Powerful drama is based on the true story of female laborers who were poisoned and killed by their factory’s radium-based paint.
The Roaring Twenties brought economic growth and new discoveries including radium, an element discovered by Madame Curie that was heralded as a cure for cancer. Luminous watches were the latest rage—until the girls who painted them with the factory’s radium-based paint began to fall ill with a mysterious disease.
Based on real events, Radium Girls focuses on the young 14- to 15-year-olds who were working in these U.S. factories using paintbrushes. In their exacting work, the girls went from paint to lips to watch-face to keep their brushes tight and pointed. What wasn’t known? The radium poisoning was killing these young workers in an excruciating manner.
According to OCC Theatre director Jennifer Little, Oakland Community College’s Spring performance was selected “because it is a brilliantly written show that explores human's fascination with new discoveries.”
“The competing contrast in this fascination is the inability to restrain from quickly capitalizing off these discoveries before thoroughly researching any hazards.” explains the former Broadway actor who joined OCC’s Theatre faculty in 2021.
Show details
Radium Girls plays March 14, 15, 21 and 22 from 7:30—10 p.m. at OCC's Orchard Ridge Campus in Farmington Hills. Performance will be shadow interpreted by StageHands Performance Arts. The Southeast Michigan company provides certified and licensed American Sign Language interpreters with specialization in theatrical and performance interpreting. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for seniors and students, and free for OCC students and employees.
About the cast
Little notes the performances are growing with more students auditioning and volunteering to work backstage each semester.
“We had 36 students audition for this show with 14 cast members and five full-time crew members. We are excited to share this performance with our community. This dedicated and hardworking group are a mixture of veterans and newcomers to the OCC stage. It promises to be a riveting performance.”
The cast includes:
Tessa Gibson of Waterford, a theatre student who plays Grace, the lead Radium Girl. She said after doing back-to-back comedy shows she was very excited to be part of this serious performance. “This show is heavy and taking that on is not an easy task. However, I’m grateful to have this opportunity and feel I’m getting stronger as an actor with each rehearsal.” Gibson plans to continue as a theatre major at Wayne State University. “What I like about my character is how confident and passionate she is. She’s not backing down from fights and just cares a lot about the people around her. She’s fighting for the big picture, even though she is stubborn in the process.”
Cooper Miller, of White Lake, plays Tommy, Grace's boyfriend. What drew him to Radium Girls was that it is a show about real people, not fictional characters. “I have never been in a production like this. Portraying a real person has been an exciting challenge for me,” he said. Miller hopes to become a choir or theatre high school teacher. He believes the small cast and serious tone of the show has allowed cast members to be close with each other. “The work we do in and out of rehearsals, allows us to constantly grow our relationships together. I believe one of the biggest takeaways an audience member will have from watching is how intimate and real the relationships look with every character, because they are real.”
Visit oakland.edu/theatre for more information.
About OCC
Offering nearly 100 degrees and certificates, OCC is Michigan’s largest multi-campus community college and No. 1 transfer institution in the state. The College provides academic, career training and enriching experiences, designed to empower students to reach their potential and enhance our community. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. A seven-person Board of Trustees governs OCC. Board members are elected on a non-partisan, at-large basis, serve as volunteers and are not paid. Mission statement: OCC is committed to empowering our students to succeed and advancing our community. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
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