Radium Girls
By D.W. Gregory
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Department of Theatre acknowledges the land we are on in Tennessee is the original homeland of the Cherokee, Yuchi, Shawnee, and Chickasaw tribal nations. We honor these indigenous people, their heritage, culture, and legacy.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
In the 1920s, young women were hired to paint luminous numbers on watch dials, encouraged to “lip-dip-paint” their brushes with radium and assured that the substance was harmless. It made their work sparkle. It made their bodies glow. And it made a lie visible only after it was far too late.
What drew me to Radium Girls is not only its historical importance, but its insistence on listening—to female voices that were ignored, dismissed, or deliberately quieted. These women were factory workers, sisters, daughters, friends. They were ARTISTS. Often seen by others as ordinary people, they did an extraordinary thing simply by insisting on their own worth. The Radium Girls weren’t asking to be heroes. They were asking to be believed. Ultimately, their fight for justice reshaped labor laws, workplace safety standards, and corporate accountability, but the cost was devastatingly personal.
As a director, I am continually struck by how contemporary this story feels. We still live in a world where women are undervalued, where profit is often prioritized over people, where those in power control the narrative, and where speaking up can come with real risk. Radium Girls challenges us to consider whose voices we trust, whose suffering we minimize, and what responsibility we have when we know something is wrong.
The LU Theatre Department is home to me (2010-2014). I couldn’t have asked for a better show to come back to or better students to work with. It’s been wonderful! I am deeply grateful to my cast, crew, and creative team for their care and commitment to telling this story with honesty and respect. To Beki Baker for trusting me to take care of her students and encouraging me along the way. And a huge thank you to my partner, Delaney, who’s been taking care of our cat-babies while I’ve been gone.
May this production honor the women who refused to fade quietly, and may it encourage us to notice where light still flickers today—and what we choose to do when we see it.
Leslie Marberry (Director)
CAST
Grace Fryer: Anna Jones
Kathryn Schaub/Ensemble: Sophia Hassevoort
Irene Rudolph/Ensemble: Knoelle Antley
Mrs. MacNeil/Ensemble: Claire Pals
Mrs. Roeder/Ensemble: Maegan Kirkland
Lee/Ensemble: Tarek Zakhnini
Berry/Ensemble: Jonah Smith
Tom Kreider/Ensemble: Battle Loyd
Markley/Ensemble: Bowen Sellers
Arthur Roeder: Jude Williams
UNDERSTUDIES
Grace u/s: Berkley Landreth
Kathryn/Ensemble u/s: Jadyn Heinrichs
Irene/Ensemble u/s: Madison Hickey
Mrs. Macneil/Ensemble u/s: Nylah Watts
Mrs. Roeder/Ensemble u/s: Katarina Kell
Lee/Ensemble: Kenses Garabito
Arthur Roeder u/s: Ranger McElhattan
Tom/Ensemble u/s: Tarek Zakhnini
PRODUCTION TEAM
Producer: Beki Baker
Director: Leslie Marberry
Assistant Director: Erin Crandall
Production Manager/Scenic Designer: Andy Bleiler
Asst. Scenic Designer: Phoebe Countryman*
Costume Designer: June Kingsbury
Asst. Costume Designer: Ella Haganman*
Lighting Designer: Coleton Wood
Sound Designer: Justin Littrell*
Sound Engineer: Christopher Bailey
Technical Director: Hendrick Shelton
Stage Manager: Lin Lescalleet*
Assistant Stage Managers: Bryson Hewell*, Sara Kovich*
Props Assistants: Maegan Kirkland*, Megan Ammons*, Katarina Kell*, Heidi Thomas*
*denotes students
STUDENT RUN CREW
Stage Crew: Abby Hill, Riley Wing
Wardrobe: Ella Martinez, Reagan Smith
Light Board Operator: Grace Meehan
Sound Board Operator: Justin Littrell
STUDENT PRODUCTION CREW
Costumes: Lin Lescalleet, Allie Andres, Jaidyn Smart, Sophia Hassevoort
Scene Shop Foremen: Jackson Martin, Phoebe Countryman, Sophie Simmons, Sarah Blair, Maegan Kirkland, Katarina Kell
Sets: Kenny Garabito, Hayden Swaim, Abby Hill, Erin Eames, Kyra Crosby, Allie Andres, Lawson Karber, Ranger McElhattan, Heidi Thomas, Roma Veal, Mackenzie Gregory, Maya Mezgel, Callie Jean Tysdal, Emily Chamberlain, Gunnar Cowden, Erin Crandall, Berkley Landreth, Grace Meehan, Luna Range, Elly Kate Smith
Lighting Foremen: Justin Littrell, Nylah Watts
Lighting: Bryson Hewell, Knox Boyd, Sh’Ahr Blackburn, Madison Hickey, Anna Jones, Katarina Kell, Kaden Kinney, Battle Loyd, Kaelyn Rozgony, Elly Kate Smith, Jonah Smith, Emma Spillman, Dawson Wise
LICENSING RIGHTS
Radium Girls is produced with special license from Dramatic Publishing.
ANY VIDEO AND/OR AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PRODUCTION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
SPECIAL THANKS
Walker Lumber, Bradfield Stage Lighting, Nashville Children’s Theatre, Sherwin Williams, Nashville Repertory Theatre, Froggy’s Fog Inc., Lipscomb University Facilities, Events Management and Entertainment Technical Services
SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT
Lipscomb University Theatre Department is currently the only university theatre program in Tennessee that is recognized as an educational theatre member of the Broadway Green Alliance (BGA). We have both faculty and students who serve as “Green Captains”, who help our department stay aware of ways we can reduce our carbon footprint, our consumption of energy, and the amount of waste we produce.
This production of Radium Girls has been created with a mindfulness toward our environmental impacts and carbon footprint. Approximately 80% of the set you see on stage has been created from recycled or repurposed scenery pieces, which have been on stage in many other productions. All of the lumber and other building materials used for the set are sourced from certified sustainably harvested mills. The paints used are water-based, low or zero VOC, and almost all of the set will be recycled after the last performance to be used on future productions. The costumes as well, have been created from a mix of borrowed, reused and redesigned garments, and other pieces are made from fabrics that come from our stocks. All the costume pieces will be saved after the show for future use. The lighting we employ is over 90% LED or low wattage fixtures, greatly reducing the energy needed to light the show as compared to conventional lighting fixtures. In rehearsals, every effort is made to avoid single use plastics, plastic water bottles, and other waste generating items. To learn more about BGA please visit their website at: https://www.broadwaygreen.com