Racing the Clock
Students put on a play based on a true story
From left to right: Julia Deters, Michelle Yoder, and Emily Gann play women in the 1920’s who painted dials for a radium company.
March 11, 2019
Time running out was the main theme of the spring play “Radium Girls” that was performed March 7, 8 and 9 in the auditorium.
The play is based on a true story that followed some of the women working for U.S. Radium who were painting the dials for their watches. After leaving the company, they developed fatal medical conditions because of the radium they were exposed to while working for the company. The women then decide to sue the company to receive compensation for the debilitating conditions they received. While it did take a very long time and many more women dying, they did end up receiving some compensation.
The cast and crew has been working on the production for over a month, and they were so excited to finally be able to bring it to the stage for the audience to see.
“My favorite part was probably working with everybody and just having that sense of belonging and providing for something bigger than yourself,” junior Lilia Taylor, who worked on lights, said.
The leads acting in the play were: Kathryn (Julia Deters), Grace (Emily Gann), Katherine Wiley (Brooke Huffman), Arthur Roeder (Paxton Linnemeyer), Edward Markley (Cameron Jones) and Tom Kreider (Devin Eckardt).
But as time was running out for the “Radium Girls,” it was also running out for Liberty seniors since this was their last show. Even though this was their last time performing on the Liberty stage, all that they have learned through being in theatre will always be with them.
“[Being in theatre] has taught me definitely to be more open and to embrace not just my insecurities but my weaknesses, and it has taught me how to turn my weaknesses into strengths,” senior Marissa Pukala-Whitaker, who’s main role in the play was Diane Roeder, said.
Although it was the end for some students, it was also the beginning for other students.
“This is the first full length play I have ever done so there was a lot of deep diving into acting and I got to see everybody grow as actors and myself included,” sophomore Lizzie Kayser, who played the SOB Sister, said. “I also grew really close to a lot of people in the cast and that was really cool.”
Overall, “Radium Girls” was an amazing experience for both the cast, crew, and the audience. The play brought to life a real story that is a part of our history that changed work safety laws to be what they are today. These women’s bravery and persistence for change benefit us to this day.
