Radium Guide

Context

D.W. Gregory’s Radium Girls is a play in two acts. It was first produced at Playwrights’ Theatre of New Jersey in 2000, and has since been consistently produced both in the United States and internationally. Gregory received numerous awards focused on new works upon Radium Girls’ release. She was most notably finalist at the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Production Grant for the work. Given the play’s flexible cast size, packed narrative, and incisive themes, Radium Girls has been widely produced by high school and college drama departments.   

Radium Girls is based on a true and tragic story that defined American labor history in the 1920’s. The Radium Girls were factory workers who painted dials with radium-based paint and mysteriously started dying. The public didn’t know of radium’s toxic nature. In fact, Madame Curie, the internationally adored physicist and chemist, convinced the world of radium’s healing powers. In the factories, laborers who painted were instructed to finely point their brushes by molding the bristles with their mouths, but this process ultimately poisoned the laborers themselves. As doctors slowly began to discover radium’s devastating harm, five women in New Jersey sued their employers but reached a settlement outside the court in 1928. Those women’s stories serve as source material in D.W. Gregory’s work.

Short Synopsis

Radium Girls is D.W. Gregory’s gripping drama based on the true story of female laborers who were poisoned and killed by their factory’s radium-based paint. Though Radium Girls ranges from 1918 through the 1940’s, the bulk of the narrative is centered on events in New Jersey in the mid 1920’s. 

The play highlights Grace, Irene, and Kathryn who paint dials in the U.S. Radium Plant and are instructed to finely point their brushes by molding the bristles with their mouths while painting. The factory’s new owner, Arthur Roeder, is excited by radium’s promising future and believes in the company’s potential for growth. Roder’s mindset is supported by Marie Curie, the internationally famous scientist, who believes radium provides many health benefits and could even cure cancer. 

But soon many of the the girls begin to notice disturbing health issues, and one of their co-workers dies, but her death is brushed aside. The plant tries to keep the girls who are getting sicker from talking to the press, push back their court dates, and deflect any negativity toward the company. Some of the surviving girls finally get settlements and medical coverage for the rest of their shortened lives. 

Radium Girls fiercely examines the commercialization of science, the pursuit of both health and wealth, the power of the underdog, and the fierce injustice laborers in America have faced, and may even continue to face in the present.

Long Synopsis

Act One

Grace Fryer, a former factory girl, is in a room in the U.S. Radium plant recounting her experience working in the factory to her attorney, Raymond Berry. Grace explains that she dropped out of school and started working at the factory when she was 15 years old, and that she enjoyed painting dials because it made her and the other factory girls feel like artists. Simultaneously, Arthur Roeder, current president of the U.S. Radium Corporation, separately speaks to his attorney, Edward Markley. Roeder argues that Dr, Von Sochocky, founder and former president of the Corporation, should be blamed for what they’re discussing instead of him. Roeder claims mixing powder into the paint and the overall processes in the factory were Von Sochocky’s original inventions, though neither knew of the harm it would do.

The narrative flashes back to 1918 New Jersey, when Grace and her friends Irene Rudolph and Kathryn Schaub are working in the factory. They jovially poke fun at each other while preparing for an inspection. They intend to scare their coworker Amelia Maggia and prepare by covering their faces with paint, but are surprised when Roeder, the new factory owner, Dr. Von Sochocky, the previous factory owner, and Mrs. Alma Macneil, their supervisor, enter instead. Roeder reminds the girls that the dials they’re painting save lives, since the boys in serving in WW1 depend on being able to clearly read the dials they use. He then tells the girls, “If you do right by us, we’ll do right by you.”

Dr. Marie Curie, the eminent French scientist, speaks at a press conference in New York to gain support for her Marie Curie Radium Club that is focused on humanitarian research. She tells the press she plans on continuing to experiment with radium to find better cancer treatments, and claims that radium has already cured many types of cancer, though doctors dispute her findings. Roeder views Curie’s recent positive publicity as a marketing opportunity for the United States Radium Corporation. He plans to bolster sales of his products by emphasizing their inclusion of radium. He also aims to compete with Standard Chemical, the industry’s current monopoly, by compiling every published article focused on radium and gaining respect from doctors and scholars alike. 

