Canby High Honoring Women in History on Stage

Canby High Theatre opens the curtains this fall with a touching presentation of “Radium Girls,” based on the true story of 1920s female factory workers in New Jersey who were not informed by their employer of the dangers of their job. Amidst the seriousness of the dramatic events, Canby High performers promise to also deliver engaging humor and great entertainment. This play is a must see for every theatre-goer!

“Radium Girls was the far and away favorite for this fall,” states Sullivan Mackintosh, CHS Theatre Director, referring to the numerous plays considered as a good fit for this year’s troupe. “I was really excited. ‘Radium Girls’ was my top choice,” says senior Laney Wakefield, who plays the lead protagonist, radium girl Grace Fryer. “The characters drew me in — you can feel for them,” she says of the challenges the workers faced legally, medically and emotionally.

The overriding theme, both on and off stage, that surrounds this fall’s production is the fact that it’s a dramatization of a true story. The real-life radium girls were a group of courageous women who fought against the odds of the prevailing turn of the century factory culture. Led by Grace Fryer, these women were determined to give voice to the dial painters and hold the company accountable for the women’s deteriorated health.

Laney also shares that “because this is based on a true story, it’s a different style of acting that I haven’t done in any previous shows. I want to make sure that I’m staying true to the storyline and paying respect to Grace as a person.” Professionally, Laney is seeking to find a balance between how Grace feels — getting into the character and relating to her emotions — and heightening those emotions for the stage and conveying them to the audience.

“A lot of the actors are playing characters who were real people, so their character approach has been to try to honor these people from history,” Sullivan explains. In addition to Grace Fryer, two other real-life radium girls, Katherine Schaub and Irene Rudolph are played by Payton Rickard and Jasper Carpenter respectively. Carson Varner plays the lead antagonist, Arthur Roeder, president of U.S. Radium. Backstage, lights, sound, and set changes are managed by a team of students led by Stage Manager Emmy Sager, Assistant Stage Managers Justin Talbot and Jessie Hoffman, and Student Tech Director Bella House.

“It’s a very serious moment in history about how America was changing at the time, and how that affected people specifically, and I think we overlook the fact that it affected everyone in their individual lives,” reflects Laney. “I think it’s a great show. I have learned a lot from it. It’s educational. It’s interesting and it’s very entertaining too!”

“Radium Girls,” written by DW Gregory, will be performed Nov. 7, 8, 9 and 14, 15, 16 in Canby High School Richard R. Brown Fine Arts Center Auditorium. Visit CHS Thespians on Facebook for up-to-date performance times and ticket sales.