This winter, the Theater Arts Drama classes performed Radium Girls, the tragedy of the young dial painters working in a radium plant in Orange, NJ in the 1920s.
The students, directed by their teacher, Raluca Georgiana Shields, focused on developing characters, their interwoven relationships, as well as bringing to light this profound story, unleashed by corporate greed and the disregard for the human life, at the time of the discovery of a “magical element” by none other than Polish scientist Marie Curie. One can only wonder which young lives are disregarded today in the name of profit in our contemporary American society.
The cast was played by seniors Jillian Vega (Grace), Andrew Morgado (Roeder), Gabriela Diaz (Kathryn), Makayla Jones (Irene), Elanie Benitez (Ms. Wiley), Aidan Chapas (Dr. Von Sochocky), Roman Arizmendi (Lee), Mystique Auguste (Mrs. MacNeil), Nel Mickiewicz (Marie Curie), juniors Anthony Wenzel (Markley, Martland), Alexa Rabago (Dr. Knef), Stefany Gomez (Mrs. Fryer), Joon Duran (Tom), Yariliz Tapia (Mrs. Roeder), Jolie Shenouda (Ms, Berry) and sophomores Sariah Rodriguez (Sob Sister), Macaela Silva (Reporter), Ingrid Paucar (Ensemble), Rime Nachath (Society Woman), Naima Savre (Judge), Aisha Kublenu (Dr. Drinker), Anya Al Jabri (Harriet), freshmen Ezra Horn (Dr. Flynn, Ensemble), Bea Persson (Ensemble), Danielle Losonczy (Mrs. Michaels), Melanie Aparicio (Bailey) and Simone Kang (Clerk).
Our backstage crew consisted of seniors Isabella Conde and Aylah Dornbos, and sophomores Arianna Urgiles and Hager Hassan. Our lighting and sound technicians Natalie Ortiz and Genevieve Gonzalez, and our stage manager Kim Quirante worked under the direction of Lighting Designer Monique Wade and Technical Supervisor Gennaro Ilaria, under the guidance of our Technical Director Mr. Jeremy Falzone. Our Costume Designers senior Elanie Benitez worked tirelessly on the costumes, and our Makeup designer Simone Pittman, together with her team, among which sophomore Sofia Lennon. Special thanks go to Ludwig Pahl and Siegfried Jalink who helped with AV and other technical aspects of the show.
Overall, this production deeply moved the audience, as many cried, and all felt for the fate of the dial painters. The radium consumed by the dial painters, who were instructed to lick the brushes to be more productive and precise, was absorbed by their bodies like calcium, where it attacked their bones and infected them with an incurable radioactivity. Women continued to die of complications of jaw necrosis. Others suffered from cancerous tumors or disintegration of the bones in their limbs and spines. The very thing that had made them feel alive - their work - was in fact slowly killing them as they had been poisoned by the radium paint. Yet their employers denied all responsibility. These courageous women refused to accept their fate quietly, and instead became determined to fight for justice. They remained in history as the Radium Girls.
Ms. Shields would like to congratulate all the performers and crew for their outstanding work and would like to give a special shout out to Jillian and Joon who for their performance, both received $20,000 scholarships towards tuition fees at the NY Film Academy. Yariliz Tapia, received a $1000 scholarship towards their summer program. Congratulations to all!
The play was performed by special arrangement with the Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock Illinois.