The Saint

By Joel Grimsley, Arts Editor

The four women ‘lip, dipping and painting’ and Mr Reed – Photo by AQ Theatre 

Sunday Nov. 24, marked the finale performance of Aquinas Theatre’s production of These Shining Lives after performing 4 consecutive days after 6 weeks of production.

The play, written by Melanie Marnich, tells the true story of the battle fought by four female factory workers against their previous employer whose work had made them terminally ill. 

Based In Illinois in the 1920s and 30s, the Radium Dial Company hired thousands of female workers around the country. Their job was to paint the dials of clocks, watches and pocket watches with a radium paint, which they were encouraged to put in their mouths as they pointed the brushes with their lips before painting in a “lip, dip, paint routine.” Radium, a radioactive element, was not yet considered harmful, however the women’s concerns about the harmful effects of radium paint was ignored and due to their jobs many died from radium poisoning, including the four women the play is based on. 

The four women, Catherine Donahue, Charlotte, Frances and Pearl are the central characters to the story, as it depicts not how they died but how they lived, making these women more than martyrs but real people, like the historical people they were based upon. Theirs is a story of survival; as they refuse to allow the company that stole so much time from them to kill their spirits, or to silence them. 

(From Left to Right) sophomore Kerrigan Smedley (Pearl), freshman Francesca Varrachio (Catherine Donahue), junior Gabrielle Lee (Frances) and sophomore Michaela Faith (Charlotte) – Photo by AQ theatre

The production’s director, Annelise Dickinson, when asked what about the show she found attractive, said she loved how alive the characters were. “Sometimes we hear these stories, and it’s just about the terrible things that happened to these people.” Dickinson said, “but in this version, we get to learn who they were as people, and then go with them on their journey as they fight against this thing that happened.”

Despite These Shining Lives being based on the life and death of these women from nearly a century ago, audiences can find relatable moments and people, as the women go to have fun at the beach, play poker and gossip. “This play connects different woman from different times, in a really intimate and beautiful way” said Varricchio.

Varrachio and Barr recount how their characters first met with silhouettes acting out the memory – Photo taken by Aquinas Theatre

The human component of the show lies not only in the woman’s connection and friendship with each other, but also in Catherine’s role as both a mother and a wife. Catherine’s husband Tom, played by freshman Alexzander Barr adds further depth to her character as the happily married couple’s relationship is tested through the social stigma of Catherine’s financial independence and then impending mortality. The scene where Catherine says her final goodbye to Tom and requests that neither her children or husband forget her in particular had audiences tearing up. 

These Shining Lives is narrated from Catherine’s perspective and as stated in the opening monologue is not a tragedy, but instead Catherine’s opportunity to recall her life. The play is a reflection of her story from her unique perspective, which she is telling in order so that she can rest. “I love the way the story is told after Catherine’s death” Varricchio said, “this was her way of saying goodbye, through this way, by telling her story through this show they all won’t be forgotten.”

Senior and Assistant Director Drew Huegli took the role of multiple antagonistic characters in the play, particularly the woman’s boss at the radium dial company, Mr Reed, and the company doctor who dismisses the woman’s concern for their health as merely “nerves.” “I really resonate with that storyline of wanting to be heard, wanting your legacy to be something that is impactful, and something that can be remembered,” Drew said. “I have had people not listen to me because of who I am, or because of how I dress… these women are fighting to be taken seriously, for their agency” 

When asked what the cast did in order to prepare for the show, they described the 200 mile field trip to Ottawa Illinois they took where the factory the woman worked once stood, and there are memorials to the “radium girls.” 20 minutes away from Ottawa, was a special museum presented by the LaSalle County Historical Society, where the cast read letters written by the woman they were playing and were able to really connect with the woman they had to portray. “I really hope that the audience can learn how to love these women like we did,” said Gabrielle Lee, who played Frances. 

Behind the curtains, sophomore Cristiana Worthams took the lead as Stage Manager where she ran cues for lighting, sound and props, helping Dickinson achieve her vision. The rest of the crew got to help cast members with the practical effects within the show, audiences were particularly fond of the glowing skeletons that were painted on the women. This was to illustrate how the radium that the woman used in their everyday job began to make them glow, the same radium that eventually killed them. This effect was only revealed when black light was used, allowing for some dramatic scenes of revelation that something was not right. The glowing skeletons of the women serves as a reminder of how the women’s lives shined despite the dark nature of their story.