriage that she herself never had, yet she has verytraditional and conservative views about what and who willbe able to provide that happiness.

Madge Owens: The older of Flos two daughters, Madge isconsidered by everyone to be the prettiest girl in town and isa model of politeness and class. She works at the local dimestore and is the sweetheart of Alan Seymour, the mostsuccessful and promising young man in town. Yet deep downshe wonders whether her supposedly perfect life is what sheactually wants and yearns for an identity beyond the beautyfor which she is known.

Millie Owens: Madges younger sister and, on the surface, atleast, her polar opposite. Millie is bookish, a bit crass, and atomboy, and she distinguishes herself from her older sisterby consciously eschewing what she perceives as superficialprettiness. But will Hals arrival inspire Millie to thinkdifferently about love and beauty?

Rosemary Sydney:A school teacher who is defiantlyindependent and unmarried, Rosemary rents a room inFlos house. She proudly calls herself an old maid andmaintains a casual dating relationship with Howard Bevans.

Mrs. Potts House

Mrs. Helen Potts: Eloped with her young flame, only to haveher mother annul her marriage the very next day. She nowtakes care of her mom, who has grown elderly and dominatesher life. To cope with her loneliness, she often takes inboarders, especially wandering, virile, young men, like Hal.

Mrs. Potts Mother:We never see the older Mrs. Potts, but hervoice from off stage, constantly interrupting her daughtersconversation, suggests her crotchety naturewhich meansthat no nursing home will taker her in, leaving the task ofcaring for her to her daughter.

L to R - Ariane Owens, Deborah Strang, Julia Silverman and

Libby West in Picnic

William Inges Picnic set design


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7

Hal Carter: The latest in a series of handsome youngmen Mrs. Potts has taken in to work odd jobs, Hal

spends the day cleaning her garden in exchange forhome-cooked meals. He was a football star in highschool and college, yet remains poorly educated.He projects a roughness developed by having afather with a drinking problem who died in jailand a mother who wants nothing to do with him.Inside hes lonely and unsure of himself, ashamed ofthe unsophisticated upbringing that will always taghim as an outsider. His many wild stories involvingwomen dont help his longing for true love andnormalcy.

Friends from Around Town

Alan Seymour: Gentle and polite, Alan is MadgeOwens boyfriend and comes from the richest andmost prestigious family in town. He is about togo away for his final year in college, where he was afraternity brother of Hal.

Howard Bevans:A businessman from a nearbytown who stops in to see Rosemary, whom he dates

casually. Mr. Bevans enjoys relaxing with some nicewhisky and fun company.

Irma Kronkite:A local school teacher and friend ofRosemary.

Christine Schoenwalder: The high schools newfeminine hygiene teacher.

Bomber: The paperboy, constantly making fun ofMillie and asking Madge for a date.

L to R - Andrew Hopper and Bo Foxworth in Picnic

L to R - Andrew Hopper, Jennifer DeCastroverde, Mary Boucher,

Julia Silverman and Bo Foxworth in Picnic


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Picnic and William Inges America

Teenage

1921, formed from -teen as a separateword + age; derived noun teenager isfrom 1941 (the earlier word for this wasteener, attested in Amer. Eng. from1894). Teen-aged (adj.) is from 1952;shortened form teen is from 1951(though this had been used as a nounto mean teen-aged person in 1818).(from the Online Etymology dictionary, www.etymonline.com)

The generation that entered junior highand high school in the 1950s was the firstto grow up in an America that stoodunchallenged in the Western world.The United States emerged from WorldWar II primed for economic prosperity:the industrial capabilities that had beenharnessed to manufacture an endless supplyof tanks and war planes could now be usedto mass produce consumer products of allkinds, from hair grease to processed cheese,

and consumer culture took off accordingly.Children and young adults had access to hisnewfound national affluence in a way thatprevious generations did not, and thedecades most important inventiontelevisionwas the perfect medium withwhich to whet their appetite for the newestproducts and trends. The small screen alsobrought Americas celebrity culture directlyto the living room.

Young men and women of driving age werethe first to enjoy widespread access to cars,previously a commodity reserved almostexclusively for adults. High schoolers nowwere free to travel between home and schoolor anywhere elsein a way they hadnever been before and developed an entiresub-culture free of the supervision of theirparents, of which rebellion and a carefreeyouthful exuberance were the driving forces.

