Did you see Hidden Figures last year?
Touted nationwide as one of the most surprising, uplifting and wonderful movies of 2016, Hidden Figures was by far the biggest box office for an Academy Award Best Picture nominee last year and the highest grossing movie fronted by an African-American woman, ever. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the sweet story and impeccable acting, and the positive message pervading the film was nothing but extraordinary and highly timely.
With the undeniable success of Hidden Figures, it begs the question: why are there still so few stories produced about, by and for women (and especially women of color)? In the era of the downfall of Harvey Weinstein (#thankgod, #metoo), there is growing momentum in Hollywood and elsewhere to finally correct the horrific gender imbalance in the art we disseminate and value, both financially and culturally.
If you’re involved in this movement and want to see more stories by and about women, and especially if you love true-life historical drama, look no further than These Shining Lives, now playing from Uprising Theatre Company at the Phoenix Theater. These Shining Lives tells the stories of the women of the Radium Dial Company, whose fortunes were made and lost painting watch faces with pure radium in the 1930s. This true story is one of the many that deserves wider airtime, for several reasons: it’s poignant, it’s beautifully told, and it has a lot to tell us about progress and public health issues.
The women of Radium Dial were renowned at the time for their beautiful work in hand-painting the numbers on watch faces, for which they were paid handsomely. Everything seemed to be coming up roses until it became clear that something about the materials they were using was amiss. Radium Dial’s claim to fame was the fact that they painted the numbers on the watch faces with pure radium, which they touted as a health benefit to the employees. Many women worked in this environment for years, clothed in radium dust. This is not an exaggeration – the paintbrushes were sharpened in their mouths (aka they ate the radium dust), the dust spread all over their hair and clothes, and the radium seeped so deeply into the women’s skin that they literally glowed in the dark.
It doesn’t take much in this day and age to realize that such outsized exposure to radioactive elements couldn’t possibly be good for you. But at the time (pre-atomic bomb, don’t forget) not many people knew. Either way, no one wanted to face the powerful corporate forces of Radium Dial with such a medical diagnosis for its terminally ill employees, and no one certainly wanted to vouch for a bunch of sickly, poor women. It was only until one brave employee sued the company on behalf of herself and her fellow coworkers (and won – seven. consecutive. times.) that Radium Dial’s guilt was acknowledged and some form of financial recoupment allowed to its victims. The harrowing process scarred many of the employees and the victory, which resulted in laughably low amounts of financial compensation, was more symbolic than adequate for the pain the women suffered.
Uprising Theatre’s production of These Shining Lives is an inspiring, accessible entree into this story. It was lovely to see a cast formed of a diverse group of women anchoring the narrative with charisma and ease. The audience is led through by Ashey Hovell, who plays Catherine Donohue, the woman who sues Radium Dial. Donohue’s coworkers Frances, Charlotte and Pearl are played by Lauren Schulke, Maggie Mae Sulentic, and Ashembaga Jaafarau, respectively. The four women have wonderful chemistry and nuanced portrayals. Pearl is the clown, lightening the mood with bad jokes. Charlotte is fiercely independent and strong spirited. Frances is gossipy but kindhearted. These four women work wonderfully as a team and tell the story together warmly. They are supported by Ryan Lee, in theater’s most #ally #feminism portrayal yet of Catherine’s husband Tom Donohue; and Brandon Holscher as the diabolical Mr. Reed, the women’s corrupt supervisor at Radium Dial.
It was impossible to watch These Shining Lives without thinking of Hidden Figures. This lovely script (written by Melanie Marnich) has so much heart, and I think audiences of any stripe can enjoy it. The cast of Uprising Theatre does a beautiful job of telling this narrative. They bring so much energy and vivacity and passion to the subject matter, and I hope they are able to bring this back despite the show’s limited run. This is a young cast, and they’ll be around for a while. You may not be able to catch a show soon, but Uprising: please continue with your mission, and please stage this show again. These Shining Lives is a story we all deserve to hear more of, and it’s great to hear it from your perspective. For more information, click here.