Picnic Audition Packet 1 !

PICNIC

By William Inge

Directed by Caleb Goodman

AUDITIONS: AUGUST 2 (7pm) and 3 (2pm) SHOWS: SEPTEMBER 19-28

I. IN BRIEF

September 7, 1953. Labor Day. An idyllic small town in Kansas. Two houses, one back yard. Change is in the air. This is the setup for William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Picnic. The play opens with Hal Carter, a young drifter who has come to town to visit his old college roommate. Hal stirs up emotions of all kinds, and represents vastly different things to the inhabitants of the small town. To some, this wild young man represents what was, to others what might have been, and to one particular young lady, what could still be.

Welcome to the TOSAC production of Picnic! The goal of this audition packet is to help you be as prepared as you can possibly be for the upcoming auditions. As an actor myself, I’ve been to many auditions and I know from personal experience that auditions can be extremely stressful when you don’t know what the production staff is looking for. This audition packet has been compiled to help combat that. By the time you finish this packet, hopefully you will know exactly what we are looking for in general, as well as our overall vision for this production of Picnic. The packet is laid out as follows:

I. A Brief Introduction to the Play II. A General Overview of What I am Looking For III. A Detailed Plot Synopsis IV. Character Breakdown V. Sides from the Script VI. The Audition Form and Conflict Sheet

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II. IN GENERAL

“Acting is living truthfully under imagined circumstances.” -Sanford Meisner

The beauty of Picnic is its simplicity. William Inge gives us a world that we are already familiar with, and he gives us very real people. The show is ideal for the intimate staging and naturalistic performances that we are going for. Keep in mind that the performance space, the Storefront Theatre, is very small, so there is no need for affectations, stage voices, or “playing to the back of the house”. In fact, there is really no need for ‘acting’ at all, follow Meisner’s advice, be honest, be natural, be real, and you will be just fine. Truth alone will carry to the back of the house. Remember that this is not a melodrama, there are no heroes or villains in Inge’s world, there are merely people.

For those who live in Tallahassee and wish to carpool, I will set up a time and place for pickup, and you are free to ride with me to and from rehearsals. Depending on the number of people interested in this option, there may need to be some alternating, but this should cut down the cost of transportation by a significant amount. There will also be one all cast workday to help finish the set, and like rehearsals I am happy to provide transportation.

Auditions will be held at the Storefront Theatre, which is located at 117 South Broad Street in Thomasville, GA. The audition dates are August 2nd at 7pm and August 3rd at 2pm, with possible callbacks August 4th at 7pm. If for any reason you are unable to make these dates, please contact me and I will do everything in my power to work something out. Show dates are September 19-21 and 26-28. There will also be a pickup rehearsal on the 25th, and the cast will be expected to help with strike following the closing performance on the 28th.

If you have questions or concerns of any kind, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will be more than happy to discuss it with you. I can be reached via text message or phone call (I typically don’t answer numbers that I do not recognize, so please leave a message identifying yourself) at (850)-294-5977, or you can email me at cg12y@my.fsu.edu. I look forward to taking this journey with you!

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III. A SYNOPSIS

ACT I

The play opens midmorning, just as Hal Carter comes outside with Mrs. Potts to work for the large breakfast she has just provided. When they go off to prepare for burning Mrs. Potts’ trash, Millie comes out from her house to sneak a cigarette. Soon, Bomber Gutzel comes by yelling for Madge to come down, and after some name calling, a small scuffle breaks out. The scuffle ends once Madge comes downstairs and Bomber turns on the charm, but quickly goes on his way once Hal steps in and points out that he is older and bigger than Bomber. Flo soon puts an end to the small talk and Hal goes back to Mrs. Potts yard to find something else to do.

As a train whistle blows in the distance the three briefly discuss Millie’s desire to take the train and go to New York and Madge’s desire to do more than her current lot in life allows. Millie is sent inside and Flo asks Madge about her future, hinting at the fears she has about her daughter. Millie returns and the girls get in an argument that ends in Millie storming out, and Flo reveals that her husband had changed from a doting father who worshipped his daughter to a man who was never home, had found ‘other things’ to occupy his time, and missed Millie’s birth so he could be out drinking with his friends. Flo insists to Madge that it takes a lot more than love to be happy.

Rosemary Sydney and Millie join them, and during the ensuing small talk we learn that Rosemary met a man at a picnic last spring who sends her letters, and that she considers longtime beau Howard Bevans a ‘friend-boy…not a boy-friend.’ We also learn about the complex relationship between Mrs. Potts and her mother. Mrs. Potts cares for her invalid mother because no nursing home will take her.