The hard-working, polite, young man whofollowed his father into the family businesswas replaced as a model by the truant,directionless bad boy who hid hisalienation, insecurities and fragility behindtough-looking greased hair and the uniformof a leather jacket, white t-shirt and jeans.While James Dean came to embody thisarchetype with his performance in RebelWithout a Cause, William Inge was actuallymore prescient: two years before Rebelhit the

theatres, he invented the character of HalCarter, who is simultaneously aware of hissex appeal and always self-doubting when itcame to his status in society. In contrastingHal with his well-dressed, polite collegefriend, Alan Seymour, and allowing Madgeto feel ambivalent about which of the twocan offer her the most happiness, Ingemasterfully portrays the shifting paradigmsof his age.

The Birth of the Teenager


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9

The lazy, intimate feeling that defines Picnicis foreign to our experience of sprawling,hectic, impersonal Southern California.Indeed, the America of cozy small towns thatWilliam Inge so vividly depicts in his plays isan increasingly rare culture to find anywherein the country. In the half-century sincePicnicwas first produced, the trend ofurbanization in America has accelerated.The American population is now heavilyconcentrated on the coasts, in the South,

and around the Great Lakes. One canoccasionally see articles in the nationalpress about the desertion of Midwesterntowns that had maintained their genial, localcultures for over a century.

While this demographic trend was alreadywell under way when William Inge began hiscareer as a dramaturge, the small towns inwhich he set his plays were still very muchalive, and even many of those who saw Picnicon Broadway would have understood the

culture he referenced. Indeed, one need onlylook at the kind of shows that were popularon television at the time to understand howthe theme of small towns would have res-onated to large audiences: Leave it to Beaver,The Andy Griffith Show, and the like ruledthe airwaves. If we think of the busy, urbanlife depicted in contemporary shows such asFriendsor Seinfeld, we can appreciate howmuch our cultural references have changed.

Picnic, to be fair, is not merely an exercise innostalgia for a simpler, slower life. While thecharacters display great comfort and trusttowards each other, as evidenced in the wayMrs. Owens porch is a communal gatheringplace open to all, the Owens sisters clearlyyearn for greater, more exciting lives. Ingewistfully inserts a tradition from his boyhood(to this day, Neewollah, of which Madge wasvoted Queen, is celebrated every year in

Independence, and the local history museumdisplays the costume worn by the very firstqueen), but Madge is visibly nonchalantabout the honor bestowed on her. Similarly,the dime store in which Madge works,though the main business in any Midwesterntown, stifles her festering desire for glamour,for something new. Hals arrival on the scenepresents Madge with her first opportunity toact on her restlessness and forces her to proveto herself that she has the courage to pursue

the dreams she repeatedly and casuallyexpresses. Indeed, the transitions Madge goesthrough in Picnicbear a certain resemblanceto the Independence experience of WilliamInge. Namely, she shares with the playwrightthe feeling of being torn between heraffection for those in her town whom shehas come to know so well and her desireto make a name for herself out in theunknown but exciting expanses of America.

Small Town America: An Extinct Species?

William Holden and Kim Novak in

the 1955 movie version of Picnic.


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The characters of Picniccommunicate in an English somewhatunlike our own. Slang has changed immeasurably since the 1950s,and we can sometimes be perplexed when we speak with peopleof that era.

Here are some of the terms and expressions in Picnic that mayleave students scratching their heads:

Dime StoreExactly what its name implies: a general store that stocks avariety of products for daily life, all for ten cents or less. Intodays era of super chains and changing prices, such an idea

seems positively quaint.FloozyA flirt; a loose woman.

Goon, Goon-facea hired thug; a brutish, dumb character, an epithet especiallyinsulting to a girl in the era in which Picnicis set.

Hoppin bellsbringing hotel guests luggage from check-in to their room.

I got rolledI got swindled, cheated.

In a pigs eye I did!Like hell I did! (Like heck I did!)

Paupers RowThe section of the cemetery in which people too poor toafford a headstone or casket were buried.

She takes in every Tom, Dick and Harrythe person talked about is being accused of indiscriminatelyhousing whomever shows up looking for a place to stay. Fewthings could be more damaging to ones reputation in the1950sespecially to a womanthan being known for her

poor judgment about whom to have in her house.

SkedaddleTo run away (especially after having committed an act liableto get one in trouble).

The Stork ClubBegun as a Speakeasy during Prohibition, the Stork Clubbecame one of the most famous hang-outs of New Yorksliterati and of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Joe Dimaggioand Frank Sinatra.

