TLU Dramatic Media Presents: Radium Girls

In 1926, the whole world loved radium. For one thing, it would cure what ailed you. It could treat blindness, brighten the complexion, dispel rheumatism, and strengthen teeth. It was added to hair cream, drinking water, chocolate bars, cosmetics, and yes, even suppositories.

Also, it glowed. It was silvery white-a radioactive chemical element discovered by Marie Curie and her husband Pierre in 1898. Aside from its many purported health benefits, it could be mixed with zinc sulfide and linseed oil to create a luminous paint, and the paint could then be carefully applied to the tiny numbers on watches, clock faces, and instruments used by the military. It started out as an aid to soldiers, crawling through the trenches of World War I, unable to read their watches in the dark. But soon, anyone of fashion knew that one must have a radium watch. They were all the rage.

Women, with their smaller hands, were particularly suited to the fine work of painting on those tiny details. And it wasn't a bad gig. It paid pretty well, and after all, radium was supposed to have health benefits. As an added bonus, the girls would leave work glowing with the radium dust that had gotten on their skin, hair, and clothing-the perfect touch for going out dancing.

But then people started getting sick. Radium, after all, is highly radioactive. Marie Curie herself, in fact, was burned from handling radium, and eventually died from radiation exposure.

Radium Girls, a fast-paced play by D.W. Gregory, follows the story of one of the factory workers, Grace Fryer, as she fights for her day in court against the employer who abandoned her and so many others in 1926.

"Radium Girls is based on the true story of real Americans who succumbed to cancerous illnesses resulting from their work with radium, prior to learning of the health risks," says David Legore, Chair of TLU's Department of Dramatic Media. "The play highlights the humanity of several young women who work for the U.S. Radium Company, whose job is to paint watch and clock faces that glow in the dark."

Legore says the play also examines the leaders of U.S. Radium, who face a series of ethical and economic decisions as they learn of the unintended consequences of using radium in their products. Though set in the 1920s, the themes are still relevant today.

"Though Radium Girls is a period piece from a bygone era, the audience will be reminded of the plight of all working-class people when faced with a fight against daunting corporate forces," says Legore. "It's a story about justice and fairness for all, especially when workers risk their health while doing their job."

Written with warmth and humor, Radium Girls offers a wry, unflinching look at the American obsessions with wealth and the commercialization of science, even when human life is at risk. Performances will be held in TLU's Studio Theatre on October 25 and 26, and November 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m., and on October 27 and November 1 at 2:20 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online (TLU Dramatic Media - Texas Lutheran University event tickets from TicketSource.) or at the door.

Note: The attached graphic features artwork by TLU student Elise Davis, who plays the lead role of Grace Fryer in RADIUM GIRLS.