Radium Girls Preview
By Finnegan Thompson, Staff Writer (2023)
Cue and Curtain recently took a sharp turn from comedies and announced Radium Girls as its fall drama. Come see a story of legal battles, feminists, shady characters, and big business secrets!
Image courtesy of Finnegan Thompson
Set in New Jersey in the late 1910’s through the 1920’s, Radium Girls explores the story of a group of female workers in a radium painting factory as they start to fall seriously ill with no explanation. The company for which they work knows little about radium’s properties, but comes to learn that their radium paint likely caused the women’s illnesses.
Once more information about radium’s negative properties is released to the public, Grace Fryer, one of the affected factory workers, attempts to bring her story to light and the company to court. Arthur Roeder, the company’s president, (along with a team of businessmen, shady extortionists, and lawyers) works to defend the company when they are accused of harming these workers. Although Roeder’s fight starts off innocently enough (due to his lack of knowledge concerning radium), he slowly digs himself into a hole as more and more secrets are uncovered.
Photo #1: Reference set from a different production of Radium Girls
Image courtesy #1 from Radium Girls – 2019 Teen Ensemble
Photo #2: Students rehearse as the set starts to be put together.
Image courtesy #2 of Finnegan Thompson
After auditions and callbacks September 19th-21st, Cue and Curtain started working on the production on September 26th with a read-through of the show. The cast list features a handful of new faces -- due to three talented freshmen making the cut this year -- along with some more seasoned Cue and Curtain members, some of whom you may recognize from past productions the club has done.
The director, Claudia Stefany, works hard with students during rehearsals after school. In rehearsals, Stefany tells the performers where to stand, when to move, and how to phrase certain lines. She also asks the performers how they think their character feels in the moment or how they might react to different situations that arise throughout the story. Because of Stefany’s methods, the actors can truly embody their characters and understand their roles in the overall story, despite the challenging nature of the show. As a result, “Radium Girls” is sure to be an entertaining and high-quality production.
Stefany plans on creating a minimalist set with some chairs, tables, a platform at the back of the stage, and a dial painted on the floor (similar to the reference set pictured above). The theater will be set up with audience seating on three sides of the stage to invite the audience into the story. With this staging, audience members are sure to feel immersed in the story and leave feeling a part of the production’s experience as a whole.
Claudia coaches the actors on where to stand, sit, and walk.
Image courtesy of Finn Thompson
Members of the cast -- Heidi (sophomore), Zoe (senior), and Aydin (freshman) -- backstage during rehearsal
Image courtesy of Finn Thompson
The performers are growing excited for everyone to see the show as they make progress in rehearsals. With Act One done, everyone involved in the show is confident that they will be proud of the finished product. Zach Degen, who plays Von Sochocky (the scientist behind the radium plant), says “the rehearsal process has been fun and Claudia has created such a positive atmosphere to work in.” Heidi Peterson, who plays Kathryn (a radium plant worker and one of Grace’s friends), told me that “Radium Girls is such a fun experience.”
For anyone interested in seeing what Cue and Curtain has to offer, coming to see this show is a great way to support our club, especially because it will be an enjoyable and immersive experience. As mentioned before, the audience seating around the stage will allow audience members to get up close and personal with the characters and their stories, so the audience will be more easily invested in and entertained by the show. Plus, you will get to see how students your age can transform into characters completely different from themselves, which is an amazing part of the process of putting a production together.
Undoubtedly, “Radium Girls” will be one of Cue and Curtain’s best productions to date due to the hard work put in and the interesting play selection. Come see “Radium Girls”: a realistic and entertaining portrayal of big business secrets, the importance of self-advocacy, and the ways in which what seem like small actions can have big consequences! It will entertain you, make you think, and maybe even convince you to join Cue and Curtain.
The show dates are November 16th, 17th, and 18th. Find ticket information at cueandcurtain.com.
Important links:
Script from Dramatic Publishing (used for the show)
(just for the reference photo)
(ticket and show information)