SEMO theater goes on a '50s 'Picnic'

Olivia Wheeler, a senior at Southeast Missouri State University, will make her directorial debut with the play "Picnic" on Thursday, April 27, in Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus in Cape Girardeau.

The three-act play by William Inge, who also wrote "Bus Stop" and "Come Back, Little Sheba", is set in a small town in Kansas in the 1950s and details ordinary American lives, which are disrupted by the appearance of a drifter who challenges the frustrations and limitations of Midwestern life.

Wheeler, a student in SEMO's Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance, said when she first read "Picnic" she thought it was a beautiful play and immediately wanted to direct it.

"I just love the relationships," Wheeler said. "Everyone in it is so beautiful in their love for each other. It's a show of family and how we make our own families, our chosen families."

Roxanne Wellington, associate professor of theater at SEMO, acted as Wheeler's faculty mentor. She said Wheeler was someone the faculty had their eye on to handle the task of directing.

"She did an amazing job," Wellington said. "I can honestly say I'm blown away by her maturity and what she's been able to cultivate with the students and get performances out of them."

Wellington said she let Wheeler take the lead but was available to help with decisions such as casting and rehearsal schedules.

"I really wanted her to feel empowered, that it's her show," Wellington said. "I tried to only step in and give her guidance when she asked for it. I didn't want to hover."

Wheeler said she was nervous about directing her peers, but leaned on the example of the SEMO faculty who directed her as an actor. She said a big key was being honest with her actors by telling them this was a new experience for her and they would be "figuring it out together." Wheeler said she decided to move from actor to director to get out of her "comfort zone."

"I wanted to push myself to grow more," Wheeler said. "Especially since this is my last semester. I wanted to get a more well-rounded experience with theater."

"Picnic" will have three performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, through Saturday, April, 29.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call the River Campus box office at (573) 651-2265 or visit www.rivercampus.org.