Alan Seymour drives up then, and while everyone is talking, there is an explosion in the trashcan Hal is burning, due to Mrs. Potts throwing in bottle of cleaning fluid. The group quickly disperses and old friends Alan and Hal reunite, reminiscing about old times and Hal filling Alan in on his adventures in Hollywood, and he shares how his father died, drunk and in jail. Hal and Mrs. Potts tell Hal about a job at Sinclair’s oil pipeline and Hal decides to take it.

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Irma Kronkite passes by with new feminine hygiene teacher Christine Schoenwalder in tow, and after introducing Christine, the two teachers urge Rosemary to hurry up. Alan officially introduces Hal to Flo, and after inviting him to go swimming, proceeds, with the help of Mrs. Potts, to convince Flo to allow Hal to accompany Millie to the Labor Day picnic at the park. As Hal races Millie to the car, Flo pulls Alan aside to ask him about Hal, and Alan promises to keep an eye on him.

Alan then explains to Madge that he has to go back to college in the fall, but will be back for Christmas, and assures her that he has never loved anyone but her. Hal interrupts the tender moment, concerned because he has never been to a picnic before, Alan consoles him and he leaves the lovers alone. Madge and Alan make plans for after the picnic, and Alan leaves, and just as Madge is about to go back inside, another train whistle blows, and she listens to it longingly as the act ends.

ACT II

Act II begins late that afternoon as Millie sways on the porch to the musical stylings of Ernie Higgins from a house past Mrs. Potts’. Millie, now wearing a lovely dress for the picnic, confides to Madge that she feels funny dressed up and is unsure how to talk to her date. At Flo’s insistence Millie shows off the new dress to Mrs. Potts, and Madge admits that she doesn’t feel truly alive unless she can prove to herself that she exists, usually by looking in a mirror.

The three schoolteachers return from their afternoon party and discuss the food at the hotel and Irma’s new dress, and by the time Irma and Christine leave, it is clear that the three have bonded during the course of the afternoon. Howard Bevans arrives in shirtsleeves to pick up Rosemary, with Hal and Alan arriving soon after. Hal is introduced to Rosemary and Howard, trying as best he can to make a good impression, failing, yet somehow remaining likable. Madge finally goes upstairs to change, and Millie shows Hal her artwork, and sketches him at his request. Rosemary attempts to drop hints to Howard about her fear of losing her youth, but to no avail. Howard goes back to the car, returning with a bottle of bootleg whiskey, for which Rosemary chastens him, but after some prodding she takes a drink. Once Howard and Hal are alone they share the bottle and talk about

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women, with Howard predicting that Alan will forget Madge when he goes back to college.

Millie and Rosemary return, and a few houses down Ernie Higgins and his Happiness Boys begin to play lively music, which leads to an impromptu dance in the back yard. Soon Hal attempts to teach Millie a complex new step learned in L.A., Rosemary talks about her glory days as a ‘Dancing Fool’, and the music changes to a slow waltz. Madge and Hal are soon dancing together, Rosemary desperately tries to get Hal to dance with her, and while the rest are distracted, Millie drinks the bottle of whiskey and becomes ill. Howard takes responsibility for bringing the whiskey, but Rosemary blames Hal and a furious Flo proclaims there is to be no drinking at the picnic.

In the hurry to leave, Hal is left alone when Madge returns from changing dresses again, and they pour out their feelings for each other, with Hal sharing his troubled family life, and in a moment of passion they kiss. The two leave together, not to join the others at the picnic, but to go someplace more private, with fewer people.

ACT III-SCENE 1

Act III opens after midnight, when Howard drops off Rosemary after a passionate night. After some beating around the bush, Rosemary breaks down and begs Howard to marry her. He promises to call in the morning and leaves, as Rosemary forces herself to go inside.

Hal and Madge arrive then, both somewhat awkwardly attempting to come to terms with the night they’ve shared and hoping to return to a sort of normalcy. They share another kiss before Madge pulls away and runs to her room.

ACT III-SCENE 2

Just after breakfast Millie smokes a cigarette while Flo frets about Madge, who is still silently locked in her room. Mrs. Potts inquires as to her whereabouts and Flo lies that Hal abducted her and Madge was forced to walk home. Rosemary anxiously awaits word from Howard, and Irma and Christine stop by to pick her up for the first day of school.

