Pulitzer Prize Winner 'Picnic' Comes to OLRC's Stage

The 1953 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama, “Picnic,” takes the stage in the Old Lyric Repertory Company’s 41st season Thursday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Caine Lyric Theatre in Logan. Picnic, directed by Patrick Sims and written by William Inge, will be the second play presented this summer by the OLRC, a production program of the department of theatre at Utah State University.

Tickets for the production are available at the theatre’s box office, 28 W. Center Street, Logan. Single admission, reserved tickets are $18 for adults, $14 matinee; $15 for seniors, $11 matinee; and $12 for students, $8 matinee.

 

“It is no wonder Picnic won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama,” said Kris Bushman, the OLRC’s stage manager. “It is incredibly well written and has become an American classic on stage.”

 

Picnic is about “unfulfilled desires,” said Patrick Sims, director.

 

“It’s about why we do the things we do,” Sims said. “Picnic is about boy meets girl. It’s love at first sight. That’s a major part of it — but it’s also about pursuing dreams and the consequences of not following them.”

 

When Hal Carter comes to town on Labor Day weekend, sisters Madge and Millie learn the importance of following their dreams. Madge, while pretty, feels she doesn’t contribute anything important. Her sister, Millie, smart and talented, feels misunderstood and under appreciated.

 

Hal acts as a catalyst for both sisters as well as other characters to follow dreams.

 

“He is the thing that sets Madge in motion and puts in her the desire to move to the next level in her journey,” said Sims.

 

Picnic has become a classic for two reasons, said Sims. Good writing is one, and the other is that it is a universal story of the lessons we learn from not fulfilling dreams, said Sims.

 

“Don’t let anything go unfulfilled,” Sims said. “You always wonder ‘what if.’ If you want something, go for it. Madge is the embodiment of this.”

 

Performances for Picnic are June 21-23, July 12, 18, 21 and Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Matinee performances are set for June 23 and July 21 at 2 p.m. Performances are at the Caine Lyric Theatre, 28 W. Center St., Logan. Ticket prices range from $8-18.

 

Utah State University makes the Caine Lyric Theatre available for rental at reasonable cost to Cache Valley community organizations thanks, in part, to support from the City of Logan.

 

The OLRC is partner with Cache Valley businesses, including Caffé Ibis, Le Nonne Italian Restaurant, Aggie Ice Cream, Utah Public Radio, Cache Radio Group, Thinker Creative and Cache Valley Center of the Arts.

 

For OLRC ticket information, contact Amber LaBau at (435) 752-1500. For general inquiries, contact Jeremy Gordon at (435) 797-1500 or go to the OLRC Web site. The OLRC mailing address is 4035 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-4035, or call (435) 797-3046.

 

The OLRC is supported by grants from Marie Eccles Cain Foundation, George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Cache County Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, and Anne Kennedy Roskelley Memorial Endowment.

 

Writer: Jenifer Jones (435) 797-1500, Old Lyric Repertory Company