Photo by Carmelina Rattrovo

The Playwrights Theatre production of Radium Girls

 directed by Joseph Megel

1926. Radium is a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest rage. Until the girls who paint them begin to die.  Based on the true story of the women who worked for the U.S. Radium Corporation in Orange, N.J.

• "an engrossing new play" -- The Newark Star-Ledger

• "a compelling new drama  reveals a tragic chapter in New Jersey history" -- Daily Variety

• "a playwright with a talent to enlighten and provoke"  -- The New York Times

The PTNJ production of RADIUM GIRLS was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Honors

• Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science and Technology Project grant winner 2001

• Named "Best Play of the 1999-2000 Season" by the Newark Star-Ledger

• Included among "top ten productions of 2000" by Newark Star-Ledger

• Finalist, Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, 1999

• Finalist, New Harmony Project, 1999

Production History:

Radium Girls has received nearly 100 productions worldwide since it was published by Dramatic. The play is a popular choice among high schools and colleges, but it is also getting some small theatre productions.

Coming up:

Chamberlyne Actors Theatre in Richmond

Productions at Boston University and the University of South Carolina.

Stage II Theatre in Casper, Wyo.

Previous productions include:

World Premiere at Playwrights Theatre

University of Washington, Seattle

Production Requirements

• Cast of five women, four men, but may be expanded significantly
• Simple set -- minimal props and furnishings
• Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes