The William Inge play Picnic, which returned to Broadway in 2012, will be reimagined at Chicago’s American Theater Company.
“With Season 32, ATC is opening up a dialogue with theatricality and style. I want ATC to become a home for wild new plays and old plays done in new ways that experiment with form,” said artistic director Will Davis. “We're deepening our commitment to the mission question ‘What does it mean to be an American?’ by using it as a spring board to ask identity questions not just about the plays we curate and produce, but also how those works get made and who brings them to life. As one of the first trans identified artists to run a professional theater, I feel both responsible and honored to make ATC an organization dedicated to access and inclusion, and to move our company towards a place of openness and curiosity about how we champion and celebrate truly new work for the American theater.”
In the reimagining of Picnic, artistic director Davis will put Inge at the center of his play and animate “what is both sacred and profane about small town life against the backdrop of dust bowl hymns and love songs.”
Performances will run from March 17-April 23, 2017.
The season will also include Jaclyn Backhaus’ Men on Boats (January 6-February 12, 2017) and the world premiere of T., written by Dan Aibel (May 19-June 25, 2016). The world premiere of We’re Gonna Be Okay, written by Basil Kreimendahl, has been pushed back to the company’s 33rd season.