Back in the factory, Grace is told by Mrs. Macneil to continue wiping the brush in her mouth. Grace claims Von Sochocky told her not to because it was deemed unsanitary, but Macneil argues that the girls wasted too much paint by dabbing their brushes on cloths. Once Mrs. Macneil leaves, the girls discuss Amelia’s recent death, and Irene tells Grace Amelia’s death was due to syphilis. Mrs. Macneil returns with Roeder and Von Sochocky. Von Sochocky announces he is officially leaving his position. Roeder then informs the girls of his new directions for the company, and shares that some of them will be transferred to a Clock Company in Connecticut, since dials are no longer in high demand. After the bosses exit, and the three girls agree to transfer to the Clock Company together, Grace notices that Irene’s mouth is bleeding.

Grace quits her job at the Clock Company after working there for four years. Grace’s mother Anna Fryer, Grace’s fiancé Tom, and Grace share a meal together in Grace’s childhood home. Mrs. Fryer is mad at Grace for quitting because she is concerned for Grace’s financial stability, even though Grace recently got a new job at a bank. Mrs. Fryer also scolds Tom, Grace’s fiancé, for not being financially stable enough to get married. In a moment alone, Grace and Tom fantasize about having children. Tom kisses Grace, but her mouth hurts, and she tells him the dentist wants to pull another tooth. 

Roeder and Charlie Lee meet with Edward Markley. Lee serves as the Vice President of the U.S. Radium Corporation and Markley serves as the counsel for the U.S. Radium Corporation. An ex-factory worker, Hazel Kuser, is working with her own attorney to blame the factory for her deteriorating health. Roeder, Lee, and Markley make excuses for the four girls who have filed complaints, including the late Amelia. The men reason many girls were sick before they got to the factory, and worked in many other places that could have caused their symptoms. Markley mentions it’s too late for many of the girls to cause problems for the company, since they left more than two years prior and the statute of limitations is defined by a two-year grace period. The men decide to hire Dr. Cecil Drinker, a Harvard Professor, to check the working conditions. They also decide to try to pay off Hazel Kuser.

Another press conference is held in 1924. Reporters interview common citizens on the positive results of using radium for health treatments. William Bailey, an entrepreneur and a manufacturer of Radithor, claims he drinks a bottle a day to the press. Doctors express a need for further study. 

It is revealed that Irene has passed away. Grace, Tom, and Kathryn visit the health department to file a complaint on Irene’s behalf. Kathryn is the most determined of the three, and insists on filing another complaint. Irene was diagnosed with “phossy jaw,” yet the health department hadn’t followed up. Kathryn describes Irene’s intense deterioration to Grace and Tom. When the Clerk running the desk at the health department assures Kathryn that the factory where the three girls worked had been investigated and was deemed safe, since there was no trace of phosphorus, Kathryn catches the Clerk’s attention when she shares that Irene died.  

Roeder relaxes with his wife, Diane Roeder, and his young daughter, Harriet Roeder, in their home. He gives Mrs. Roeder a radium bottle and she drinks it. Upon Mrs. Roeder’s suggestion, Roeder agrees to contact Dan Lehman, a bricklayer, to give him work. 

Grace visits Dr. Joseph Knef’s dental office. Her jaw bone is decaying and he advises that she get surgery, since it could be fatal if left untreated. He also encourages her to discuss her situation with the radium company. Simultaneously, in a different location, Roeder receives a report from Drinker documenting the factory’s toxic conditions, and he recommends that immediate remedial action be taken. Alone, Roeder decides to only send the Department of Labor one page from Drinker’s report- the page that paints his organization in the most favorable light.  

