Radium Girls...

Past Production - March 2003
by D.W. Gregory

Produced by Venture Theatre and the Rankin File
Directed by Mace Archer

Radium Girls is about a group of female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with glow-in-the-dark paint at the United States Radium factory in Orange, New Jersey around 1917. The women, who had been told the paint was harmless, ingested deadly amounts of radium by licking their paintbrushes to sharpen them; some also painted their fingernails with the glowing substance.

Five of the women challenged their employer in a court case that established the right of individual workers who contract occupational diseases to sue their employers. 

The Rankin File:

In 1999, Venture Theatre solicited its patrons to find individuals who would be excited about seeing more work about and by women. Twenty women formed a producers' group called the Rankin File and donated $50 each to produce Parallel Lives in November of 1999. Parallel Lives became the hit of the season and continues to be talked about by the people who saw it.

The Rankin File was named after our historic Montana Senator Jeanette Rankin. She was the first woman elected to Congress, and she was a leader in the suffrage movement. She was always independent and opinionated. She represented strength and individuality of thought. In fact, she was the only member of Congress to vote against US involvement in World War I and World War II. Regardless of one's thoughts on those votes, they show her independence and commitment to her ideals, for in the face of overwhelming opposition, Jeanette Rankin always was true to her conscience. This Venture Theatre project shares a similar idealism.

Venture theatre has committed to producing one show per year written by a female playwright or dealing directly with women's issues. The project has produced Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles and Constance Congdon's Tales of the Lost Formicans. We are delighted this year to add D.W. Gregory's Radium Girls to our list of distinguished Rankin File productions. We'd like to thank the following members of the 2003 Rankin file for making this production possible.

For information on how you can become a Rankin File member in the future, contact Venture Theatre by calling 591-9535 or e-mailing venture@venturetheatre.org.

Press and Photos:

See photos and read the February 28 article in the Billings Gazette's Enjoy here.

Cast:

Arthur Roeder:  Dan Paul Schafer
Grace Fryer:  Tiffany Hoffman
Mrs. MacNeil, Katherine, Board Member:  Dina Atwood
Tom, Man in Shop:  Justin Deutscher
Reporter, Dr. Knef, Berry:  D.R. Edmonds
Irene, Mrs. Roeder, Harriet (adult), et. al:  Sommer Fain
Madame Curie, Clerk, Judge, et. al:  Teak Kalfell
Katherine Schaub, Society Woman:  Wendy Kessler
Markley, Martland, Drinker, et. al:  Zak Kreiter
Sob Sister, Mrs. Fryer, Board Member:  Mary Monaghan
Von Sochocky, Lee, Flinn, et. al:  Aric Weber
Young Harriet (week 1):  Lisa Atwood
Young Harriet (week 2):  Sarah Beth Gumm
Young Harriet (week 3):  Taylor Steubs
Young Harriet (week 4):  Markie Reichert

Production & Design: