Life imitates art when Hollywood descends upon a small Kansas town in 1955 to shoot scenes for the classic film, Picnic. Bluestem Productions presents the World Premiere of Back Porch, written by Eric Anderson and directed by Kelie McIver. Performances take place June 2 through July 9 (Pride Month) at The Victory Theatre Center in Burbank.

Sparks fly in more ways than one in Anderson’s delightful homage to both movie making and the play that inspired the Columbia film. Barney Opat (Karl Maschek) is the widowed father of two boys: 18-year-old Gary (Isaac W. Jay), who yearns to escape small-town Kansas life for a more glamorous existence, and energetic 13-year-old Del Wayne (Cody Lemmon). The family’s life is upended when a handsome stranger working as William Holden’s stunt double (Jordan Morgan) blows into town alongside the all-star Picnic cast. Other characters include the Opats’ bachelor boarder, singing teacher Myron Uhrig (Eric Zak), and their neighbor, Millard Goff (Jonathan Fishman).