During performances of the fall play in November at the McAfee Center, audiences sat at the edges of their seats, watching as Grace Fryer, filled with spirit and youth just months before, limp on stage, demanding justice for the others who passed away dealing with the same radium she painted dials with. In the back, a clock ticks closer and closer to midnight with each passing scene, reminding viewers of the impermanence and illusion of time.
The drama department’s production of “Radium Girls,” directed by teacher Ben Brotzman, starred senior Kat Aldrete as dial painter Grace Fryer, senior Ryan Backhus as U.S. Radium Corp. president Mr. Arthur Roeder and junior Nila Venkataratnam as dial painter Kathryn Schaub. “Radium Girls” tells the story of an exploitative radium dial-producing company which uses young women’s labor without transparency about the health concerns — the play on actual events from the early 1900s. The show played five times on weekends, from Nov. 8-16.
Artistic choices set the stage for awe
The background set was designed with a massive clock as the centerpiece. As the play progressed, the audience began to realize that it represented more than merely watch dials. It comes to symbolize the race against time — a race that too many girls lose to radium poisoning. When the lights dimmed, the chilling effects creeped in through streaks of glowing ultraviolet paint, eerily illuminating the girls’ desks, faces and smocks.
Most of the transitions between scenes involved a fade out, where the silhouettes of actors were cast against a glowing background. It wasn’t difficult to realize the figures were frozen in time, their stories immortalized.
Throughout several transitions, the music that carried one scene to the next was composed by seniors Diya Kapoor and Michelle Ho. Whether highlighting the jazzy, exciting rhythm of the Roaring ‘20s or reflecting the characters’ mournful, futile circumstances, the pieces carefully set the tone for key scenes such as the following.
In the background, lighting choices further added to the scenes: an ominous turquoise when the businessmen of the U.S. Radium Corp converse, a hopeful yellow when Grace and her boyfriend Tommy (played by junior Larry O’Brien) dream of their future and a sickly lime green when the dentist breaks unfortunate news to Grace.
The crushing of Grace’s youthful spirit was also expressed through changes in her dress. She first appears wearing a flowy crimson dress with a black flower, a mysterious tragic symbol that foreshadows the brutal coming-of-age journey she undergoes. Once a girl who daydreamed of being an artist and painting acrylics, Grace appears almost older than her own mother when they argue over settling the lawsuit, wearing layers of heavy clothing upon her frail body. Darkening makeup around their eye sockets made the girls’ eyes appear sunken in and portrayed their rapidly declining health.
Intense acting highlights the girls’ tragic experiences
Interestingly, the cast was composed of many female students playing male characters, including Dr. Drinker (played by freshman Angela Sun), hygienist Dr. Flinn (played by freshman Dhriya Darji), attorney Mr. Berry (played by freshman Tessie Berger), dentist Dr. Knef (played by freshman Bhavya Lohani), Kathryn’s lovesick admirer (played by freshman Dhriya Darji) and nearly half of the company board. This was only mildly odd for some characters that likely spoke with a lower vocal register.
The blocking and movement staged private conversations — such as those between Grace and Tommy or Mr. and Mrs. Roeder — downstage and public hearings or press announcements staged in the center or on platforms upstage.
Exceptional performances put on by students acting as the businessmen craft a sense of false reassurance until it’s too late. Mr. Roeder assures the girls in the first scene, “If you do right by us, we’ll do right by you,” a sentiment that is contrasted later in the play as Grace remarks, “They say anything. They’ll do anything —” and Kathryn finishes her sentence: “ — except the right thing.”
Involving heightened emotion, the arguments between characters were essential to creating the increasingly intense atmosphere. Because of the plot’s skillful builds up of tension between characters, Mrs. Roeder’s actions seem more plausible — she was defiant enough to confront her husband in spite of all his threats, yet she ultimately conforms to her housewife role of comforting her husband.
