A POWERFUL true story of friendship, tragedy and a fight for justice is coming to the stage in Audenshaw.
These Shining Lives, by American playwright Melanie Marnich, will be performed at Guide Bridge Theatre from Monday, October 19 to Saturday, October 24.
Set in the 1920s and 1930s, the play tells the story of women who worked at the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois, painting watch faces with luminous radium paint.
What initially appeared to be a dream job offered the women financial independence and a chance to build better lives for themselves and their families. But the job came at a devastating cost.
The women began to discover that the radium paint which made the watch dials glow was slowly poisoning them.
At the centre of the story is Catherine Donohue, whose personal battle with the effects of radium poisoning develops into a wider fight for justice and worker safety.
The play – directed by Hazel Phillips – follows Catherine and the other women as they face illness and personal tragedy, while drawing on the friendships and relationships that helped them through some of the darkest moments of their lives.
Despite its difficult subject matter, These Shining Lives also explores humour, warmth and the strength of ordinary people coming together in extraordinary circumstances.
The story is based on the real-life experiences of the so-called ‘Radium Girls’, whose fight for justice became an important chapter in the history of workplace safety.
The play will be staged at Guide Bridge Theatre on Audenshaw Road from Monday, October 19 to Saturday, October 24, with performances at 7.30pm each evening and a 2pm matinee on Saturday.
Tickets cost £12, with preview-night tickets on Monday priced at £11. Theatre members can also purchase tickets for £10 on any night. They are available to buy online here.