Reading and Watching Picnic

Speaking Picnic

L to R - Jennifer DeCastroverde and Libby West in Picnic

Mark Bramhall and Deborah Strang in Picnic


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11

Libby Westsperformance ofMadge in Picnicmarks her second playat A Noise Within.She first graced thestage of the MasonicTemple when she

played Lavinia Mannon in another Americanclassic, Eugene ONeillsMourning Becomes

Electrain the 2004-2005 season.

How did you prepare for playing Madge?Did you study the era?I focused both on the world of the play andon Madges own inner world (her favoritemusic, the pop stars on whom she has acrush, which magazines she prefers). I alwaysfind it very valuable to look not only at theevents occurring at the exact time of the play(1952) but at those just preceding it (theRosenberg trial, the Brinks robbery, theMcCarthy era), because those events haveshaped the world in which your characterlives and are things about which yourcharacter has heard and formed opinions.

Madge is 18 years old when the playbegins in 1952, so she was born in 1934.This means that the events of her lifetimeinclude the Dust Bowl, WWII, the polioscare, and the Korean War. Shes listening toRosemary Clooney and The Four Aces on

the radio, and in the past year, shes seen APlace in the Sun and The African Queenat the local movie theatre. All of it seemedimportant and interesting to me in bringingMadge to life.

Which of Madges lines did you findespecially revealing about her character?How did those lines shape the way you thinkof and portray Madge?

I am very intrigued by Madges somewhatexistential dilemma. She reveals, It justseems that when Im looking in the mirror,thats the only way I can prove to myself ImaliveLots of the time I wonder if I reallyexist. She feels worthless and not real inthe context of her town and in comparisonwith her extremely intelligent sister Millie.DuringPicnic, Madge moves beyond andfinds the courage to leave the people and the

town that valued her only for her beautyqueen looks (and who have gone so far as tosay to her, I dont care if youre real or not.Youre the most beautiful thing Ive everseen) and makes the bold decision to runaway with the man who says to her, Youre areal woman, arent you, and Youre the onlyreal thing I ever had. Throughout the play,Madge begins to think for herself, examinesher options, and finds the strength to choosean uncertain future in lieu of staying in aplace where she doesnt feel right.

At the opening of the play, the love betweenMadge and Alan seems unbreakable, andher falling for Hal seems to come out ofnowhere. This transition must be one of themost difficult parts of playing Madge; do youthink theres a moment in the play thatallows Madge to have the revelation ofwhere her love really lies? Do you think itssomething gradual? Perhaps something she

feels for him from the very first moment but

doesnt let herself acknowledge?In my opinion, Inge has really done some-thing beautiful in crafting the Madge andHal storyline. Early in the play, when shehears a train coming through town, Madgewonders, maybe some wonderful person isgetting off here, just by accident, and ofcourse, Hal himself has just jumped off atrain to arrive in her town. Somethingextraordinary happens to Madge and Hal

Love, Conformity and Defiance:

Discussing Picnic s Characters with Li bby West

Libby West and Bo Foxworth

in Picnic


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within moments of their meeting oneanother: it seems to me that they both

immediately begin looking out for eachother. Hal saves Madge from Bombersadvances, and Madge scolds Millie for pryinginto Hals business and embarrassing him.It strikes me that both Madge and Halbegin the play a little lost: Hal is literallywandering the countryside, and Madge isadrift in her own life.

Long before anything romantic occursbetween Hal and Madge, Madge beginssticking up for him. She stands up to her

mother and says, I dont see why hes atrampHe wasnt doing any harm. Shecontinues to try to protect him from theothers cruel comments, and it is in thiscontext that we first see Madge reactnegatively to Alan, when Alan sort ofverbally tries to keep Hal in his place.

There is a beautiful scene in whichHal opens up and reveals himself and hisbackground to Madge. He says, I never toldanybody this, and in that moment, Madgebegins to feel that she is truly special and,

more importantly, useful to someone. Sheopens her heart to Hal and then makes animpulsive decision that propels the play in anew direction. Her happiness at the notionof going with someone who sees her as areal woman and not just an object ofbeauty is palpable, but, just moments laterwhen Hal asks her if she loves him, shereplies, What good is it if I do?

