Every student feels like school is a full-time job. You clock in, do boring menial work, and clock out. But in the past, circa 1920 when color hadn’t been invented, students did work full-time jobs. Girls often drop out of school to work in factories, but that kind of work comes with dangers, physical and corporate.

That’s the topic the HHS Playhouse is tackling this year with their show, Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory. Part medical scare and part courtroom drama, the play follows factory girls as a new substance unknowingly causes a fatal sickness around the plant. The corporate suits, laser-focused on the bottom line, are willing to lie, cheat, and sacrifice the safety of their employees for profit. After all, they’re only factory workers, what do they matter?

Since doing a Shakespearean comedy the previous year, the HHS Playhouse seeks to capture viewers with this dramatic play, a major shift from the old English of last year. Hours of effort are being put in by not just the cast but also by the tech crew, led by director Trevor Noah, to truly understand the play so that they can express its message to the audience.

Luke Castellano (left) is making a toast with Alicia Zihenni (right) with radium-infused water.

Courtesy of Elvis Njuguna

The community is another reason some students participate in the play, with several students making new connections such as freshman Dean Passerelli, stating “I love meeting new people and I’ve grown to like the play.” The ability to be yourself in an open environment has allowed students like junior Elvis Njuguna to be able to, “express ourselves as individuals”. Students from all grade levels congregate for a few weeks during the beginning of the school year meeting with HHS Playhouse director Nina Haberli to commence work including casting, blocking, making props, etcetera all for the benefit of the show.

But what makes Radium Girls unique compared to other productions? A senior at Harrison High School Elias MacMillan believes that “[it’s] a powerful play that shows us different perspectives on previous lives before our time”. Students themselves believe that Radium Girls shines a new light on the past of people you might never have heard of. It could teach people life lessons which Aubrey LaPeter, a sophomore at Harrison High School, agrees with stating “It teaches us that money is the root of all evil”.

Actors sit down to read a scene before blocking it out. 

Courtesy of Elvis Njuguna

The HHS Playhouse production of Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory is set to hit audiences on November 8th, at 7:00 PM with other showings on November 9th also at 7:00 PM, and November 10th at 2:00 PM. With the hard work and dedication of the students, it’s hard to say it won’t be a glowing performance!