Welcome to Little Theatre of Norfolk

Auditions

One Slight Hitch

RADIUM GIRLS

Synopsis:

This play unfolds a heartrending Historical fiction from the 1920s that marks a critical point in American labor history. It delves into the lives of the Radium Girls, factory workers employed to paint dials using radium-infused paint, who began to die under mysterious circumstances. Amid widespread ignorance about the lethal nature of radium, the world, guided by the esteemed physicist and chemist Madame Curie, believed in its restorative abilities. The factory workers were trained to shape their brushes with their lips for finer details, a practice which, unbeknownst to them, was slowly leading to their poisoning. As the catastrophic effects of radium slowly came to light, five brave women in New Jersey took legal action against their employers. However, they reached an out-of-court settlement in 1928. These women’s struggles and bravery form the basis of D.W. Gregory’s compelling work.

Audition Dates:
August 14, 2023, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm at LTN
August 15, 2023, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm at LTN
August 16, 2023, 7:00 pm – 9:00  pm at LTN

Callbacks Saturday August 19th, 2023 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Performances:

Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 20th- November 5th, 2023

Rehearsals:

Rehearsal times may differ based on scheduling and availability.

Audition Requirments:

Those auditioning will be given a short monologue from the show but may also perform monologues of their choosing that allows them to demonstrate their range. Monologues should be no longer than 1 minute.

Audition Questions:

Any questions can be sent to volunteer@ltnonline.org

Seeking performers!

RADIUM GIRLS is written to be performed by an ensemble of at least four men and five women, though a larger cast can perform it. The ensemble plays BOARD MEMBERS, members of the PUBLIC and various PRESS as the scenes require

  • The Women in The Factory:
  • Grace Fryer

    A top-notch dialpainter. She is 15 at the start of the play and 26 at its close.

  • Kathryn Schaub

    Grace's friend. She is another dialpainter. Also 15 at the start of the play.

  • Irene Rudolph

    Kathryn's cousin. She is 17 at the start of the play. Later, she is in her 20s.

  • Mrs. Alma MacNeil

    The women's supervisor at the factory.

  • The Company Men:
  • Arthur Roeder

    President of The U.S Radium Corp, 34 at the start of the play, 65 at its close

  • Edward Markley

    Counsel for the company

  • C.B. "Charlie" Lee

    Vice President, later President of the company

  • Dr. Von Sochocky

    Founder of U.S. Radium Corp., Inventor of luminous paint.

  • Their Family and Friends:
  • Tom Kreider

    Grace's Boyfriend, Several years older than she is.

  • Diane Roeder

    Married to Arthur Roeder

  • Harriet Roeder

    Their Daughter, Nine years old at first, later in her 30's

  • Anna Fryer

    Grace's Mother

  • The Advocates:
  • Katherine Wiley

    The executive Director, New Jersey Consumer's League

  • Raymond Berry

    An attorney for the dial painters.

  • The Scientists:
  • Dr. Cecil Drinker

    A Harvard industrial hygienist

  • Dr. Harrison Martland

    The county medical examiner

  • Dr. Joseph Knef

    A dentist

  • Dr. Marie Curie

    Discovered radium

  • Frederick Flinn, Ph.D.

    Columbia University industrial hygienist.

  • The Press:
  • Reporter (Jack Youngwood)

    A reporter, Newark Ledger

  • Sob Sister (Nancy Jane Harlan)

    A tabloid reporter, New York Graphic.

  • The Witnesses:
  • William J.A. Bailey

    An entrepreneur, manufacturer of Radithor

  • Mrs. Michaels

    A consumer of Radithor

  • Society Woman

    Mrs. James (Cora) Middleton

  • Clerk

    An over worked pub lie employee

Please email info@ltnonline.org if you are looking for any more information.