An interesting aspect to the dramatictension of Picnicis that we really dont know

until one of the last moments of the play ifMadge is going to be with Hal, and in earlierdrafts of the play, Inge actually did not haveMadge leave with Hal. As you suggest,Madges realization and acceptance of herlove for Hal is gradual: being so committedto her relationship with Alan and under thepressure of Flos hopes for a marriage betweenAlan and Madge, Madge only slowly allowsherself to think of Hal romantically, and then

she denies and fights her feelings, but in theend, Madge has found something in Hal that

she can not lose. Despite all of her motherswarnings and in face of all of the hardshipsthat might follow, Madge literally runs off tobe with him and to have a real life with allof its uncertainties and joys.

On the surface, at least, Madge and hersister Millie seem polar opposites, andindeed Millie goes out of her way to not bebeautiful like her sister while being bookishin way that Madge most definitely is not.

Still, there are moments when the sistersgenuine admiration of each other emerges.How do you conceive of your charactersrelationship with her sister, and how mightthey both reinforce and console each othersinsecurities?Its been a wonderful process working withCraig Belknap, our director, and JenniferDeCastroverde, the actress playing Millie, tocreate an honest and interesting relationshipbetween the sisters. From the first rehearsal,Craig has encouraged our entire cast to be

realer than real, and, working from thisplace, Jennifer and I have explored the bestand worst aspects of the sibling dynamic anddiscovered both the strong bond between thesisters and their fierce rivalry.

Their differences often lead to explosivefights, but, during the play, we also have achance to see that the girls admire and learnfrom one another. Millie comes to Madgefor advice on beauty, and I think Madge doesa lot to boost Millies social confidence by

reassuring her that she is very pretty. Inturn, Madge listens very carefully to Milliethroughout the play, because she respectsMillies intelligence and ability. Madges lastline, in fact, is a tribute to Millie: when shesays, Ive always been very proud I had sucha smart sister, she gives Millie all her due.


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Madges mother alludes a few times tounspoken bad experiences with love: how do

you think Madge copes with this taboosubject, and how has it affected her ownemotions for Alan and then for Hal? Whatdo you think Madge means when, at theend of the play, she asks Mrs. Potts to takecare of Mom?Madge is very close to her mother, and Flohas certainly imprinted her daughter with themessage, It takes more than love to keeppeople happy. Because of this and because ofher strong desire to please her mother, Madge

really almost doesnt run away to be withHal. It is only after Hal exits for the finaltime that Madge realizes how powerfully andirrevocably she loves him. Only when facedwith the prospect of a life without real loveand stunned by that pain does Madge findthe courage to move beyond all of the warn-ings and pleadings of her mother and followHal to start a new life in Tulsa.

It is a huge thing for Madge to leave Flobehind. I think there was always a sense inthe Owens home that Millie would be the

one to leave the small town behind and goon to other things and that Madge would(even if she married and had a family of herown) remain near her mother to help her andcare for her as time progressed. When Madgeturns to Mrs. Potts to ask, Take care ofMom for me, will you? I believe that shesasking Mrs. Potts to help Flo through thissudden change and also in the years to come.Madge only has a few minutes before herbus leaves, but we see her do all she can to

make her leaving easier on her mother andher sister.

Finally, what can contemporary SouthernCalifornia audiences learn from thesecharacters from 1950s Midwestern smalltown culture?Picnicis a story about love and longing anddreams and risk that happens to be set in the1950s, so the details of daily life are different

from ours, but the experiences the characters

have in Picnicare the same kinds of experi-ences you and I are having in our own lives.Great plays like Picnic, provoke us, inspire us,and move us, regardless of when or wheretheyre set, and if we pay attention to them,they can change us by taking us out of ourown lives for a few hours and expanding ourpossibilities. In terms of what I personallythink and hope that contemporary SouthernCalifornia audiences listening to this storymight walk away with, and speaking only

for my character and her role in the eventsof the play: Im really hoping that audiencemembers consider how Madges going toTulsa translates into their own liveswhatrisks and dreams and needs of their ownthey might suddenly find the strengthwithin themselves to pursue, leavingbehind anything and anyone who limitedthem or misunderstood or under-valuedthem. Well see!

Bo Foxworth and Jennifer DeCastroverde in Picnic


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Notes for Post-Performance Discussion

After A Noise Withins performance of Picnic, you will have the opportunity to discuss theplays content and style with the performing artists and directors. Use this section to take

notes during the performance so you are prepared to participate in the discussion.


