Setting the Stage More Than Words Can Say

Canby High Theatre returns this fall with another fascinating production! The CHS Theatre Design Team has been tapping into their creative genius and developing concepts to bring the production of “Radium Girls” to life. Over the summer and into the early days of the new school year, the student designers have been hard at work researching the play, writing design statements, and drafting their ideas to ensure a presentation that will captivate the audience.

Based on the true story of luminous dial painters of the 1920s, the play follows the courageous efforts of the young women, led by Grace Fryer, who sought justice for workers suffering from a “mysterious” disease, which in fact was radium poisoning. Through the vision and talent of Canby High Theatre’s creative team, “Radium Girls” will transport you back to a time when workers’ rights were all but nonexistent.

The team’s initial task was to “turn in a design statement which talks about their general visions or the concepts they’re working with and submit those to us, so we can look them over and give feedback as they begin their sketches or queue list,” says Sullivan Mackintosh, CHS Theatre Director. After that, the team really goes to work!

We tip our hats to these behind-the-scenes creatives who add an unquantifiable dimension to the play’s storytelling. Props and costumes capture the visual elements and time-period, while sound and lights build emotional content. Design students are listed as follows by department and class year. Scenic Design: India Stults ’25; Props Design: Rylee Lund ’25; Costume Design: Hayley Lillie ’25 and Selah Keen ’27; Lighting Design: Jay Totten ’25; Sound Design: Leo Newell ’26.

Casting is complete and the actors prepare for rehearsals by memorizing lines and identifying with their character. “Nineteen actors from ninth to 12th grades will be performing over 30 roles to tell the story of the Radium Girls,” Sullivan informs us. Featured are senior Laney Wakefield as the protagonist Grace Fryer, and junior Carson Varner as the antagonist Arthur Roeder.

“Radium Girls,” written by DW Gregory, will be performed November 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 information on the performance.