Dr. Frederick Flinn, an industrial hygienist from Columbia University, visits Grace at her home. He reassures her that her health is perfectly fine, and that her mouth condition is a result of poor dental care and poor diet rather than the radium she was exposed to. Grace becomes suspicious of Flinn after learning he is credentialed with a Ph.D in Physiology. While Grace and Kathryn conclude that Flinn is fraudulent, Roeder pays Flinn for his work examining the factory girls. 

Grace and Tom approach the Women’s Club of Orange. Grace tells Katherine Wiley, a human rights advocate and the executive director of the New Jersey Consumer’s League, about her condition and her company’s lack of support. When Grace agrees that she won’t let the company buy her silence, and Wiley agrees to help Grace. Wiley intends to be a whistleblower, highly publicize Grace’s story, and get widespread public sympathy across America.

Act Two

Another press conference is held in 1927. They are now reporting on the “Radium Girls” who claim they were poisoned by their employer and are suing for $250,000 in court. Grace speaks publicly and is gracious yet forceful. 

The scene shifts, and Markley, Berry, and Wiley argue over a potential settlement. Markley reiterates the statute of limitations is on his clients side, and proposes that each girl receives $1,500. Berry believes the statute of limitations should be applied to when the cause of injury was discovered, and Wiley insists that the Consumer’s League campaign will motivate women across the country to boycott U.S. Radium Corp. products. 

Kathryn is in the hospital, and her condition has considerably worsened. Grace and Kathryn receive gifts and notes from random newspaper readers. They discuss their pending trial, but Kathryn expresses concern that they won’t win. Right after Tom enters to deliver gifts, a Sob Sister reporter arrives uninvited and offers Grace and Kathryn $5,000 to exclusively speak to her publication going forward. Grace and Kathryn consider the offer. They are behind on both house and medical payments and need the money, but Grace insists that they speak to Wiley before doing anything rash. 

Dr. Knef approaches Roeder with a business proposal. Knef proposes that he examine the girls and provide favorable diagnoses, thereby delaying their desire to go to court until their statute of limitations period has ended. Knef reasons that most of the girls in question are broke, and they would agree to his examinations because he wouldn’t charge- Knef would instead be paid by Roeder. Roeder is morally against Knef’s plan, and doesn’t agree to the proposal. However, Roeder is advised by his Board of Directors to use the x-rays Knef gave Roeder during their meeting to postpone the trial. 

The trial is postponed three months, but Wiley and Berry work to move it forward again. 

The girls go to court on January 12, 1928. Reporters reveal that the U.S. Radium Corporation lied to the Department of Labor, distorted the results of a Harvard Study, and demand postponement.

At home, Roeder and Mrs. Roeder debate the contents of the newspaper. Mrs. Roeder asks her husband if the accusations are true. He dismisses everything, calling the Consumer’s League a “bunch of radical women,” saying he didn’t lie to the Department of Labor but rather “didn’t agree with Drinker’s results, and claiming “people die every day.” Lee then visits the Roeder’s at their home to tell them that Dan Lehman died of severe anemia, and that Martland is blaming the radium. After Lee leaves, Mrs. Roeder throws away their case of radium bottles. 

Newspaper headlines on February 21, 1928, reveal that Amelia’s dead body is radioactive. They also highlight Radium Corp. founder Von Sochocky claiming that radium is “one of the most dangerous substances known to man” and “is responsible for the deaths of these poor girls.”

At Grace’s house, Tom tells Grace she should agree to a settlement, but Grace refuses to back down. He then proposes that they buy a house to plan for their future together. Grace gets mad and tells him to not believe in a future for them, and gives him back her engagement ring. He doesn’t accept it and says he’ll return to her the next day. 

Roeder tells Lee he wants to settle the case and provide the girls with a reasonable financial offer. Lee disagrees, and reminds Roeder that he is on the hook if the company goes under saying “think about the next time your conscious starts to bother you.”

On March 15, 1928, Markley states one of his witnesses has a scheduling conflict and requests an extension until June. 