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BEFORE YOUR VISIT:

Discuss small-town Americana and 1950s pop culture.Have your class debate conformity and rebellion and what itmight have meant to be the first generation of teenagers.What was so unusual and rebellious about the behavior ofteenagers in the 1950s? Why were adults so surprised by therestless behavior of their children? Assign each student anaspect of 1950s American culture, such as the Cold War,James Dean and the Greaser fad, the origins of rock-n-roll,or poodle skirts to research and present to the class, focusing

on what each of those elements of 1950s culture meant toyoung adults.

Have your students act out parts of Picnics second act:this middle act is not broken up into scenes, but featuresalmost all the characters at one point or another and willallow all class members to rotate into the action. Becausewe also get to see some the characters at both their mostupstanding and their most shameful, this activity will allowstudents to explore the range of emotions that Inge gives tohis characters.

Suggested Activities for Studying Picnic


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AFTER YOUR VISIT:

Lead your class in a discussion about what a play set in asmall town in the 1950s can teach them in 21st centurySouthern California. In what areas do the characters andstory of Picnicstrike them as relevant about their own lives?In what ways might the play seem dated? Do the studentsconsider the Owens sisters, Alan and Hal to be theirpredecessors as American teenagers?

Along the same lines, ask your class for ideas about how they

would go about updating Picnicto Southern California in2005. What event has the unifying power of a Labor Daypicnic? What would the Owens sisters, Hal and Alan lookand act like?

Have your class discuss the portrayal of women in Picnic:how common in 2005 are mother-daughter relationships likethe one we observe between Madge and Flo? Does Madgesdecision to run away with Hal still strike us as shocking?

There is a very clear understanding in Picnicthat Alan andHal, to name just two characters, are from very differentworlds. Perhaps no one is more acutely aware of this gap thanHal, and Rosemary and Flo, to name just two, express deepsuspicion and resentment of his efforts to mingle with theirpolite society. Have your students debate the extent towhich their own lives are defined by class and social status.

Inges work, and Picnicin particular, has sometimes beencriticized as being comprised of simplistic and stereotypicalcharacters. (The college boy from a small town, the beautyqueen, the drifter). Yet in the New York Timesreview ofthe plays premiere, Brooks Atkinson wrote that Inge

has made a rich and fundamental play from thesecommonplace people and deemed Picnic an original,honest play with an awareness of people. Have eachstudent write an analysis defending one of these views.

Suggested Activities for Studying Picnic


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Andrew Hopper and Libby West in Picnic

L to R - Andrew Hopper and Bo Foxworth in Picnic

Deborah Strang and Bo Foxworth in Picnic


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blockingThe instructions a director gives his actorsthat tell them how and where to move inrelation to each other or to the set in aparticular scene.

characterThe personality or part portrayed by an actoron stage.

conflictThe opposition of people or forces whichcauses the plays rising action.

genreLiterally, kind or type. In literary terms,genre refers to the main types of literaryform, principally comedy and tragedy. It canalso refer to forms that are more specific to agiven historical era, such as the revengetragedy, or to more specific sub-genres oftragedy and comedy such as the comedy ofmanners, farce or social drama.

motivationThe situation or mood which initiatesan action. Actors often look for theirmotivation when they try to dissect howa character thinks or acts.

propsItems carried on stage by an actor to

represent objects mentioned in or implied bythe script. Sometimes the props are actual,sometimes they are manufactured in thetheatre shop.

proscenium stageThere is usually a front curtain on aproscenium stage. The audience views theplay from the front through a frame calledthe proscenium arch. In this scenario, allaudience members have the same view of theactors.

set

The physical world created on stage in whichthe action of the play takes place.

settingThe environment in which a play takes placeIt may include the historical period as well asthe physical space.

stage areasThe stage is divided into areas to help thedirector to note where action will takeplace. Upstage is the area furthest fromthe audience. Downstage is the area closest tothe audience. Center stage defines the middleof the playing space. Stage left is the actorsleft as he faces the audience. Stage right isthe actors right as he faces the audience.

themeThe overarching message or main idea of aliterary or dramatic work. A recurring idea ina play or story.

thrust stageA stage that juts out into the audienceseating area so that patrons are seatedon three sides. In this scenario, audiencemembers see the play from varyingviewpoints. A Noise Within features athrust stage.

About Theatre Arts

Theatre Vocabulary

These terms will be included in pre- and post-performance discussions at A Noise Within.


