Radium Girls

I recently saw a play put on by my school called Radium Girls. The play was about girls during 20th century who worked in factories where they had to paint radium on watches to make them glow in the dark for soldiers in the war to use. Many of the girls then fall extremely ill and believe that they got radium poisoning a result of the company making them lick the brushes that had radium on them before painting the watches. The company originally made the workers do this and did not think it was harmful, as at the time Marie Curie discovered radium and started using it to treat cancer patients. When this treatment, called radiation, proved to be successful, everyone thought radium was healthy at all times. This play displays a court case similar to the ones of that time where the sick workers sued the companies for making them sick.

I enjoyed watching the play because I got to see what these girls went through and what they were feeling at that time. It was also interesting to see some of the scandal of these big companies trying to postpone the cases or trying to hide evidence during these court cases, as I as well as other people I talked to did not really know about this important time in history. I thought that the play was directed extremely well and in ways where some of the scenes were cool to watch and had a huge emotional impact on the audience. There were also quite a few upbeat moments among the main solemn theme of the play, which the audience greatly appreciated. I also thought the actors in the play performed very well and effectively communicated the thoughts and emotions of their characters, as some of them were very deep and complex. It was also fun for me to see some of my friends in their element, as I knew a few people in the play but had never seen them act before. I loved getting to see them actively doing what they love and living their passion right in front of my eyes. Overall, seeing Radium Girls was an extremely positive experience for me that was educational and fun at the same time.

 

Works Cited:

“Marie and Pierre Curie and the Discovery of Polonium and Radium”. Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 3 Nov 2017. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/themes/physics/curie/

“Radiation Therapy Basics.” American Cancer Society, American Cancer Society, Inc, www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/radiation/basics.html.

Pics:

“Radium Girls.” Twitter, Serra High School, 11 Oct. 2017, www.twitter.com/SerraSanMateo/status/918158336696008704.

O’Brien, Gwen. “‘Radium Girls,” Play about Factory Workers Exposed to Toxin.” Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame, IN, Saint Mary’s College, 18 Oct. 2013, www.saintmarys.edu/news-events/news-releases/radium-girls-theatre-production-fall-2013.