ISU's Intimate "Picnic" Unfolds in Centennial West

William Inge used the wide open spaces of Kansas to fuel a sort of claustrophobia in his "Picnic," the 1953 Pulitzer Prize winner about youth and passion, expectations and dreams, all stifled by life in a small town. In the Illinois State University production directed by Lori Adams for the tiny studio theater inside Centennial West 207, the wide open spaces (see poster above) and the claustrophobia (tiny studio theater inside CW 207) are both on display.

"Wide open" is represented by landscape paintings of wheat hung at the back of the stage and around the sides of the audience, while "closed in" is reflected both in the confined size of the playing space, with two back porches tucked inside it, and because scenic designer Eric J.J. Moslow has added a frame -- much like a large picture frame -- around what would be the proscenium if this were a full-size theater. The porches show how everybody is living in each other's pockets and getting into each other's business, while the frame hems everybody in, as well as offering a snapshot of Small Town America circa 1953, right out of a family album.

Thematically, the frame adds a nice touch. Practically, however, it blocks the view of the people sitting in line with it. I saw more than one craned neck as people tried to see who was doing what on the Owens family porch blocked by the frame.

The other limitation to the size of the Centennial West 207 space is that there is only room for one floor of the Owens home, even though the script refers to sister Madge, the pretty one, primping and getting ready in a window up on the second floor, where everybody can see her from down in the back yard. Instead of Madge up there in the window, you'll see the lights hung from the ceiling of CW 207.

Still, Inge's play's themes come across loud and clear in this production, as we see young people looking for passion or excitement or any kind of escape from the restrictions they face in this prairie town. Eliza Morris' Madge is every bit as pretty and restless as she needs to be, so that the entrance of bad boy Hal (Russell Krantz) turns her world upside-down. Morris gives Madge layers of vulnerability and self-awareness that make her a root-for character all the way through.

Krantz is boyish and brash as Hal, maybe a little too boyish to establish that Hal is a Man with a capital M. I'd also like to see a crack in Hal's bravado, showing he has been worn down by the mistakes he's made and the hard row he's been hoeing of late. Still, Krantz makes Hal energetic and athletic and fun to watch. He seems dangerous indeed, bouncing off the walls in this small space.

Betsy Diller is very good as Madge's little sis Millie, both a smarty pants and a tomboy in Diller's performance, and she creates good chemistry with Mitch Conti, striking the perfect note as Alan, Madge's country club boyfriend and Hal's old fraternity brother.

Devon Nimerfroh also stands out as Howard, a congenial salesman from a nearby town. Nimerfroh has the "Hail fellow well met" tone of that era and that kind of guy down just right.

"Picnic" has two more performances at CW 207tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 pm.

PICNIC
By William Inge

Centennial West 207
Illinois State University School of Theatre

Director: Lori Adams
Scenic Designer: Eric J.J. Moslow
Costume, Hair and Makeup Designer: Emily Nichelson
Lighting Designer: Grace Maberg
Sound Designer and Composer: James Wagoner
Fight Director: Tony Pellegrino
Dance Choreographer: Shelby Brand
Stage Manager: Danielle Wiseman

Cast: Lauren Sheffrey, Russell Krantz, Betsy Diller, Antonio Zhiurinskas, Eliza Morris, Melanie Camire, Elizabeth Keach, Mitch Conti, Tammy Wilson, Brittany Temper and Devon Nimerfroh, with offstage voices provided by Tammy Wilson, Antonio Zhiurinskas, Levi Ellis and Mitch Sachdev.

Running time: 2:20, including two 10-minute intermissions.

Oak Lawn Has a "Picnic" in State Drama Competition

It's no small feat to pack a whole set (including props and scenery) into a small truck and tote it down to Springfield, unload it, stack it, leave it, pull all your stuff out of the pile when summoned, put it together (carrying, building, latching, securing) in approximately ten minutes within the confines allowed to you, get your light cues and curtains set, put on your play, and then tear it all down and stick it on your truck, again within about ten minutes. Whew.

