Radium Girls
All Performance Dates:
May 16 & 17 – 8:00 pm
May 18 – 2:30 pm
May 23 & 24 – 8:00 pm
May 25 – 2:30 pm
May 30 & 31 – 8:00 pm
June 1 – 2:30 pm
BASED ON THE TRUE STORY OF THE DIAL PAINTERS WHO MADE LABOR HISTORY
In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest rage—until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease.
Inspired by a true story, Radium Girls traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a dial painter, as she fights for her day in court. Her chief adversary is her former employer, Arthur Roeder, an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumors could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees.
As the case goes on, however, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation, but with her own family and friends, who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire. Written with warmth and humor, Radium Girls is a fast-moving, highly theatrical ensemble piece for 9 to 10 actors, who play more than 30 parts—friends, co-workers, lovers, relatives, attorneys, scientists, consumer advocates, and myriad interested bystanders.
Called a “powerful” and “engrossing” drama by critics, Radium Girls offers a wry, unflinching look at the peculiarly American obsessions with health, wealth, and the commercialization of science.
Directed By: Joshua Figueroa
Auditions: April 6 & 7