By Darshini Dayanidhi

This fall, WEHS Theatre brings Radium Girls to the stage, a story of courage, injustice, and resilience. Based on true events from the 1920s, the play follows Grace Fryer and her fellow factory workers who painted watch dials with glowing radium paint. When they begin to fall ill from radiation poisoning, their fight against the powerful U.S. Radium Corporation sparks one of the earliest workplace safety movements in American history.

Senior Sarah Patty, who plays Grace Fryer, described the role as both challenging and meaningful. “My favorite scene is act two, scene eleven, because it’s the scene where Grace really finds her strength and she finds the courage to stand up to the radium company,” Patty said. “Everyone’s telling her, just take the money and go, but she knows that it’s not right and she knows that she has to go to court for justice and to better lives for people who are coming ahead of her and to have justice for the people who have gone before her and died because of the actions of the U.S. Radium Corporation.”

Patty added that portraying Grace has been a learning experience. “Grace Fryer was a real person, and it’s important to me to get it right,” she said. “Acting with my friends is always so much fun. Interacting with them on stage, playing off of their acting choices, and using their energy makes the scene come alive.”

Another Senior,  Ella, who plays Catherine Wiley, said, “I help Grace Fryer fight against the radium corporation. I like the court scene. It’s very intense. It’s just a fun play overall. Everyone should come see the play. Because the play is great, it’s not just fun to watch. It’s a cultural experience because of the history of the show.”

Junior Nymel Lumpkin said, “This is my first play, and I think it’s going wonderfully. The Drama Club is very accepting and they are very helpful when it comes to learning how to memorize your lines, and it’s showing you it’s ok to mess up sometimes. And Mrs. LoVullo is the best teacher. Oh and the food’s pretty good!” 

Behind the scenes, stage manager Chand Kodiol shared what goes into making the show run smoothly. “I help out backstage and coordinate with my peers and I help train the freshmen,” Kodiol said. “We work together on stage to have the set go really quickly. It’s really fun to be able to work with my friends, and I really enjoy it. I’m excited to finish up with my last year. I think Radium Girls is such a great story. It’s a bit more serious this year, but I think it’s a message that should be heard.”

Senior Lily Scorsone, who plays Mrs. McNeil, said, “My favorite scene is probably the nightmare scene. You have to come find out what that’s all about. We had so much fun with this production. It’s one of my favorite productions we’ve ever done. We have a lot of cool effects. We have black lighting, all our stuff in the dark. I’m very excited for this production because it’s my final one at East, and I’m looking forward to seeing Sarah Grace Patty as Grace Fryer. Claire Woodman and Rus Panesar are great as co-student directors, and I love them very much.”

Maya Swallick, who plays Mrs. Michaels, said, “I think it’s going great. It’s really unique because we have a two-story set for the first time in a while this year and also all the glow-in-the-dark stuff and black lighting is really unique. Just like with any production, it’s the most wonderful experience because, especially with the play, it’s a really tight-knit cast and everybody’s really close.”

Ms. LoVullo, adviser to the Drama Club, summed up the sentiments of the cast and crew as well why the audience should be excited to see Radium Girls. She says, “This year, Drama Club bears the responsibility of bringing a very important, true story to life. The cast and I have worked so hard to represent Grace Fryer and the Radium Girls in a way that brings a sense of awareness and justice to their story. Besides fine tuning our acting skills and representing the time period accurately, we also worked on many technical effects in this production as well. From music transitions to glow in the dark makeup and our unique set, this show is guaranteed to make the audience feel transported into the world of ‘Radium Girls!’” 

With student directors Claire Woodman and Rus Panesar leading the cast and crew, Radium Girls promises to be one of WEHS Theatre’s most ambitious productions yet.

From its emotional performances to its striking visuals, Radium Girls offers more than a night of entertainment. It is a reminder of what it takes to stand up for what is right.

Radium Girls runs November 14th and 15th at 7:00 PM in the WEHS’s auditorium! Tickets will be sold at the door for $10. Come see the cast and show your support for the production!!