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The stage lights fade from a golden Kansas sunset to a cool blue. Two neighboring houses sit under a wide horizon line as actors move through a late-summer day filled with longing, tension and possibility. For the cast and crew of Syracuse University Department of Drama’s production of “Picnic,” that shifting light follows the characters as they move through moments of uncertainty and change.

“It’s a show that has everything,” Sidney Barbour, a sophomore acting major, said. “You’re going to go through those emotional moments, you might cry, you’re going to laugh, you’re going to wonder what happens next.”

On Sunday, SU Drama marked the last performance of “Picnic” by William Inge as a mainstage production at Syracuse Stage. The play, set in late 1950s Kansas, follows a group of neighbors over the course of a single day. Familiar routines are disrupted, relationships are tested and the expectations that have shaped their lives are questioned. The production is directed by Ralph Zito, former chair of the department, and features student actors, designers and crew.

Junior acting major Ethan Lang plays Bomber Gutzel, the newspaper boy, and understudies the role of Hal Carter, one of the play’s lead characters. Lang has been involved with SU Drama since his freshman year and said the play’s relevance and mainstage experience carry special weight for students.

“It carries a certain amount of credibility and pride for the people. For this particular show, our director, Ralph Zito, is phenomenal. He’s brilliant, attentive and wonderful to be around,” said Lang.

As Bomber, Lang appears at the beginning and end of the show. Bomber is very different from the character of Hal. As Hal’s understudy, Lang said his biggest challenge was balancing his own interpretation of the role of Hal with the direction given to the lead actor.

“It was such an exciting time. I was ecstatic, nervous and ready for the challenge,” Lang said.

Lighting also played a central role in shaping the story’s time and place, said Alex Jainchill, professor of practice in lighting design, who co-designed the production with senior Henry Killbourn. This is Jainchill’s first time co-lighting a department production after mentoring students on previous shows.

“Good lighting design is motivated and directional,” Jainchill said. “The primary source of light should tell us dramaturgical information about where and when we are.”

Because much of “Picnic” takes place outdoors, Jainchill said the design uses angle and color to indicate when sunrise, sunset and moonlight are. New LED strip lights, donated through a drama alumnus working at Production Resource Group, helped create the show’s horizon and sky effects.

Jainchill also mentors beyond the stage. Through a SOURCE grant, he worked with Killbourn and costume designer Reyna Sanchez to purchase photography equipment that was used to document different scenes in the play.

“Working together in the theater on a production, that experience exceeds what you can do in a classroom,” Jainchill said.

Barbour, who plays Millie Owens, said the production resonates with her personally and academically. Barbour first read the script for “Picnic” last spring and said she connected with Millie’s ambition. As an older sister herself, Barbour relates to the dynamics shown between sisters Madge and Millie. They fight and call each other names, but at the end of the day, they love each other.

Both Madge and Millie envy one another’s traits, with Madge being thought of as the beautiful one and Millie being the smart one.

“Your own insecurities could be something that someone thinks is the most beautiful part of you, inside or out,” Barbour said.

Millie, often compared to her sister Madge, dreams of becoming a writer and earning her independence. In Barbour’s performance, she wanted to show the audience that eager ambition.

The play’s themes of sisterhood, insecurity and societal expectation feel current despite the 1950s setting, Barbour said. In the early stages, Barbour had to find the balance between Millie’s maturity and child-like tendencies.

“These stereotypes that we put on women, you have to get married, you got to do this, you gotta do that. Those types of things are still very true today,” Barbour said.

Behind the scenes, sophomore musical theater major Peter Dessert served as the production’s dramaturg. Dessert, who is from rural Kansas, researched the historical and cultural context of the play.

The dramaturg’s role is to act as a historian, analyst and stand-in for the audience during the rehearsal process. The role begins well before the first rehearsal and includes exploring the play’s historical importance and societal norms.

Dessert conducted field research in locations referenced in the play and gathered primary and secondary sources through online databases and libraries. He also communicated regularly with the director to identify major themes that support the production’s overall vision.

“Getting to experience all those things really gave me an appreciation for how much it really takes a village to create a work in theater,” Dessert said.

Through his research and collaboration with the cast and director, Dessert gained an outside perspective on the character’s desires and struggles, he said. His work as the play’s dramaturg showed how the themes of longing, ambition and human connection still resonate with audiences today, making the performance both timeless and deeply personal, he said.

“Every character yearns for something they don’t quite have,” Dessert said. “Watching the play opening night, I was really resonating with a lot of these characters in ways that I did not expect.”

Published on March 2, 2026 at 1:13 am