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Having heard rumors of the night before, Bomber shows up to try his luck again, but scurries off when he sees Alan coming. Alan tells Millie the truth, and Millie confesses that she has always had a crush on him. Howard appears as Madge comes downstairs to speak to Alan, who confides that Hal has presumably skipped town after being reported by Alan to the police. This sobering news is offset by the reentrance of Mrs. Potts, Irma, Christine, Rosemary, and a bewildered Howard, with the revelation that the latter two are off to be married, and after providing Flo with the name of a teacher to take Rosemary’s room, the group sees the couple off.

Once Madge is left alone, Hal emerges from the woodshed where he has been hiding, urging Madge to skip town with him on a freight train to Tulsa. Alan and Flo return, and Alan attacks Hal, who fights him off. Hal and Madge confess their love for each other in front of a frightened Flo and Madge runs into the house. Alan decides that he will leave that afternoon to go fishing in Michigan with his father and won’t come back until Christmas break.

Madge comes outside with a suitcase and declares she is taking the bus to Tulsa. Flo tries to change her mind, but without success. Mrs. Potts comforts a defeated Flo until her mother calls, leaving a forlorn Flo alone onstage as the curtain falls.

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IV. CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

(In Order of Appearance)

Please note that ages are approximate, not concrete, and are not based on your actual age, but on the age range you can believably portray onstage (possibly aided by makeup). The descriptions are a starting point, the characters won’t truly come together until rehearsals, but this is a foundation to build on. Ultimately I want to see what you bring to these characters, so be yourself, and come in with your own ideas, using this as a baseline.

FEMALE

Helen Potts (~50+)

An older widow lady who lives next door to the Owens’, she lives with her aged, invalid mother. Helen was impulsive as a girl, she eloped at a young age with a man not dissimilar to Hal, and her mother immediately annulled the marriage. Mrs. Potts in name only, she has remained kindhearted and jovial, and willingly takes in Hal, allowing him to do a few hours of work in return for a large breakfast. She has a history of taking in drifters and ‘riff-raff’. Perhaps because she recognizes the man she loved for too brief a time, Helen becomes Hal’s champion. She is often on the sidelines, observing events, preferring to bask in the comings and goings of youth then to sit alone on her porch.

Millie Owens (16)

A girl of sixteen, constantly in the shadow of her older, more beautiful sister, she has responded by embracing life as a tomboy. Although she would never admit it, perhaps she would like to occasionally be thought of as the pretty one. She has had a crush on Alan for years but never admitted it. Although she often antagonizes Madge, it comes from a place of sisterly love, and there must be a very genuine loving relationship between the two girls. Millie is smart, confident, scrappy, and never afraid of a fight, she also has a talent for art. Does not like being called a ‘goon’.

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Madge Owens (18)

A ravishing yet restrained eighteen year-old beauty. She has spent her entire life being constantly complimented on her looks and feels inhuman because of it. She longs to leave her hometown and go someplace new with someone special. Underneath her beauty and docility she is desperate to be more than just a pretty face. Falls for Hal partly because he treats her as a person and not an object, and she sees him as an escape from her current lot in life. She knows going off with him may be a bad idea, but it is an escape, and it is something. Although she often fights with Millie, she really does love her and is very proud of her accomplishments. Some dancing skills a plus.

Flo Owens (40-60)

A widow lady, Millie and Madge are her daughters. She rents out a room in her house to Rosemary Sydney. Hal reminds her of her deceased deadbeat husband incarnate and she desperately wants more for Madge. She has been down the road that Madge is going down, and she knows where it will lead, as she went down the same road years ago and as a result was left to raise her two children by herself. Above all things she is a survivor who loves her daughters more than life itself, and she is desperate for her children to have a better life than her own.

Rosemary Sydney (~30-45)

A schoolteacher. She puts up a façade as an independent woman who neither needs nor wants a man in her life, but underneath that harsh and bawdy exterior she needs love as much or more than most. She at first sees Hal as vulgar and distasteful, but soon realizes that he represents the life that is passing her by, which spurs her breakdown in Act III. May suffer from depression, and she knows it. Some dancing skills a plus.

Irma Kronkite (~35-50)

A schoolteacher. She and Rosemary are old friends. Takes Christine under her wing and takes on the role of mentor. A very smart woman, Christine is pursuing her master’s degree in teaching in addition to her job at the school.

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Although she takes her responsibilities seriously, she also has a wild side that she makes no apologies for.

Christine Schoenwalder (~25-40)

A new schoolteacher, she is taking Mabel Freemount’s place as the teacher of Feminine Hygiene. She is new to town and hasn’t settled in yet, and her natural eagerness clashes with her need to please others and fit in.

