These Shining Lives
By Melanie Marnich

Program

Based on the true story of the spirited women who worked at the Radium Dial Company

In 1922 Catherine joins Charlotte, Frances, and Pearl to work at the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois. They are hired to paint glow-in-the-dark watch faces with the newly discovered element, radium. The company pays by the watch, encouraging them to be as efficient as possible while disregarding potential risks. Over the next decade, mysterious problems arise that threaten their health. Bonded by years of friendship, they decide to fight against the corporation that kept them in the dark about the true risks of working with a radioactive material. Based on the true story of the "Radium Girls", These Shining Lives shares their spirit, energy, and verve. Moving but never dreary, this lovely imaginative play tells their story of persistence, friendship, and justice that inspired lasting change.