The chatter of friends excited for the night ahead. Proud parents, hands full of bouquets bragging about their talented children. Hamilton Hall in DU’s iconic Newman Center is filled with energy, but the stage is nearly bare. Free of colored lights and set pieces, all that stand before the audience are a few chairs and sheet music stands.
On the night of Friday, Sept. 23, the DU Department of Theater presented a staged reading of Melanie Marnich’s These Shining Lives, a story of hope, despair, solidarity and the inevitable march of time. Marked by the frequent ticking of clocks, the play deals with the true story of the “Radium Girls,” the young women of the early 20th century working for the Radium Dial Company, painting the faces of clocks and watches with toxic radium paint. Because of the abuses they suffered due to the company’s negligence, they have been celebrated as pioneers of the worker’s rights movement. Narrated by Nox Ervin, These Shining Lives follows the story of Catherine Donohue (Kate Herbert), as well as her coworkers Charlotte (Rhianna Lewis), Pearl (Aspen McCart) and Frances (Lucy Shattuck).
Catherine is a modern 1920s woman looking to have it all. She navigates being a working career woman, caring for her family with her husband, Tom (Will Soto), and rapidly developing fatal health problems stemming from years of radium poisoning. In 1928, she began working for the Radium Dial company. She quickly earns the respect and admiration of her superiors and coworkers, forging strong friendships with the other girls. However, upon discovering that the company as well as their boss, Mr. Reed (Jayce Rumsey), have been lying to them about the harmful effects of the radium paint used on the clock faces, they are pushed to legal action. Their fight and sacrifices would stand as vengeance for all the women who were deceived by the Radium Dial Company and lost to time.
With consistent themes of death, inevitability and – fittingly – time, These Shining Lives tackles a somber tale with a healthy dose of hope and humor. Those already familiar with the story of the Radium Girls will find a tragic sense of dramatic irony in the energetic, optimistic attitudes of the characters. For those unaware of the historical context, the moments of joy, love and hope that occur throughout the play are sweetly endearing, and yet they ultimately strengthen the audience’s feelings of anger and betrayal when the truth of the Radium Dial Company is revealed. These narrative gems are only made more brilliant by the energy and talent of our very own DU actors and actresses.
Aspen McCart, who portrays the endearing and comical Pearl, speaks on what it has taken to prepare for a production like this. “A staged reading tends to have significantly less time to prep than a traditional show…” she says, “…and the only focus we have is on the text, since we don’t have a set, lighting, or any of those other design elements. So we really just focus on the text, the character, and their relationships.” She mentions that the cast has only had a week to rehearse before the night of the show, showcasing their intense dedication and perseverance. You may wonder, how did they manage to stay sane through the whole process?
“The atmosphere at rehearsals has been fantastic, it feels like a bunch of friends coming together to play pretend and have fun and I love everyone involved,” reports McCart. The fond relationships she describes are evident in the production, with the actors moving, speaking and even singing with superb coordination and synchronization.
Finally, McCart gives her thoughts on staged readings as a form of performance. “Personally, I love staged readings as a form of storytelling. I think it isolates and focuses the story to make it impactful. It’s also a lot more accessible for non-theatre people, especially here, since you don’t have to pay any money to watch it and it takes less time than a traditional show.” The staged reading of These Shining Lives was certainly a show to remember, and one not to be missed. Fortunately for those who missed it, the DU Department of Theater is no stranger to staged readings. Each year, students have the opportunity to attend several (completely free) staged readings. To see a full list of upcoming performances, visit here. To buy tickets to DU Theater Department productions, visit here.
