Established in 1967, Galleon Theatre Group has been producing award winning productions. Their final production for 2025, Radium Girls, opens this Friday and will be running for two week at the Domain Theatre (Marion Cultural Centre).
In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest rage—until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. Inspired by a true story, Radium Girls traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a dial painter, as she fights for her day in court.
Her chief adversary is her former employer, Arthur Roeder, an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumours could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees. As the case goes on, however, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation, but with her own family and friends, who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire.
Written with warmth and humour, Radium Girls is a fast-moving, highly theatrical ensemble piece for 9 actors, who play more than 30 parts—friends, co-workers, lovers, relatives, attorneys, scientists, consumer advocates, and myriad interested bystanders.
Director Kym Clayton says that “Radium Girls is a powerful story based in fact. It foregrounds the struggle of a group of young women in the early 1900s who fell victim to corporate greed as they battled catastrophic injuries they suffered as a result of their employment. Although the story is a century old, it’s a sadly familiar story with modern day parallels still occurring.”
“Although a touching drama, Radium Girls has its lighter moments and forces a laugh at the most poignant moments. Isn’t that part of good writing?”
The cast features nine incredible local South Australian actors, where seven of them each play four characters. The cast features Adam Schultz, Aled Proeve, Andrew Horwood, Deborah Proeve, Deborah Walsh, Jo StClair, Lucy Johnson, Veronika Wlodarczyk and Scott Battersby.
“The story of radium Girls is told through thirty-six diverse characters of all ages played by nine actors. We have assembled a talented cast that brings both experience and freshness to the stage as they tirelessly weave the poignant story of the radium girls.”
Called a “powerful” and “engrossing” drama by critics, Radium Girls offers a wry, unflinching look at the peculiarly American obsessions with health, wealth, and the commercialisation of science.
“Because the action of the story plays across a number of years and in settings as diverse as a factory, offices, boardrooms, hospitals, parlours, and so forth, and actors play multiple roles, our production necessarily becomes representational rather than realistic. The cast are the stage crew, and they move furniture around the stage while lighting and sound effects quickly change and create a sense of location and the passing of time. Costumes are even changed on stage! It seems like it should be difficult for the audience to keep up with, but it’s not. Imagination is a wonderful thing!”
Radium Girls runs for six performances at the Domain Theatre, Marion Cultural Centre.
Friday 24 October 2025 @ 7.30pm
Saturday 25 October 2025 @ 7.30pm
Sunday 26 October 2025 @ 2:00pm
Thursday 30 October 2025 @ 7.30pm
Friday 31 October 2025 @ 7.30pm
Saturday 1 November 2025 @ 2:00pm
Tickets and further information can be found at:
https://www.galleon.org.au/html/radiumGirls.html
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