Casting Call: 'Picnic'

Villagers Theatre will hold auditions for "Picnic," by William Inge, January 26 and 27.

The play takes place on Labor Day weekend in 1953, in the joint backyards of two middle-aged widows who live on farms in Kansas. The one house belongs to Flo Owens, who lives there with her two maturing daughters, Madge and Millie, and a boarder who is a spinster school teacher. The other house belongs to Helen Potts, who lives with her elderly and invalid mother. Into this female atmosphere comes a young man named Hal Carter, whose animal vitality seriously upsets the entire group. Hal is a most interesting character, a child of parents who ignored him, self-conscious of his failings and his position behind the eight ball. Flo is sensitively wary of temptations for her daughters. Madge, bored with being only a beauty, sacrifices her chances for a wealthy marriage for the excitement Hal promises. Her sister, Millie, finds her balance for the first time through the stranger's brief attention. And the spinster is stirred to make an issue out of the dangling courtship that has brightened her life in a dreary, minor way.

Auditionees should fill out the Villagers Theatre Liability/Photo Release Form and be prepared to read from sides. Auditions will occur at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 and 27; callbacks, if needed, will be held Jan. 28.

Flo Owens (~40)	A woman who has worked hard to keep her family alive. Her husband is long gone, so she has had to be both mother and father to her two girls. She has raised them cautiously, almost overbearingly, as she tries to lead them on the right path and make sure they are more successful in life than she turned out to be. Flo has big dreams for her daughters, and seems to live vicariously through them. She is hesitant about accepting outsiders, because she is very comfortable with the way she leads her life.
Madge Owens (18)	A beautiful girl growing gracefully into adulthood. Spends quite a bit of time with makeup and beauty products. On the outside, she wants to be wealthy and gorgeous all her life. But on the inside, she is sick of always being the pretty one, and she just wants to find her place in the world. Madge desperately wants to be loved, and at first she thinks that Alan is enough for her. But getting to know Hal changes her completely.
Millie Owens (16)	Madge's younger sister. For most of the play, she is wild and tomboyish, but has a softer, more artsy side to her. Although she shows herself to the world as a tough kid, she is really nervous about what other people think of her. She wants to be noticed, but in the right way. Millie wants to be somebody. She wants to experience city life and make a difference in the world.
Helen Potts (50s-60s)	A bit past her prime, Helen longs for the days when she was a wild young girl. She used to love going against the conventions and challenging authority, which has given her much wisdom in her older years. She is easygoing, still loves fun and wants to share her knowledge with the young people around her.
Hal Carter (early 20s)	Hal is young, handsome, crazy, impulsive and has seen some harsh times. He has been to reform school, a few colleges, a part of a fraternity, been chased by the police and claims other things that may or may not be true. He is a confident fellow who loves attention, but is capable of crumbling. Hal has a soft inner side that really wants to be accepted and fit in somewhere.
Alan Seymour (early 20s)	A rich young man looking to settle down with a beautiful girl. He loves Madge, whether their relationship is superficial or not. He is usually level-headed and tends to criticize those who make decisions without thinking them through.
Bomber (mid-teens)	Tends to reinforce Madge’s beauty and criticize Millie for being the oddball. A small character.
Rosemary Sydney (40-60)	Rosemary is an aging schoolteacher who likes to call herself an independent. She brags about not having a man and doing whatever she wants. She tends to gossip with her friends and make eyes at Hal when he comes into the scene. She is rather unconventional for a schoolteacher, since she is not reserved and scholarly. She has a breakdown when she realizes that she is not as young as she’d like to be, and ends up begging Howard to marry her.
Howard Bevans (50-65)	A businessman rather set in his way of life. He has been seeing Rosemary, but is not sure what she wants from him or where their relationship is going. He is easy to get along with and not particularly assertive. When Rosemary begs him to marry her, he is unsure what to say at first. He tries to tell her she is just drunk, but Rosemary is very persistent. He finally agrees and does his best to be happy about it, even though he is unsure.
Irma Kronkite and Christine Schoenwalder (30+)	Two of Rosemary's fellow teachers. They are slightly younger than Rosemary and definitely like gossip. Irma has known Rosemary for a bit longer, since Christine just moved to the town and started teaching there.

Rehearsals will run through February and March, with tech rehearsals March 20 through 30. The show will open April 1 and run at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays through April 17. The show is directed by Eric Walby.

For more information, contact either Darren Nye or Paul Carver, the show's producers, at darren@villagerstheatre.com or paul@villagerstheatre.com. If you wish to view the audition sides in advance, they are available at the bottom of the page here. Villagers Theatre is located at 475 DeMott Lane, Somerset.