On Nov. 17, East Tennessee State University’s division of theatre will take time out for a Picnic.
When Picnic debuted in 1953, audiences found it shocking, but that won’t be the case with today’s audience, said Lyle Marston, who plays Hal Carter, the romantic male lead.
“It was a little bit of a different culture, and back then it might have been viewed as a tragedy, but I think it’s a good ending,” Marston said. “Now, I think it’s a good story, and one that you feel good about when you leave instead of one that you feel sad about.”
Written by William Inge, this 1953 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama is set in a small Kansas town on Labor Day weekend. Picnic is “the tale of a stranger who comes to town and unwittingly becomes a catalyst for change,” said Bobby Funk, the director of Picnic.
Despite the change in culture, today’s audience will still be able to relate to Picnic, said Pat Cronin, permanent artist in residence and head of the Honors College’s Arts Scholars program.
“There are always problems with mid-20th century plays as to how well they’ll ‘hold up’ for a modern audience,” Cronin said. “It is my belief that Inge, especially the Inge of Picnic and Bus Stop, will also still be universal and that the audience of 2005 will find the same human values to love as the audience did in 1953.”
Everyone will be able to identify with at least one of the characters in Picnic, said Marston, a fourth-year theatre major. Picnic is funny with a romantic element, he said. “It’s going to be a great show to watch,” Marston said, “because you’ll be easily drawn into what’s going on.”
There are high expectations for Picnic, Cronin said. “My expectations for Picnic is a huge hit that everyone will love and come to,” Cronin said. “I also hope that the show will in some small way say something about the human condition as all great art must do.”
The cast and crew of Picnic are anticipating a powerful performance, Marston said. “I’m hoping that by the end of it we can capture all of the passion that’s in this play,” Marston said.
“It’s a highly passionate play, and it would be great if we could reach the peaks on all the points that the author intended to have captured because I think that would be such a powerful performance. It would not only be powerful for the audience but it would be powerful for the people involved.”
But there are still a few challenges in producing a play that was written more than half a century ago. “The biggest challenge is in finding the right tone for the play too harsh and the play will crumble, too soft and it will not challenge us,” Cronin said. “It is realism, but it is not reality TV, and in the age of brutal reality TV, will a gentle play about love and redemption make any sense? I hope so.”
Picnic will run Nov. 17-19 at 7:30 p.m. In addition, there will be a matinee show at 2 p.m. Nov. 20 and Thursday’s performance will be signed for the hearing impaired.
All four performances will take place at the VA Memorial Theatre, which is located on the Mountain Home Veterans’ Administration campus, across from the main campus of ETSU.
Picnic is directed by Bobby Funk and will feature costume designs by Karen Brewster, and scenic and lighting design by Melissa Shafer.
Tickets cost $5 for students with a valid ID and $10 for all others. For reservations, call 439-7576.

Author