2312 Rosemarie Lane
Stockton, CA 95207
Picnic
A Summer Romance
by William Inge
A Classroom Study Guide
Picnic
at
Stockton Civic Theatre
2312 Rosemarie Lane
Stockton, CA 95207
March 22 – April 15, 2006
Talk Back Nights offer a special opportunity for audience members to ask questions of the director and actors following the performance. In conjunction with this study guide, students will get a deeper look at SCT’s production of Picnic.
Special student performances with Talk Back following the show are scheduled for:
Thursday, April 6 and 13, 2006 - 7:30 pm
Special student price when group reservations made by teacher - $8.00.
($10.00 for individual students on Talk Back Nights only.)
Regular student price of $15.00 applies for all other performances.
For more information on purchase of student group tickets,
call the SCT box office.
473-2424
CONNECTIONS TO CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS
Suggestions for connecting materials in this guide to content standards.
English/Language Arts – Grades 9 & 10
Reading 1.0
Students apply their knowledge of word origins to determine the meaning of new words encountered in reading materials and use those words accurately. (see enclosed glossary)
Literary Response and Analysis 3.0
Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science. They conduct in-depth analysis of recurrent patterns and themes.
Writing 1.0
Students write coherent and focused essays that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly reasoned argument. (See enclosed writing prompts)
Speaking Applications 2.0
2.4 Deliver oral response to literature:
(b) Support important ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed references to the text or to other works. (See enclosed discussion prompts)
English/Language Arts – Grades 11 & 12
Literary Response and Analysis 3.1
Analyze characters of sub-genres that are used in poetry, prose, plays, novels, short stories, essays and other basic genres.
Writing Applications 2.0
2.2 Write responses to literature:
a. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the significant ideas in works or passages.
b. Analyze the use of imagery, language, universal themes and unique aspects of the text. (See enclosed writing prompts)
Performing Arts – Theatre – Grades 9 – 12
Artistic Perception 1.0
1.1 Use the vocabulary of theatre, such as acting values, style, genre, design, and theme to describe theatrical experiences.
1.2 Document observations and perceptions of production elements,
noting mood, pacing and use of space through class discussion and
reflective writing.
Historical and Cultural Context 3.0
3.3 Identify key figures, works, and trends in world theatrical history from various cultures and time periods.
About the Playwright –William Inge
Born on May 3, 1913, in Independence, Kansas, William Motter Inge was the youngest of five children. He would get his first taste of the theatre at an early age. The local boy scout troupe, of which Inge was a member, held its weekly meetings in a Civic Center which boasted a 2000 seat theater, and the boys were often invited to sit in the balcony after their meetings and watch the touring shows which passed through town for one night stands on their way from Kansas City, Missouri to Tulsa, Oklahoma. The small town of Independence had a profound influence on the young Inge, and he would attribute his understanding of human behavior to growing up in this small town environment and using this knowledge. Most of his plays revolve around characters who are clearly products of small towns just like Independence.
Inge was educated at the University of Kansas at Lawrence where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech and Drama in 1935. After graduation and a brief attempt at post-graduate studies, he worked a variety of jobs including highway laborer, news announcer, and high school teacher before returning to school and earning a Master of Arts Degree from the George Peabody College for Teachers in 1943. Upon earning his Masters, Inge moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he landed a job as the drama and music critic for the St. Louis Times. During the course of his duties at the Times, Inge was fortunate enough to come into contact with Tennessee Williams who invited the young critic to attend with him a production of The Glass Menagerie. Inge was so inspired by Williams' play that he decided to try his hand as a playwright. After completing his first script, Farther Off from Heaven (1947), Inge sent a copy to Williams who recommended it for production. The play was produced by Margo Jones in Dallas, Texas.
