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Overview
Synopsis
Radium Girls is D.W. Gregory’s gripping drama based on the true story of female laborers who were poisoned and killed by their factory’s radium-based paint. Though Radium Girls ranges from 1918 through the 1940’s, the bulk of the narrative is centered on events in New Jersey in the mid 1920’s.
The play highlights Grace, Irene, and Kathryn who paint dials in the U.S. Radium Plant and are instructed to finely point their brushes by molding the bristles with their mouths while painting. The factory’s new owner, Arthur Roeder, is excited by radium’s promising future and believes in the company’s potential for growth. Roder’s mindset is supported by Marie Curie, the internationally famous scientist, who believes radium provides many health benefits and could even cure cancer.
But soon many of the the girls begin to notice disturbing health issues, and one of their co-workers dies, but her death is brushed aside. The plant tries to keep the girls who are getting sicker from talking to the press, push back their court dates, and deflect any negativity toward the company. Some of the surviving girls finally get settlements and medical coverage for the rest of their shortened lives.
Radium Girls fiercely examines the commercialization of science, the pursuit of both health and wealth, the power of the underdog, and the fierce injustice laborers in America have faced, and may even continue to face in the present.
Show Information
- Book
- D.W. Gregory
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2000
- Genres
- Drama, Historical/Biographical, Tragedy
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- New Jersey, 1920s
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- None
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- Dramatic Publishing Co.
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, High School, Large Cast, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Child Characters
Context
D.W. Gregory’s Radium Girls is a play in two acts. It was first produced at Playwrights’ Theatre of New Jersey in 2000, and has since been consistently produced both in the United States and internationally. Gregory received numerous awards focused on new works upon Radium Girls’ release. She was most notably finalist at the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Production Grant for the work. Given the play’s flexible cast size,
to read the context for Radium Girls and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
Grace Fryer, a former factory girl, is in a room in the U.S. Radium plant recounting her experience working in the factory to her attorney, Raymond Berry. Grace explains that she dropped out of school and started working at the factory when she was 15 years old, and that she enjoyed painting dials because it made her and the other factory girls feel like artists. Simultaneously, Arthur Roeder, current president of the U.S. Radium Corporation, separately speaks to his attorney,
to read the plot for Radium Girls and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
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Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Either Gender |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Ensemble |
Either Gender |
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Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
The internal transformation of a character over the course of a play.
Events in a plot that introduce new conflict or obstacles for the protagonist, driving the narrative forward.
The central struggle between opposing forces in a play, driving tension and character development.
A sense of seriousness and importance in a character's presence, often demanded in tragic or leadership roles.
A struggle within a character’s mind or emotions that drives dramatic tension and character development.
A toxic substance historically used in match factories, referenced in realist plays about labor and injustice.
An original text or artifact from the period being studied, used in dramaturgy or research to build authenticity.
The main character of a play or story, typically the one whose journey or conflict drives the plot. The protagonist often experiences growth or change.
A radioactive element dramatized in plays like 'Radium Girls' to explore industrial exploitation and health issues.
The original work, event, or inspiration from which a script, adaptation, or production is derived.
A legal time limit to press charges, thematically used in drama to explore justice, memory, and accountability.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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