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Why do actors say break a leg?Perhaps the saying comesin a complicatedwayfrom the use of leg. In theatre, aleg is a part of the mechanics that openand close the curtain. To break a leg is toearn so many curtain calls that opening andclosing the curtain over and over during finalapplause causes the curtain mechanics tobreak.

Why is it bad luck to say Macbeth inside

the theatre?There are many origins for this superstition.Old actors believe the witches song inMacbeth to possess the uncanny power ofcasting evil spells. The reasons for this fearusually bring tales of accidents and ill-for-tunes that have plagued productions of theplay throughout the world.

An alternative is that the superstition beganin the days of stock companies, which wouldstruggle to remain in business. Frequently,

near the end of a season, a company wouldrealize it was not going to break even, and, inan attempt to boost ticket sales, wouldannounce the production of a crowd favorite:Macbeth. If times were particularly bad, theplay would frequently be a portent of thecompanys demise.

What is a ghost light?There is a superstition that if an emptiedtheater is ever left completely dark, a ghostwill take up residence. In other versions ofthe same superstition the ghosts of pastperformances return to the stage to live outtheir glory moments. To prevent this, a singlelight called a ghost light is left burning atcenter stage after the audience and all of theactors and musicians have gone.

Now, those in the world of theatre know that

a dark theatre is one without a play. Thereis nothing sadder to a dramatic artist than anempty house and a playless stage. Therefore,a light is left burning center stage so that thetheatre is never dark; it is simply awaitingthe next production.

What is a raked stage? Where do the termsupstage and downstage originate?Historically, stages were built on inclines,with the backs of the stages slightly higher

than the fronts. The incline was called arake and helped those in the back of theaudience see the action onstage. Eventually,theatres started placing seats on inclinesinstead of stages, but the terminology stuck.Downstage is the front of the stage, closest tothe audience, and upstage is the back of thestage.

Why are actors called thespians?In the sixth century B.C., a Greek chorusperformer named Thespus was the first

person in history to step away from thechorus and speak by himself, exchangingdialogue with the group and impersonatinga character instead of simply reciting a storyas the chorus had done before then.

Theatre Lore


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A Noise Withinsmission is to produce thegreat works of world drama in rotating

repertory, with a company of professional,classically- trained actors.A Noise Withineducates the public through comprehensiveoutreach efforts and conservatory trainingprograms that foster a deeper understandingand appreciation of historys greatest playsand playwrights.

As the only company in Southern Californiaworking in the repertory tradition (rotatingproductions using a resident ensemble of

professional, trained artists)A Noise Withinis dedicated solely to producing classicalliterature from authors such as Shakespeare,Moliere, Ibsen, Shaw, and Euripedes.The company was formed in 1991 byfounders Geoff Elliott, Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, and Art Manke, each of whomwere classically trained at the acclaimedAmerican Conservatory Theatre in anFrancisco. They envisionedA Noise Withinafter recognizing a lack of professional,classical productions and education in

Southern California and sought out andassembled their own company of actors to

meet the need. All ofA Noise Withinsresident artists have been classically trained,

and a majority hold Master of Fine Artsdegrees from some of the nations mostrespected institutions, such as Juilliard, Yale,and the American Conservatory Theatre.In its fourteen-year history,A Noise Withinhas garnered over 500 awards and commen-dations, including the Los Angeles DramaCritics Circles revered Polly Warfield Awardfor Excellence and the coveted MargaretHartford Award for Sustained Excellence.In 2004,A Noise Within accepted an

invitation to collaborate with the LosAngeles Philharmonic for a tandemperformance ofA Midsummer NightsDream at the Hollywood Bowl.

More than 25,000 individuals attendproductions atA Noise Within, annually,and 13,000 of those are young peopleparticipating in the companys arts educationprogramming, which includes in-schoolworkshops, conservatory training, and aninternship program, as well as subsidized

tickets to matinee and evening performances,discussions with artists, and study guides.

About A Noise Within

Written by Jonathan Matz

Edited by Autumn Hilden

Production Photography by Craig Schwartz

Graphic Design by Christopher Komuro

Geoff Elliott & Julia Rodriguez Elliott, Artistic Directors

Administrative Office: 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91204

Administration: Tel (818) 240-0910 / FAX (818) 240-0826

Website: www.anoisewithin.org

Box Office: (818) 240-0910 ext.1

Picnic By William Inge

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