"Picnic": An Exclusive Interview with Director Caleb Goodman

By Danielle Wirsansky on September 16, 2014

The play Picnic first premiered in 1953, and the original cast included the late Paul Newman. However, this was Newman’s first Broadway role.  William Inge’s play  won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and it went on to also win the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play of the Season. Now it’s here in 2014 and coming to a stage near you!  Read this exclusive interview with Director Caleb Goodman.

Q: What show are you directing?

CG: I’m directing William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize winning Picnic!

Q: Where will the performances take place and when?

CG: We run September 19-28, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 pm with matinees at 2 pm on Sundays. At the Storefront Theater at 117 South Broad Street in Thomasville Georgia.

Flo Owens (Tiffany Underwood) puts a stop to a fight between her daughters Millie (Emily Arwood) and Madge (Amanda Street).

Q: How much are tickets and how can they be reserved?

CG: Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and they can be reserved online at http://www.tosac.com/season/tickets/ or by calling the theatre at (229)-226-0863. The house is quite small so it’s a good idea to reserve them in advance!

Q: Why did you choose to direct Picnic?

CG: I was contacted by Marc Cramer who gave me the script to read and see what I thought, and it just clicked for me. With many scripts, even those that I love, I am left with a feeling of uncertainty in one or more major aspects of it. With Picnic this was not the case. I felt an instant connection to the material and the world and characters that William Inge provided us, and I knew inherently how I would go about bringing the play to life.

Hal Carter (Scott Mock) looks in on a tender moment between Madge Owens (Amanda Street) and Alan Seymour (Thomas Atnip).

Q: Is there something with which you personally connect to with the play?

CG: The two things that drew me to this play were the characters and the style. William Inge wrote these incredibly truthful characters, with such incredible depth to them. And he presents us with a world that lends itself perfectly to a very naturalistic style. This is not a play that revels in the obscure, or dwells the social quandaries of a time, it is a story about human beings and how they react to a change in the status quo.

Q: What about your production of Picnic is unique?

CG: It is my hope that we have upped the ante for truth. Sanford Meisner said “Acting is living truthfully under imagined circumstances” and our production has applied that to all aspects of the show. We have cut ties with many of the more theatrical elements of the theatre, and we are striving to create not a good show, not even a great show, but an exceptional one.

Madge Owens (Amanda Street) and Hal Carter (Scott Mock) contemplate their future the morning after.

Q: What has been the best part of directing this production so far?

CG: The outpouring of support from so many areas. Beginning with auditions, where we had I think 17 people audition from all over the area, not only Thomasville, but Tallahassee, Monticello, Havana, and Valdosta. That support has continued throughout, with people like Marc Cramer (who was instrumental in getting Picnic on the schedule originally, he is also in the show) lending his technical expertise, Dale Austin, who has donated his inventory of tools and several weeks worth of his time to help build the set, and Barbie Nettles (who gave me my start in directing) who has provided us with the majority of our props and is always ready to help or provide me with advise when I ask. I hope this outpouring of support continues through the run.

Q: What do you want audience members to take home with them after seeing the performance?

CG: This is a tough one, as there are many things I want an audience to go home with, and I think this play will connect with each member of the audience in a different way. I suppose if I have to choose I hope they leave with a real emotional connection with the people in Picnic, and a concrete example that theatre can thrive based on truth, without glamorous costumes, a giant stage, incredible changes of scenery, or fancy light and sound effects.

Q: Is there anything you want to add that I may not have thought to ask?

CG: Thank you very much for this interview and I would love to see you and your readers in the audience!


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