I was absolutely amazed, given those circumstances, at the wonderful sets I saw on display at the Illinois High School Association Drama competition at U of I Springfield this weekend. When the dust had cleared, the panel of five judges had picked their favorites (which, I have to admit, do not accord exactly with my own choices) and ranked them all and sent them all on their way. And I'm still sitting here thinking, wow, those sets...

The scenic designs are most probably the work of the teacher/coach/directors, not the students, but it's quite impressive that even one person, let alone twelve, can come up with a design that works to create the right atmosphere for a specific piece of theater, and one that can be taken apart and put back together and then taken apart again, in such a small amount of time. I was especially struck by the tiled, off-balance disc surrounded by light towers that director J.R. Rose chose as a platform for "The Dream of the Burning Boy" performed by Homewood-Flossmoor; the chilly and wide hospital set that director Sara Keith used for Lake Park's "Wit;" and the in-and-out Irish location directors Tom Witting and Erika Banick offered for "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" as performed by Reavis High School.

Based on overall dramatic presentation, my own choice for #1 would probably have been Homewood-Flossmoor's "Burning Boy." It felt the most real and like the most complete theatrical experience to me, with technical excellence as well as heartfelt, moving performances. "Burning Boy," by David West Read, is a new play, surfacing in New York in 2011, and it calls for several savvy high school students and a few teachers, as well. For me, Paul Spaniak stood out as pricky, complicated Larry, the teacher we see the most of, although Christopher Kelly's perky Steve, who thinks all you need after the death of a student is to put up cheery posters, was also right on the money. Asmera Smith was just difficult enough as Rachel, the sister of the boy who died, with Kirsten Hedrick providing tart energy as her mother, C.J. Butler sweet and affecting as the boy who's gone, and Charlie Bialobok and Jade Groble rounding out the tableau as other high schoolers.

Among the actors in other shows, Ryan Wagner and Michael Ernst stood out as George and Lennie in Glenbrook North's "Of Mice and Men," while Samantha Kittleson carried almost all of Lake Park's "Wit" on her slender shoulders, and Valerie Pizzato and Daniel Leahy provided welcome comic relief in Fremd's "Hail Mary!"

Oak Lawn's "Picnic," the one that took the top prize from the judges' panel, was certainly pretty to look at. Its lighting design, suffusing the stage with sunset hues, was striking and lovely. I don't know which of its three directors was in charge of the staging (or maybe it was a collaboration) but whichever it was did a very nice job, creating excellent stage pictures, especially at the very beginning, when Madge and Hal first catch sight of each other and sort of bend each other's way. That one move established the theme for this "Picnic," not so much about a girl suffocating in a small town, but more about summer heat and a passion that cannot be denied. For me, the cutting of the play didn't really work all that well, overemphasizing the second couple (desperate Rosemary and her beau, Howard) and leaving Madge and Hal too little room to build. It certainly was pretty, though. As a side note, I will be seeing ISU's college version of "Picnic" soon, and I'm betting it will be instructive to compare the two in terms of where the focus of the play lands.


This is the official finish:

First place: Oak Lawn Community's "Picnic," by William Inge, directed by Billy Denton, Theresa Wantiez and Marcus Wargin.
Second place: Homewood-Flossmoor's "The Dream of the Burning Boy," by David West Reid, directed by J.R. Rose.
Third Place: Glenbrook North's "Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck, directed by Julie Ann Robinson and Joel Monaghan.
Fourth Place: Reavis's "The Beauty Queen of Leenane," by Martin McDonagh, directed by Tom Witting and Erika Bannick.
Fifth Place: Benton's "Feeding the Moonfish," by Barbara Wiechmann, directed by Alan Kimball.

For the complete list of finalists and how the judges ranked them, click here. If you scroll down, you can also see the actors chosen for All-State honors.

If you're interested in purchasing pictures of any of these shows, you should definitely visit the VIP Photography site.