Inge's next literary effort, Come Back, Little Sheba (1950), earned him the title of "most promising playwright of the 1950 Broadway season", but his career was only beginning to gain momentum. He followed this success with Picnic (1952) which won him a Pulitzer Prize, the Drama Critics Circle Award, the Outer Circle Award, and the Theatre Club Award. Next came Bus Stop (1955) which he would later adapt into a popular film starring Marilyn Monroe, and, two years later, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957), a reworking of his first play, premiered on Broadway. This somewhat autobiographical drama would come to be considered Inge's finest play. He would later describe it as his "first cautious attempt to look at the past, with an effort to find order and meaning in experiences that were once too close to be seen clearly." By this time, critics were hailing Inge as another Tennessee Williams. Unfortunately, his later works would not fulfill that promise. The Dark at the Top of the Stairs was followed by a string of box office failures including A Loss of Roses (1960), Natural Affection (1963), Where's Daddy? (1966), and The Last Pad (1970). Inge's only real success during this period was his screenplay for Splendor in the Grass (1961) for which he won an Academy Award. Convinced that he could no longer write, the small town Inge fell into a deep depression, and on June 10, 1973, at his home in the Hollywood Hills, William Inge took his own life.
What is the play about?
A student study guide created by
The waning days of summer should give way to the promise of autumn and a fresh start, but it’s 1953 in this small Kansas town and options are few for the stunningly beautiful Madge and her independent younger sister, Millie, who yearn for more than the life of staid domesticity awaiting them. Then Hal, a dangerously handsome drifter, comes along and sets the whole town a-flutter. He and Madge strike instant sparks, but can she really reject all she’s been taught in order to follow unreliable hopes and a pounding heart? In this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, Inge depicts the pleasure—and the pain—of risking everything to choose one’sr own path.
Why will this play be useful to my students?
· William Inge’s Picnic follows a classic, three-act dramatic structure, providing a blueprint for young playwrights.
· Picnic provides an historical lens to the culture, language, and social structure of the 1950s. Inge’s writing reflects an idealized vision of America that was common to the era, but often features characters struggling to fit into that ideal.
· Madge and Millie face many choices that will be familiar to today’s teens—especially when deciding whether to follow their own paths or listen to the lessons of their parents.
Cast of Characters
Mrs. Owens’ House
Mrs. Flo Owens
Mother of Madge and Millie. Single, protective of her daughters. Wants them to have better
luck in life than she had.
Madge Owens
Mrs. Owens’ oldest daughter and Millie’s sister. The Queen of Neewollah (Halloween spelled
backwards) and the prettiest girl in town. Dating college boy Alan Seymour, but enthralled with
tortured drifter Hal.
Millie Owens
Mrs. Owens’ youngest daughter and Madge’s sister. A fun-loving bookworm growing into
a spirited young woman.
Rosemary Sydney
Mrs. Owens’ self-proclaimed “old maid” boarder. An unmarried, independent schoolteacher who
enjoys spending time with her girlfriends, Christine and Irma, and casually dating Howard Bevans.
Mrs. Potts’ House
Mrs. Helen Potts
Mrs. Owens’ next-door neighbor. Takes care of her elderly mother, who had Mrs. Potts’ marriage annulled the day after she eloped with her young love, leaving her “Mrs. Potts” in name only. Takes in boarders who help alleviate her loneliness; enjoys Hal’s virile company.
Mrs. Potts’ Mother
Heard only as a voice from offstage. Considered too mean to be accepted into a nursing home.
Dominates her daughter’s daily routine.
Hal Carter
A lonely, rough drifter who comes to town looking for work. A former high school and college
football star, but his personal life is not nearly so glamorous. The son of an alcoholic father who died in jail and a mother who doesn’t want anything to do with him. Does odd jobs for Mrs. Potts in exchange for meals.
Friends and Townspeople
Alan Seymour
A member of a rich and prestigious local family, and Madge’s boyfriend. One of Hal’s only friends in college.
Howard Bevans
A local businessman who enjoys a drink and good company. Casually dating Rosemary.
Irma Kronkite
A local schoolteacher, friends with Rosemary.
Christine Schoenwalder
The new “feminine hygiene” teacher.
Bomber
The newspaper delivery boy. Enjoys messing with Millie and flirting with Madge.
The United States Then and Now
Teenage Pop Culture
James Dean, Rock & Roll, and Teenage Rebellion
The word teenager was incorporated into widespread usage in the 1940s to describe the dynamic transition from puberty to adulthood. Still, as the early 1950s approached, America’s teenagers were generally considered complacent and conservative. All that changed when the United States experienced a rising affluence after the Second World War. Teenagers started spending money, and American businesses eagerly responded with products suited especially to their lifestyle. The increasing importance and prominence of television in the American household provided a perfect venue to advertise directly to teens.
