Polk County News
2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 8, 2017
WOU to perform ‘Radium Girls’
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — “Radi-
um Girls” takes the audience
on a historic journey ripe
with facts, sprinkled with
humor and warmth, re-
counting the story about
women who worked for the
U.S. Radium Corporation.
Western Oregon Universi-
ty’s Theatre and Dance De-
partment will present the
play starting Thursday at
7:30 p.m. at Rice Auditori-
um.
The story starts in the
early 1900s, with a group of
young women — some as
young as 16 — painting
watch dials with Radium so
the numbers will glow in the
dark.
“It was for the soldiers
during World War I,” said
Mindy Mawhirter, who plays
Kathryn. “So it was this great
invention that was doing re-
ally great things, and then it
also happened to kill you.”
The girls were trained to
tip the brushes — that still
held the Radium paint —
into their mouths to get a
good point on the ends.
While they tried to use a dif-
ferent, safer method —
using a cloth to wipe the
brushes — the workers were
told to go back to the old
way, using their mouths, to
save on paint costs and pre-
serve the brushes.
“They had us switch,” said
Andi Moring, who plays
Grace. “It was wasting too
much paint, so we had to
start doing it in the mouth
again.”
The play’s story is told
over a span of decades as
Grace, Kathryn and other
girls suffer the conse-
quences of the company’s
actions and policies.
“We start noticing our
EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer
Western Oregon University’s Theatre and Dance Department will perform “Radium Girls” Thursday through Sunday and Nov. 15-18.
friends are dying,” Moring
said. “And we’re getting sick-
er.”
“We’re putting the radium
paint in our mouth, so we
have radiation poisoning in
our jaws,” Mawhirter said.
“That is what the story is
about.”
“It’s about how compa-
nies were able to take ad-
vantage of their workers and
kind of sweep things under
the rug,” Moring added.
The show is more than
the account of the first
work-related injury case in
the country. It illustrates
how science is constantly
changing.
Radium “is a miracle
drug,” Mawhirter said. “It’s
the cure for cancer. Like,
how could it be dangerous if
it’s curing cancer? … It’s an
interesting show, and it’s rel-
evant. There’s more to be
learned.”
The play also shows how
different people handle dif-
ferent things, even if they
come from similar back-
grounds, Mawhirter said.
“We’re both dial painters
at the beginning,” she said.
“We’re both in similar situa-
tions, same age, all that
stuff, but faced with the
same situation, we both
react very differently.”
Radiation poisoning and
the ensuing legal battle with
the U.S. Radium Corpora-
tion makes Grace stronger,
while defeating Kathryn.
“I start the show being
very — I don’t want to say
complacent — but kind of
complacent,” Moring said of
her character. “I just do what
I’m told. All my life, I’ve
done what other people
have told me to do, and it
led to me getting sick. I gain
strength through my sick-
ness by being able to stand
up for myself and take on
the world, even though I’m
Radium Girls
What: Western Oregon University presents “Radium Girls,”
by D.W. Gregory.
When: Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 15
through 18, 7:30 p.m. A matinee will be at noon on Sunday.
Where: WOU’s Rice Auditorium.
Admission: General, $14; students with ID, $8; seniors, $10.
For more information: wou.edu.
very sick.”
Kathryn is the opposite,
Mawhirter said.
“She starts out super
strong and happy, and her
sickness defeats her,” she
said. “She doesn’t have as
much internal strength as
she likes to think she does.
Grace grows every time she’s
attacked, and Kathryn gets
smaller and smaller.”
The play is directed by
Michael Phillips, with cos-
tumes designed by special
guest artist Jenny Amper-
sand, a theatrical designer
who works primarily with
the Portland theater com-
munity.
Visit
our
website
FREE gift bags
to the first
50 shoppers!
Shop for festive home decorations, floral
arrangements, blooming & green plants, Christmas
tree ornaments, cards, candy, gifts and more!
Prize
drawings
and
Refreshments!
www.polkio.com
• 20 pages of valuable SEASONAL information 4 times a year: Sept., Dec., March & June
• Published to over 12,800 homes in the Itemizer-Observer • Available online
• Additional copies distributed through the OSU Ext. office & PSWC Dist. office
POLK COUNTY
A joint effort between OSU Extension Service
and Polk Soil & Water Conservation District.
Printed by the
Full page (10”x10.292”) ....................$375
1/2 page (Horiz 10”x5.083”)..............$200
1/2 page (Vertical 4.917”x10.292”) ...$200
1/4 page (4.917”x5.083”) ..................$110
1/8 page (4.917”x2.5”) ........................$60
All ads include FULL COLOR
Place your ad in the Winter Edition
by calling Heidi x115, Rachel x110
or Karen x118 at 503-623-2373
DEADLINE: Nov. 17 PUBLISHES: Dec. 13