ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Those looking for some entertainment and a bit of a history lesson will soon have just that chance thanks to the Liberal High School Drama Department.
The LHS Drama Department will be performing the play “Radium Girls” by D.W. Gregory at 7 p.m. Feb. 14 and 15, and at 2 p.m. Feb. 16. All performances will be in James W. Maskus Auditorium at Liberal High School, and tickets are $5 each for both students and adults.
The play tells the true story of a group of young women working as dial painters in the early 20th century, who unknowingly ingested radium while painting watch dials, leading to severe illnesses. The play focuses on Grace Fryer as she fights for justice against the U.S. Radium Corporation by taking them to court. Overall, director Miriam Climenhaga said, the show has been great to put together.
“I enjoyed assigning parts because more often than not, in this play, the actors get to play more than one part. Figuring out how to stage that has been interesting and a challenge,” Climenhaga said. “I chose this show after I asked the students what sort of play they wanted to do this time. We have done a lot of comedies, and murder mysteries lately, so I asked them if they wanted to do a comedy, a drama, or something that was a mix of both. They chose drama or a mix. ‘Radium Girls’ has several light hearted moments, but is generally quite serious. I thought the students would enjoy the historical context that it is based on. It also gives actors a lot of different ranges to play with. I chose the show in November after consulting with the students.”
Climenhaga also offered encouragement for people in the community to come and see the show.
“It's going to be a great show, and there's so much talent in the cast, and they would all absolutely love the support and seeing butts in the seats,” Climenhaga said. “So if you know someone in the cast, or if you’re a bit of a history buff, come out and see this story come to life on the stage. Live theater is just such a different experience from everything else and it's so great. I also feel like the audience will be interested in the true elements to this story, as well as the dramatic elements that have been added. The story goes quickly, and there are a few surprises in the plot. I’m excited to see all the moving parts come together to create a great night of entertainment for the audience, and we all just might learn a little history along the way, and maybe even a little about science!”
For those unable to attend the show in person but still want to support the LHS Drama Department, Climenhaga said there are a few ways to do that.
“People can support the drama department in all sorts of ways. If you want make a donation of some type, money is always helpful, but we could also take donations of costumes and other items. With that, however, I would encourage people to call the high school and talk to me before officially donating those things so we can make sure it's okay to actually accept it,” Climenhaga said. “If people want to help us out, just get in touch with me at
With opening night only a couple weeks away, Climenhaga said the cast and crew have been working very hard and are excited to perform for the community.
“Because of the timeline, we cast the show before winter break, and now we are in rehearsals. It’s been a little bit of a rough start with various conflicts, but the cast seems to be excited about the concept that I have for staging it, and has come up with a lot of good ideas of their own,” Climenhaga said. “We are having fun working on it together, and there’s a few new faces that have gotten involved as well. I have high expectations that lines will be learned, and that they will continue to support each other and bring another great live theatre event to the community of Liberal. It's always great seeing everything fully come together. It can be a stressful process for everyone, but every day brings something new and you never know what's going to happen. Come out and see the show, we'd love to see you in the audience!”