With increased economic mobility came the power and desire to rebel. It is of little surprise that the ultimate American act of rebellion, rock & roll, and its headlining stud, Elvis Presley, took sudden and complete control of young people’s hearts and minds in the mid-1950s. Rock & roll featured lyrics written directly to the concerns of teenagers (going steady, jealousy, high school, clothing, cars, etc.) and a level of sheer noise and emotion that was anything but conservative. Elvis and his peers brought sex, drugs, and rock defiantly out in the open, featuring a style created by the great African American rhythm and blues groups of the 1940s, who were largely ignored by white-owned radio stations and record companies.
Meanwhile, at the movies, James Dean and Marlon Brando captured 1950s teens’ anger and frustration. Dean’s performance as a hurt, misunderstood, and rebellious teenager in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), his real life love of fast cars and motorcycles, and his tragic death in a high-speed traffic accident just weeks before the film was released canonized him as an icon of teen angst. His t-shirt, jeans, and leather jacket made him a trendsetter for a group of teens known as “greasers.” James Dean was the “bad boy” of his time. Much like Hal in Picnic, the sexual appeal of the tough, manly, and cool—but emotionally fragile—young man drove women of all ages crazy. Inge’s play premiered to widespread popularity and respect, in part due to his acknowledgement of female sexuality.
Glossary
Inventing new slang is one of the simplest and most effective ways by which young people rebel against the generation that came before them. This secret code of communication empowers teens and poses a threat to parents who have trouble understanding what their children are saying. Picnic shows us that this practice is not
new. In the 1950s, teens often referred to young men as “cats.” Today, they often call young men “dawgs.” In the 1950s, people were told to “hang loose” if they were uptight. Today, they are told to “chill out.”
Here are a few examples of the slang used in Picnic. Are there any equivalent expressions today?
As quick as you can say Jack Robinson
A way of expressing immediacy; something will be done right away.
Corker Something remarkable or astounding
.
Dickens A slang term for the devil.
Dime Store A retail store selling a wide variety of inexpensive articles for ten cents or less. After the 1930s, slightly more expensive merchandise was added to the stores.
I got rolled Robbed because one was drunk, sleeping, or otherwise helpless.
On the make Eagerly seeking a sexual partner.
Raise Ned A less offensive way of saying “raise hell” or “raise the devil.” Old Ned as a 19th-century euphemism for Satan.
Pauper’s Row The area of a cemetery reserved for those too poor to afford a proper casket or gravestone.
Snifter A small portion of liquor.
Snowin’ Overwhelming with insincere talk, especially with flattery.
Steak fries Outdoor get-togethers or barbecues.
The Stork Club New York’s most famous nightspot. The club drew celebrities such as Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe, J. Edgar Hoover, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and John F. Kennedy.
Tight A slang term for being drunk.
Hot-rod Any car that has been modified or rebuilt in order to improve its speed and acceleration.
Discussion Questions & Writing Prompts
Before Seeing the Show:
1. The play takes place in a small Kansas town in 1953. Explore this time period. Have class members do research on the era: include “I Like Ike,” Sputnik, hula hoops, James Dean, 3-D movies, Elvis Presley, Milton Berle, bomb shelters, McCarthyism, and the Cold War. Explore the differences and similarities between the world of the fifties and the world of 2006.
2. Discuss how a playwright creates the world of a play: setting, language, and characters. How do these choices influence our emotional response to a play? What might be difficult about setting a play in 1953 Kansas? What might be easy? How does the playwright convince us that the world on stage is “real?”
After Seeing the Show:
1. Inge calls this play “a summer romance”. What might Inge have intended by this description? Based on research done before seeing the show, how does the play represent the real world of the 1950s? What elements in the play represent an idealized, mythical America?
2. In an article about Picnic, Inge compared the play to a journey “…in which every moment [is] as interesting as the destination.” Determine the destination of each character in the play. Using the format of a map, plot the obstacles each must overcome to reach their destination. Use this map to explore the social, sexual, gender, age, and class restrictions of the fifties.
3. Which characters take risks in the course of the play and why? What is at stake for these characters? Compare the risks that are taken by the female characters and the male characters. What does this comparison reveal about the world of the play?