CSW Theatre Presents: Radium Girls
For their fall production, the CSW Theatre Department presented D.W. Gregory’s Radium Girls. Inspired by real events, Radium Girls traces the plight of a group of watch dial painters in 1920s New Jersey, whose repeated exposure to radium begins to take a serious toll on their health.
For their fall production, the CSW Theatre Department presented D.W. Gregory’s Radium Girls. Inspired by real events, Radium Girls traces the plight of a group of watch dial painters in 1920s New Jersey, whose repeated exposure to radium begins to take a serious toll on their health.
“Since I teach high school, I spend a lot of time being witness to, and reflecting on, the specific qualities of experience that make adolescence what it is,” says Director and Theatre Teacher Barbara Whitney. “The radium girls were young too, just discovering who they were and how they fit into the world. Our students know how to bridge the gap between ‘history’ and ‘now’ and they do it with remarkable empathy, clarity, and conviction.”
“Since I teach high school, I spend a lot of time being witness to, and reflecting on, the specific qualities of experience that make adolescence what it is,” says Director and Theatre Teacher Barbara Whitney. “The radium girls were young too, just discovering who they were and how they fit into the world. Our students know how to bridge the gap between ‘history’ and ‘now’ and they do it with remarkable empathy, clarity, and conviction.”
Grace Campbell ’19 gave a powerful performance as Grace Fryer, a young, acquiescent do-gooder, who works diligently in her job as a dial painter. But as the play progresses and Grace’s health continues to deteriorate, she slowly allows herself to question authority and to stand up for her rights in the courtroom. Her transformation is as powerful as it is disturbing.
Another standout performance came from Wesley Carter ’18, whose depiction of Arthur Roeder, the president of the U.S. Radium Corporation, left the audience conflicted with compassion and dismay, showing how easily one’s judgement can be blinded by greed and idealism.
“Seeing the story come to life through the subtle and compelling performances of the CSW thespians made the tragic narrative glow with energy,” says Dean of Faculty Tom Evans.
In lieu of providing a printed program, the Theatre Department utilized the Red Wall gallery to share cast and crew bios and historical context surrounding the usage of radium and the women’s movement, including profiles of many of the real people — like Kathryn Schaub (Emilia Ibarra Sánchez ’17) and Irene Rudolph (Alex Sinclair ’21) — who inspired the characters in the play.
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.