The original cast featured Ralph Meeker, Eileen Heckart, Arthur O'Connell, Janice Rule, Reta Shaw, Kim Stanley and Paul Newman.

Hal Carter, a drifter, arrives in town looking for work and visits his college friend Alan, who is dating Madge Owens with the intent to marry her.

Rosemary, an "old maid schoolteacher" who boards at the Owens house, notices, disapproves, and is attracted to the shirtless Hal as she waits for her Labor Day date, local shop proprietor Howard Bevans.

He has spent the night in hiding after Alan falsely reported to the police that Hal stole his car, in order to drive him out of town for "stealing" Madge.

Characters The setting for Picnic was argued over by Inge and director Joshua Logan, so the play is typically presented with the original scenery of the two back porches.

The play's original cast included Ralph Meeker as Hal, Janice Rule as Madge, Kim Stanley as Millie, Peggy Concklin as Flo, and Paul Newman as Alan.

[6] The first Broadway revival was produced by Roundabout Theatre Company in 1994, starring Kyle Chandler, Tate Donovan, and Ashley Judd.

[7] The play was revived on Broadway in 2013 at the American Airlines Theatre, with Ellen Burstyn, Mare Winningham, Maggie Grace, Sebastian Stan, Reed Birney, and Elizabeth Marvel.

[8] A 2017 off-Broadway revival was presented by Transport Group Thtr Co, featuring David T. Patterson as Hal, Emily Skinner as Rosemary, Michele Pawk as Flo and Heather MacRae as Mrs. Potts.

[9] According to Jicha, this meant that the TV movie produced by CBS airing that year, while not being "a washout" and "moderately entertaining couple of hours", had "a second-tier cast glad to take the work".

It was called Hot September, and instead of going to the Alvin Theatre on Broadway in October 1965, the musical premiered in Boston and closed within a few weeks.

There was also a television special titled Picnic – Broadway on Showtime that aired on November 10, 1986, and it featured Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gregory Harrison, Rue McClanahan, Dick Van Patten, Conchata Ferrell, Dana Hill, and Michael Learned.

It was produced by Catalina Production Group, Ltd.[12] Another TV film was made in 2000, with Gretchen Mol, Josh Brolin, Chad Morgan, Bonnie Bedelia, Mary Steenburgen.

Librettist and stage director Tim Ocel recalled "When Forrest Pierce knocked on my door during the fall of 2006 and said he’d like to compose something for KU Opera, I jumped at the chance.

I thought maybe we should create something; William Inge is the playwright and dramatic storyteller of 1950s Kansas, so why not explore the possibility of turning one of his plays into an opera?

"[13] Inge's Picnic was used as the basis for an opera with the name, composed by Libby Larsen on a commission from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's School of Music, Theatre and Dance.