Come see the Lakeland Regional High School Drama Club’s performance of Radium Girls, a play based on the true story of the fallout of the radium rage of the early 1900s.
Show times are Friday, November 22 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 23 at 1:00 p.m. in the LRHS Lecture Hall. Tickets are $5.00 each, and doors will open 30 minutes prior to the show.
The Drama Club, advised by English teacher, Ms. Melissa Gentile, has been working hard since September to put on an historical and meaningful show. The Ledger caught up with some cast members to find out more of what audiences can expect:
The story follows Grace Fryer (played by Kaylee Cimins, sophomore), a watch dial painter for the U.S. Radium Corporation, who helps lead a group of fellow women painters to fight for justice after many of the painters get sick after being exposed to high levels of radium. The issue? With radium being known as a miracle cure with no known side effects, the women must fight to be believed and heard.
Luke Cioffoletti, senior, who takes on two very different roles as Tom, the lighthearted, loving husband of the protagonist, Grace, and Dr. Knef, a con man who cares only about money, shares that although Radium Girls tackles series topics, audiences will also be find scenes that are both entertaining and funny. He also points out that although the story is historical, the themes it carries are universal and relatable to the audience.
Sophomore Vida Gamboa plays the role of Mrs. Roeder, the wife of the former owner of the radium factory, Arthur Roeder. She shares that her role brings helps bring humanity in the characters around her and shows the audience how the radium affected the cast more than just physically. Gamboa says the audience should be prepared for a great plot that can capture the interest of all.
Both actors enjoyed learning about the history behind Radium Girls. Although Cioffoletti did not know about the saga prior to reading the script, he says that it was interesting to dive into, especially as the setting is in New Jersey. Gamboa also found the topic of the play very interesting, and thinks it should be discussed more due to “how influential it was to the progression of factory careers and health policies and guidelines.”
Cioffoletti hopes that the Lakeland community comes out to see the show.
Break a leg to the cast and crew of Radium Girls!