Grace has a stress dream in which Marie Curie, Irene, and Kathryn force her to rapidly paint dials, and Kathryn dies. When Grace awakes she tells her mother, Mrs. Fryer, about the dream, and fears if Kathryn dies before the case they won’t win. Markley then arrives at Grace’s home, and tries to convince her to accept $1,500 and sign a contract saying she agrees to “hold the company harmless from any further action.” Mrs. Fryer tries to force Grace to sign the papers, but she powerfully refuses. 

Roeder visits Von Sochocky’s home. Von Sochocky tells Roeder he truly didn’t know the paint was dangerous. As Roeder plans to testify that he didn’t know anything about radium’s dangerous potential, Von Sochocky then brings the compilation of articles Roeder published and authorized to his attention. There are articles that claim radium is dangerous that date back to 1906. Roeder honestly tells Von Sochocky that he didn’t actually read the articles he published. 

In court, the judge rules that the statute of limitations is not exhausted, the girls have a right to sue, and the case will go to trial. Markley then convinces the judge that key witnesses won’t be available for many months, and the judge agrees to schedule the trial for that September, a ruling that is detrimental for the girls given their rapidly declining health. Grace stares at Roeder from across the courtroom, but he doesn’t look back at her. 

In another press conference on June 4, 1928, Lee gives $10,000 to each girl and medical coverage for life. He is not admitting responsibility, but claims the money merely a humanitarian offering. 

Kathryn has passed away, and Grace visits her grave. Tom arrives, and tells Grace he’s happy she and Kathryn received the money they deserved. Grace tells him, “we didn’t back down. They backed down.” Roeder arrives, sees her at a distance, but can’t look at her. Grace knows he is afraid of her.

It is the 1940s and Roeder is a much older man. He walks with his adult daughter to the spot he last saw Grace in the cemetery. He recounts how he couldn’t look at her and couldn’t speak to her, even though he wanted to. He then remembers seeing the girls painting dials in the factory, but is tortured by his inability to remember their faces. 

Selected Character Breakdowns

Grace Fryer

Grace is one of the primary dial painters featured in the factory, and her closest friends are Kathryn and Irene. She is 15 at the start of the play and 26 at its close, and her emotional growth follows as such. Before any problems surface at the factory, Grace is a goody two-shoes in many senses of the phrase. She follows instructions diligently, and trusts the authority figures around her. However, as her friends begin to exhibit symptoms, she grows into an uncompromising woman who is both stoic and vulnerable. While Kathryn is one of the first to forcefully search for answers, Grace becomes dedicated to finding answers herself and seeking justice, both on her own and by sharing her story with journalists.

In addition to her friends and her mother, Mrs. Fryer, Grace is most closely connected to her fiancé, Tom. Grace desperately wants a future with Tom, but fears her own illness and deterioration will hurt him and their relationship. Grace grapples with her looming death extensively, yet maintains an excellent perspective and internal strength. Though Radium Girls features a flexible cast size, the actor playing Grace doesn’t portray other roles in the show. In a play with so many characters, Grace is a centralizing and grounding force as audiences most closely follow her journey and story.  

Kathryn Schaub

Kathryn is one of the primary dial painters featured in the factory. She is 15 at the start of the play, and dies at the age of 25 before its close. Her closest friends are Grace and Irene, and Kathryn is the first of them to realize the extent of their danger. Kathryn most forcefully fights for answers at first, but quickly becomes cynical when faced with corrupt bureaucratic systems and additional complications. Since Irene is the first of the three to die, Kathryn and Grace fervently support each other while enduring their illnesses and legal complications. 

Schaub pronunciation- SHAWB. The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Kathryn would also portray Board Member #1, Shopgirl, Society Woman, and Harriet.  