MALE

Hal Carter (~25)

A former football star and now something of a drifter, Hal is described as ‘an exceedingly handsome youth’. In spite of this, looks are nowhere near as important as personality. Hal must be raw and charismatic, he is the catalyst for the events of the play, so there should be something different about him, in other words, he has ‘IT’. He is a braggart, but has done almost everything he boasts about. While on the surface he is cocky and worldly, underneath that he is a troubled young man with a difficult past who envies the stability he sees in others, specifically Alan’s family and professional life. Hal sees something in Madge that others do not, and he treats her as an equal, not an object. Must be comfortable shirtless, and some dancing skills are a plus.

Bomber Gutzel (14-18)

A paperboy. Bomber is a young highschool boy who does his best to appear older and wiser than his years. He is infatuated with Madge, and constantly attempts to get her to go on a date with him. He hopes that chipping in for a hot-rod (which he gets every Friday night) will be the key to Madge’s desire. Possibly annoying, but definitely harmless and likable.

Alan Seymour (~25)

Madge’s boyfriend, an old college roommate and fraternity brother of Hal’s. Alan comes from a successful family and is well on his way to a career in the

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family business. He is deeply in love with Madge, but feels unworthy of her beauty and as a result he often treats her as a fragile object of affection instead of a human being. The two of them have been going steady all summer, and the consensus assumption is that marriage is in the near future. Alan is leaving to go back to college not for himself, but because his father insists. Although they have not seen each other in over a year, he and Hal pick up right where they left off. In spite of the comfort and stability in his life, Alan is jealous of Hal’s freedom and inhibitions, and he likes to live vicariously through Hal’s exploits.

Howard Bevans (40-60)

Rosemary’s longtime beau, a forty-two year old salesman who runs a store full of ‘notions, novelties, and school supplies’. Ever so slightly flamboyant, Howard is man who wears shirtsleeves and a panama hat, smokes cigars, and is not above sneaking a full bottle of whiskey to a family picnic, in short, he loves a good time. Whereas Rosemary is desperate for security, Howard is perfectly content with the status quo. He loves Rosemary, but sees no reason to change a good thing. Takes an instant liking to Hal. While he worries about his reputation, he still believes in living life to the fullest and helping others to do the same, as long as there is no dancing involved.

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V. SIDES

For this audition we will be reading the following sides (excerpts) from the script. Please do everyone a favor and be familiar with them. You do not need to be memorized, but you should be prepared, as it will allow me to see what you bring to the part.

Here is a comprehensive list of all the sides we may use (page numbers are from the Dramatists Play Service Inc. publication of the script):

PAGE NUMBER(S) CHARACTERS 7 Mrs. Potts/Hal 8-9 Millie/Bomber/Madge/Hal 11-12 Flo/Madge 20-26 Alan/Hal 30-31 Flo/Alan/Mrs. Potts 31-32 Alan/Madge/Hal 33-36 Madge/Millie/Flo 36-37 Irma/Flo/Christine/Rosemary 46-47 Howard/Hal 54-56 Madge/Hal 57-60 Howard/Rosemary 64-65 Bomber/Millie/Alan 67-68 Rosemary/Flo/Irma/Christine/Howard 69-72 Madge/Hal/Flo/Alan/Millie/Mrs. Potts 73-74 Flo/Mrs. Potts/Madge

Goodman, Caleb

Alan/Hal 2

Goodman, Caleb

Alan/Hal 3

Goodman, Caleb

Madge/Millie/Flo 2

Goodman, Caleb

Howard/Rosemary 2

Goodman, Caleb

Madge/Hal/Flo/Alan/Millie/Mrs. Potts 2

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VI. AUDITION FORM

Please fill out this form and turn it in to the proctor.

Name: _________________________________________

Email: _____________________________ Age: _______

Phone: _____________________________ Height: _______

How would you prefer to be contacted? (Please circle all that apply) Call Text Email

Previous Experience (feel free to supply a resume and/or headshot if you wish):

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

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Special Skills:

__________________________________________________________________

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If cast, would you be willing to alter your appearance (Dye your hair, shave or grow a beard, etc.)? (Please circle one)

Yes No Maybe (Please explain)

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

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What role(s) are you auditioning for?

_________________________________________________________________

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Would you accept a different part? (Please circle one)

Yes No Maybe (Please explain)

_________________________________________________________________

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If you are not cast, would you be interested in helping out in another capacity (Working backstage, helping to build sets, sew costumes, etc.)? (Please circle one)

Yes No Maybe (Please explain)

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

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CONFLICTS

Please list ALL of your potential conflicts from now-September 28.

◄ Jul 2014 ~ August 2014 ~ Sep 2014 ►

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◄ Aug 2014 ~ September 2014 ~ Oct 2014 ►

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