History's Morality Tale (Hayswood Theatre)
Radium Girls
By D.W. Gregory
Directed by Crit Fisher
Review by Kate Barry
Entire contents are copyright © 2026 Kate Barry. All rights reserved.
The 1920’s opened the door to culture and huge advances. Scientific breakthroughs saw the Talkies, and the creation of insulin and antibiotics. Yet with such progression in society, consequences waited at every turn. Radium Girls is the morality tale of one girl’s journey into the workforce with a newly discovered chemical, its destructive tendencies and her fight to be heard. And this tale is currently on stage at Hayswood Theatre.
Crit Fisher’s direction and scene design fit nicely within Hayswood’s small but mighty theater. Brick walls and rusty accents provide a callous work atmosphere. High standing windows and drab wooden tables sell the feeling of factory work of days gone by. As the characters in the play become exposed to radium, make up is used to convey the horrible symptoms of rotting jaw bones and tooth decay. Further, in pivotal moments, green light shades the stage as conflict and illness consumes workers and truths are revealed. The green lighting and make up choices are most powerful in a second act dream sequence as well as the heartbreaking final moments of the play.
As the titular girls, Kaelyn O’Brien’s Grace, Abigail Knoop’s Kathryn and Christina Cullen’s Irene are working girls making their way through the world. Dressed in smocks and chatting away, the girls complete the hazardous “lip dip” technique in the very dial factory that brings meaning to their lives without knowing the harm it causes. Cullen’s Irene is the first victim, her performance may be brief but sets a tone for how serious the work conditions are. Abigail Knoop’s Kathryn is a spitfire with a clever line ready and waiting. Knoop’s Kathryn and O’Brien’s Grace bring passion to their struggles and a compassionate friendship. These are two girls who will not give up without a fight.
Kaelyn O’Brien gives a heroic performance as Grace. She brings much excitement as she steps in the work force yet her dreams are ruined as radium poisons her body. O’Brien maintains a believable physicality as Grace succumbs to illness. Though she is frail, O’Brien’s Grace does not give up as she fights for justice against the corporation which made her ill. Gavin Thompson provides unwavering support in trying times as Grace’s loving fiancé, Tom.
As Grace and her friends fight to be heard, they are silenced by the leaders of the U.S. Radium Corporation. Unflinching in their stance and concerned only with the bottom line, Prader Kiel gives a cunning performance as the vice president of the company. Michael Mingus’s Roeder is an emotionally driven performance. Mingus does well to present a business man driven by greed slowly altered to guilt as the effects of radium reach far and wide. Nicole Sharp’s Mrs. Roeder and Charles Swarens’ portrayal of Dr. Von Sochocky provide moments of honest reflection for Mingus’ Roeder’s ethical dilemma. Sharp shares a scene with Mingus that fully examines the failing health of the girls in which Roeder has no other choice than to accept his responsibility. When matched with Swaren’ gentle yet intelligent Dr Von Sochocky, Mingus’ Roeder is faced with the heavy burden of the chemical and its direct effects on his life. Mingus channels a palpable heartbreaking guilt within Roerder that is felt until his final lines.
Radium Girls at Hayswood Theatre is a meaningful story about standing up for what is right. As Grace and her coworkers grow more ill, the determination to be heard gets stronger. The play is based on actual events and the victims affected by the radium deserve to be honored by a performance like this.
Radium Girls
Hayswood Theatre
November 5-15, 2026
115 S Capitol Ave
Corydon, IN
Comments