Julia Memmo ’22
“Radium Girls” was announced by the Domino Club to be the Fall Play for the 2021-2022 school year. Based on a true story, the play follows a group of female workers whose jobs are painting the dials of clocks in a factory. After unsanitary working conditions involving the consumption of radium, many of the lead characters become sick and file a lawsuit.
Due to remaining COVID protocols, the play will adapt to fit the restrictions and as a result, it will look different than a typical performance. Dan Clay, the Upper and Middle School Theatre and Dance Department Chair, explains, “We usually do the fall play in the Blackbox Theatre, however, the Blackbox is a little tight for the audience so we are moving the play to the Carrafiell Family Theatre.” Clay continues “the production will probably have some social distancing measures and the audience wearing masks.”
The relocation of the fall play to the Carrafiell Family Theatre has posed some obstacles for actors and technicians alike in terms of stage design. Caroline Madeira ‘22, Upper School Set and Lighting Designer, explains, “There is only one week in between the Middle School show, The Little Mermaid, and the Upper School show, Radium Girls.” In order to share the space, the sets of the two productions have to be pretty similar. “There are going to be a lot more projections than actual physical set pieces in Radium Girls to compensate for the fewer stage pieces,” Madeira explains.
The relocation of the production has also created challenges for the actors since they must now modify the way they perform their scenes. Katie Locke ‘22, playing Grace Fryer, the main protagonist, explains, “When you perform in the Blackbox for the plays you can act more natural since you are closer to the audience, whereas when you perform in the Carrafiell Family Theatre for the musicals, you have to over-exaggerate since you are farther away from the audience. We will have to find a good medium in between the two.”
While the adjustment of the play has created difficulties and the need to adjust to a new setting, the performers and technicians have the opportunity to experiment. For example, the play staff were unable to use projections in the Blackbox, but now have the ability to use them on the mainstage. Madeira is excited to see how they will contribute to the performance by noting “this production is so different from previous years and I think the projections add to the quality of the show.” In particular, Madeira explains that she is excited by the projections of the “news clippings that provide historical context.” Since the storyline is based on true events, Clay explains “Students are doing a lot of their own research around the event and we hope to see how we can collaborate with the Science Department on this one because there is a lot of science in this play.”
Radium Girls will be performed on November 3rd for the faculty and November 4th, 5th, and 6th for students and family members in the Carrafiell Family Theatre. Tickets will be available during lunch and online for anyone interested in seeing the show.
