Butler Little Theatre show evokes emotions
Although Butler Little Theatre’s upcoming production is set about 100 years in the past, the show’s director said it will likely resonate with anyone who has found community in the midst of a larger struggle.
“These Shining Lives” tackles the story of four of the women who have come to be known as the Radium Girls — workers of a watch factory in Illinois who were poisoned by the materials they used on the job. The play was written in 2010 by playwright Melanie Marnich, and the BLT production opens Friday, Nov. 15, and has showings until Nov. 23.
Sarah Altomari, director of “These Shining Lives,” said the show presents a range of situations and emotions, which stem from the ensemble cast’s experiences throughout the 1920s, in the wake of a changing culture. As the title implies, the show tackles more than just the women’s diagnoses, but also their reactions to having jobs, making money for their families and navigating a fight for workplace safety.
“An underlying theme was these women finding independence and finding camaraderie in ways they never had before,” Altomari said. “The juxtaposition of that freedom with the degradation of their bodies, it's really stark.”
The show focuses on four main characters led by Deanna Sparrow, who portrays protagonist Catherine Donohue. Rounding out the four cast members are Kira Lavrich, Emily Sutton and Kyrie Lokhaiser.
Sparrow said that while the play tackles heavy and tragic scenarios, viewers might find hope in the fight that the characters embark on, because they carried on their lives even after learning that their bodies would decay from the radiation poisoning. The tears shed during the play will come from several emotions, she said.
“There's a good chance they might shed some tears,” Sparrow said, “but they could also leave feeling emboldened to do what needs to be done in the face of corruption and misdeeds.”
Altomari, too, said the emotions of the show are vast, as implied by the play’s title. The cast has been able to encompass everything the characters would have been feeling, which will leave people talking once the curtain falls, Altomari said.
“The point of the show isn't to feel bad about what happened, but to feel grateful for what happened,” Altomari said. “They chose to fight and spent the last few years of their lives in legal battles to make sure that the laws were changed in Illinois to protect workers.
“Even the title, ‘These Shining Lives,’ it's not defining them by the fact that they were poisoned, it's defining them by the way they lived their lives.”
“These Shining Lives” runs from Nov. 15 to 23. Curtain is at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The show is 90 minutes with no intermission.
Tickets cost $15 and are available at butlerlittletheatre.com or at the door.