The disastrous situations that ensue cause characters like Mr. Roeder to play the blame game, pointing fingers at Von Sochocky, the Socialists and even the women’s club. Ultimately, Roeder comes face-to-face with his guilt in complicity but refuses to publicly admit fault, saying: “A guilty man has a tremendous need to unburden himself. His guilt can eat him alive.” Despite finally expressing remorse, he’s urged by his assistant Charlie to refuse settlement with the girls, threatening him with the reminder that he’s backed by the executive board: “Think about that the next time your conscience starts to bother you.”
Social commentary on the pervasive influence of the press
Throughout the play, repeated scenes involving reporters highlight the power of the press. Expressed through elaborate language, the reporters convincingly feature the impression that radium is almost certainly a cure for cancer. Any expression of doubt toward inconclusive results, like when one writer expresses concern that “in this age of rapid advancement, the well-being of the average worker is often overlooked,” are often overpowered. Tabloid reporters glorify Radithor, a radium tonic marketed as a cure for arthritis, exclaiming, “Is there no end to what science can do?”
Dr. Flinn, on the other hand, is one character who appears suspicious of the newspapers. Dr. Flinn is played by freshman Dhriya Darji, and his role complicates this mistrust of the press with his own motives. While he dismisses the newspaper reports as “nonsense” and seems to offer his free services in the name of science, he quickly reveals his avaricious intent when demanding money from the radium corporation.
Even when Kathryn is sick, the press seeks to exploit her situation for profit. Eager to promote a certain brand of herbalist medicine, the tabloid reporter, played by freshman Anika Kalia, leaps at the chance to cash in. She beseeches Grace to think about her own interests and accept a deal of $5,000 to test the medicine.
The sob sister, portrayed by sophomore Ria Abraham, offers to portray Kathryn as a hopelessly poor, sick girl on the brink of death with little future. When Grace coldly declines her offer, the sob sister leaves with the parting words: “Everyone else is out to get what they can. For sure. Why should ya sit back and keep your nose clean when everyone else is up to their elbows in it?”
Portrayal of the gender divide in court
A common theme that was portrayed throughout the play was the blatant inequality between men and women. While, during the time period, women were first formally entering the workforce, a minority of them were actually able to secure jobs with high prestige.
During the court scene, the girls recognize the difference between their working conditions and safety precautions with the dials versus the precautions taken by the men working with Radium in the laboratory.
As Mrs. Wiley, executive director for the New Jersey Consumer’s League (played by senior Katie Berger), says, “The public doesn’t have much sympathy for an angry woman.”
Despite winning the fight in the court of public opinion, the institution was so deeply manipulated that Grace, dying from radium poisoning, still nearly lost the real fight for her own compensation.
Aldrete reflects on the production process for “Radium Girls”
Assistant director and lead actress Aldrete said she felt her character Grace reflected a lot of universal issues that are still prevalent today in similar forms.
“The problems Grace deals with throughout the play — not being taken seriously and trying to get someone to listen to her when it feels like no one really wants to — I feel like a lot of people can relate to that in a way,” Aldrete said. “It’s like trying to fight for someone to notice you and what you’re going through.”
Aldrete’s favorite moment occurs in Act II, Scene 2, where the stage lighting transforms into a feverish purple and Grace confronts her dead friends in a hallucination. The nightmarish scene is followed by the appearance of the radium company’s lawyer, who comes to try and settle with her for a “frankly ridiculously small” amount of money, as Aldrete put it.
“She finally decides to stand up for herself and basically tells him, ‘I’ve been put through so much suffering, and this is how they’re treating me, and frankly, I’m tired of it. I’ve already watched everything in my life go wrong. I just want to be able to finally get some sort of compensation for all of this after everything that I’ve gone through,’” Aldrete said.
Aldrete thoroughly enjoyed the process of putting together all the elements that made up “Radium Girls.”
“I think it was like one of the smoother productions that we had, and I had a lot of fun with it,” Aldrete said. “Being able to really dive into a character, analyze them, and really get deeper into what they want each scene is something I’m really gonna miss — I love that part of the acting process.”
