Auditions for Picnic are just around the corner!
Don't forget to attend the lunch time meeting on Friday, September 8th in the PAC for more information.
Here are the characters in the show, and a brief description:
Flo Owens: The single mother of Madge and Millie, Flo
wants her daughters to enjoy a happiness and success in love
and marriage that she herself never had, yet she has very
traditional and conservative views about what and who will
be able to provide that happiness.
Madge Owens: The older of Flo’s two daughters, Madge is
considered by everyone to be the prettiest girl in town and is
a model of politeness and class. She works at the local “dime
store” and is the sweetheart of Alan Seymour, the most
successful and promising young man in town. Yet deep down
she wonders whether her supposedly perfect life is what she
actually wants and yearns for an identity beyond the beauty
for which she is known.
Millie Owens: Madge’s younger sister and, on the surface, at
least, her polar opposite. Millie is bookish, a bit crass, and a
tomboy, and she distinguishes herself from her older sister
by consciously eschewing what she perceives as superficial
prettiness. But will Hal’s arrival inspire Millie to think
differently about love and beauty?
Rosemary Sydney: A school teacher who is defiantly
independent and unmarried, Rosemary rents a room in
Flo’s house. She proudly calls herself an “old maid” and
maintains a casual dating relationship with Howard Bevans.
Mrs. Helen Potts: Eloped with her young flame, only to have
her mother annul her marriage the very next day. She now
takes care of her mom, who has grown elderly and dominates
her life. To cope with her loneliness, she often takes in
boarders, especially wandering, virile, young men, like Hal.
Mrs. Potts’ Mother: We never see the older Mrs. Potts, but her
voice from off stage, constantly interrupting her daughter’s
conversation, suggests her crotchety nature—which means
that no nursing home will taker her in, leaving the task of
caring for her to her daughter.
Hal Carter: The latest in a series of handsome young
men Mrs. Potts has taken in to work odd jobs, Hal
spends the day cleaning her garden in exchange for
home-cooked meals. He was a football star in high
school and college, yet remains poorly educated.
He projects a roughness developed by having a
father with a drinking problem who died in jail
and a mother who wants nothing to do with him.
Inside he’s lonely and unsure of himself, ashamed of
the unsophisticated upbringing that will always tag
him as an outsider. His many wild stories involving
women don’t help his longing for true love and
normalcy.
Alan Seymour: Gentle and polite, Alan is Madge
Owens’ boyfriend and comes from the richest and
most prestigious family in town. He is about to
go away for his final year in college, where he was a
fraternity brother of Hal.
Howard Bevans: A businessman from a nearby
town who stops in to see Rosemary, whom he dates
casually. Mr. Bevans enjoys relaxing with some nice
whisky and fun company.
Irma Kronkite: A local school teacher and friend of
Rosemary.
Christine Schoenwalder: The high school’s new
“feminine hygiene” teacher.
Bomber: The paperboy, constantly making fun of
Millie and asking Madge for a date.