Irene Rudolph

Irene is one of the primary dial painters featured in the factory. She is 17 at the start of the play, and dies at the age of 23 before its close. Her closest friends are Grace and Kathryn. She is also Kathryn’s cousin. At the beginning of the play, Irene is the most lively of the friends. She is playful, and pulls pranks at the factory using their paint. She also makes a point of being socially informed and shares her knowledge of others’ personal lives. She is straightforward and determined. However, she doesn’t have many opportunities to fight against radium injustices as she is the first of the three girls to pass away.

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Irene would also portray Miss Wiley, Board Member #2, Photographer, and Mrs. Michaels.  

Arthur Roeder

Arthur Roeder takes over Dr. Von Sochocky’s job as President of the U.S. Radium Corporation. He is 34 at the start of the play, and is 65 at its close. He strongly believes in radium’s corporate potential, and is ready to capitalize on its hopeful future successes. In his job, Roeder is eager to beat out competition, but is keen on cutting corners whenever possible. Though he considers himself a good leader, he doesn’t read the articles on radium he compiles and publishes himself, and chooses to lie to the Department of Labor regarding his factory’s inspection. These are examples of his routinely choosing what he wants to believe rather than accepting and working with problems he faces. 

Though Roeder acts rashly in difficult situations, he is not an inherently bad person. He does what he can to protect what he deems to be important, and dehumanizes the girls and their difficulties in order to justify his own immoral actions. However, when the reality of radium’s detrimental impact on his workers fully sinks in, Roeder feels terrible and regrets his previous mentality and decisions. 

Roeder pronunciation- REED-er. Though Radium Girls features a flexible cast size, the actor playing Roeder doesn’t portray other roles in the show. In a play with so many characters, Roeder is a centralizing and grounding force as audiences most closely follow his journey and story. 

Dr. Von Sochocky

Von Sochocky is the founder and ex-president of the U.S. Radium Corporation. The position was succeeded by Roeder. Von Sochocky also notably invented the luminous paint containing radium that poisoned the factory girls. However, he didn’t know about its poisonous nature at the time of its invention. He feels deeply guilty about his contribution and its harmful impacts. Once the girls’ stories are featured in the news, he states that radium is very dangerous and offers to testify for the girls. When Von Sochocky assumed radium was safe, he drank bottles of it and got sick himself. He is one of the most moral and sensitive men in the show, and does the right thing by taking the responsibility for the numerous deaths up front.   

Von Sochocky pronunciation- VON Sa-SHOCK-y. The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Von Sochocky would also portray Markley, Store Owner, Venecine Salesman, and Martland  

Katherine Wiley

Katherine Wiley is a human rights advocate and the executive director of the New Jersey Consumer’s League. She is one of the most determined characters, and she represents the potential for positive future change. She tirelessly fights for the factory girls. She is never divisive or controlling, but rather helps them believe in their ability to have a voice that can inspire change. It is due to Wiley’s efforts that the girls gain such broad news coverage, and therefore are able to sway public opinion. However, because Wiley mostly prioritizes macro-goals like making a large impact through publicity, she sometimes misses the micro needs of the girls. But on the whole, Wiley is a selfless individual and is mostly motivated to make the world a better place by helping others as best she can.  

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Wiley would also portray Irene, Board Member #2, Photographer, and Mrs. Michaels.  

Dr. Joseph Knef

Dr. Knef is a two-faced dentist. Though he is honest and caring during his first appointments with the factory girls, he quickly becomes manipulative and self-serving when he realizes he can capitalize off their situation. During the beginning stages of the crisis, Irene and Grace choose to visit him as their dentist. He advises that the company should be obligated to help them given their horrible medical conditions. However, he later attempts to make a monetary deal with Roeder. Under this deal, Knef would offer the girls free dental appointments and Roeder would pay Knef for favorable diagnoses. Knef reasons the girls would be too poor to pay him, or they would die before they could pay him. So that way both he and Roeder would win. However, Roeder and his board don’t ultimately agree to sanction Knef’s scheme. 

Knef pronunciation- NEF. The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Knef would also portray Tom, Reporter, and Berry.