Description

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.

Director's Note

I first heard about the Radium Girls five or six years ago in, of all places, a Buzzfeed article. Being a minuscule history nerd, I was surprised that I had not heard this story before. I love obscure information and stalk Wikipedia like I’m the main character of a Netflix show. Their story was fascinating. These women spent long hours applying radium-laced paint onto watch and clock dials. The paint illuminated the numbers, which was a lifesaver for the men in the trenches of World War I. Because the numbers were at times tiny, the women would point the brushes between their lips to get a fine point. After Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium in 1898, the interest in radium exploded. The element was seen as a cure all; advertised to bring you vitality and extend your life to 100. Companies sold radium-laced water, beauty products, even foods like butter. Three factories painted dials on watches in Illinois, Connecticut, and the U.S. Radium Corporation in New Jersey. The corporations knew there was risk using the radium as men in the labs were allotted lead screens to protect themselves, but the women in the factories were huddled together, about 100 in a converted high school, left to their own devices. When employees started having health issues, doctors dismissed it as poor hygiene, phossy jaw, or poor diet. Some of the girls claimed it was the radium and conditions of the factory, but after they died from their complications, U.S. Radium paid off doctors to say the girls died of syphilis and other non-existent conditions. Not until 1928 did the Radium Girls win their fight and the landmark case became one of the first in U.S. history where a corporation had to take liability for their unsafe conditions. The girl's plight eventually led to worker reform and the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
I’ve glossed over a lot of details, but this story is important, and my cast and crew were diligent in bringing it to life. In an unprecedented time for our country and world, we need to remember how vital it is to stand up for what is right regardless of the challenges. Whether they be personal, professional, or societal. Grace Fryer, Katherine Schaub, and Irene Rudolph were real women who went through unthinkable circumstances. Let us remember their story.

Credits

Director
Set Designer
Lighting Design
Makeup Design
Stage Manager
Producer
Technical Directoe
Light And Sound Board Operator
Stage Crew
Set Construction
Master Electrician
Shop Foreman
Poster & T-shirt Design
House Manager Coordinator
Grace Fryer
Arthur Roeder
Kathryn, Mrs. Middleton, Harriet, Shop Girl
Irene, Clerk, Mrs. Michaels, Miss Wiley, Photographer
Mrs. MacNeil, Madame Marie Curie, Mrs. Fryer, Customer, Elderly Widow
Dr. Von Sochocky, Markley, Dr. Martland, Shopkeeper, Love Struck Cowboy
Mrs. Roeder, SOB Sister
Reporter, Tom, Dr. Kneff, Berry
Lee, Bailey, Dr. Flinn, Venecine Salesman, Customer

Reviews

Black Box Theatre’s ‘The Radium Girls’ mixed history, art, science
- Mike Cook, Las Cruces Bulletin

Black Box Theatre’s (BBT) production of “The Radium Girls” deserves a glowing review – a bad pun for an interesting story and an ensemble production in which nine actors play more than 30 parts.

“The Radium Girls” is a true story of courage and heartbreak set at a factory in New Jersey in the late teens and 1920s where women working for U.S. Radium Corp., applied radium-laced paint to watch and clock dials and were exposed to and died horribly from radiation poisoning. Their fight against the men who ran the factory, and others in Connecticut and Illinois, and the doctors who lied about their conditions, led to major changes in health and safety conditions for industrial workers nationwide.

This is an important story that needs to be heard as reflected in a play that should be seen.

The veteran cast features some strong and moving performances, especially as the story develops.

It’s led by Debbie Jo Felix, who plays Grace Fryer (1899-1933), a “Radium Girl” who worked in the New Jersey factory and led the fight against U.S. Radium, and David Arias as company president Arthur Roeder (1896-1980).

The other seven actors – Joseluis Solorzano, Doug Abbot, Penny Bever, Autry Rebekah, Nancy Clein Tafoya, Genno Tafoya and Lisa Taylor– play other Radium Girls, family members, doctors, lawyers, newspaper reporters, Marie Curie and even a love-struck cowboy.

Kudos also to director Autumn Gieb for sharing this story and making it work, set designer Joshua Taulbee for the simple but evocative setting he creates and a fast-moving set crew.

BBT is located at 430 N. Main St. downtown.

Remaining performances are Fridays-Saturdays, Feb. 4-5 and 11-12; Sundays, Feb. 6 and 13 and Thursday, Feb. 10. Tickets are $10-$15.

Call 575-523-1223. Visit no-strings.org.

Seating

No seating plan has been posted.