Stoneham Theatre Presents THESE SHINING LIVES, 6/6-6/22

In the 1920s and early 1930s, female factory workers, later known as radium girls, contracted radium poisoning from painting watch dials with glow-in-the-dark paint at the United States Radium Factory in Ottawa, Illinois. The women, who had been told the paint was harmless, ingested deadly amounts of radium by licking their paintbrushes to give them a fine point. Five of the workers challenged their employer in a landmark case that travelled to the US Supreme Court and established the right of individuals who contracted "occupational diseases" to sue their employers.

Now, Stoneham Theatre is proud to bring this important story to the stage with These Shining Lives, a new play directed by Caitlin Lowans. "Even though these events took place ninety years ago, it's important when doing a historical piece to connect it to who we are as a society today and what practices we ought to be questioning," Lowans shared with her cast during their first rehearsal. "My mind immediately goes to what risks we're taking now that we are unaware of." But Lowans also remarked, "I love how the script never reduces the women to victims. We want to ensure that they are fully realized, human beings...ordinary girls, as the text says."

In the past ten years, several films, plays, books, and poems have been dedicated to telling the story of the radium girls. These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich is the latest. These Shining Lives stars Boston favorite McCaela Donovan* as Catherine, Melis Aker (Double Indemnity) as Pearl, Kathryn Lynch* as Charlotte, Allan Mayo*(Strangers on a Train) as Mr. Reed, Dakota Shepard as Frances and Joe Short* as Tom.

These Shining Lives opens Thursday, June 6, 2013 and runs through Saturday, June 22, 2013. To purchase tickets, call the Stoneham Theatre Box Office at (781) 279-2200, or visit www.stonehamtheatre.org.

Show dates: June 6 - June 22, 2013
Show Times: Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm & 8pm, Sundays at 2pm; June 6, 2013 - June 16, 2013. Friday, June 21, 2013 at 8pm, Saturday, June 22, 2013 at 8pm, and Sunday, June 23, 2013 at 2pm
Ticket Prices: Orchestra Premium $48; Standard Orchestra $44; Seniors $42 & $40
Pay What You Can Night: Thursday, June 6th @ 7:30pm
Box Office: (781) 279-2200
Box Office Hours: Mondays - Fridays, 11am to 6pm; Saturdays, 1pm to 6pm
Website: www.stonehamtheatre.org
Flagship Season Sponsors: StonehamBank and Stoneham Savings Bank

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