The Radium Girls is a darkly comedic, horror-infused, work of historical fiction inspired by the stories and spirits of the young women who worked the line at radium watch dial factories across North America in the 1920s. It’s a tale told with biting wit and a fresh new score that blends era-appropriate music with a contemporary theatre sound.
The Radium Girls follows ambitious teenager, Olive, and her friends, Helen and Frances, as they land coveted jobs painting glowing watch dials at New Jersey’s United States Radium Corporation. At first, the factory seems like a dream come true with its high wages, glamorous coworkers, and proximity to the miracle element of the day - radium. But something isn’t right. Aching bones go unexplained, whispers ripple through the workstations, and Olive begins seeing ghostly figures lurking in the shadows. Beneath the shimmering façade of the factory, a more sinister truth seeps through. The executives in charge are hiding something, and the radium may be responsible for the mystery ailments that have begun to plague the workers. As the girls’ bodies begin to fail, Olive sets out to unravel the Corporation’s deadly lie, and, together with her friends, give the company heads a taste of their own poison.
Think Urinetown meets The Great Gatsby, with the youthful edge of John Proctor is the Villain and Spring Awakening.
Writers Amanda D’Archangelis, Sami Horneff, and Lisa Mongillo.
Photos by Amanda Whiteley.
THE RADIUM GIRLS was first conceived as a 15-minute musical, which won the Audience Choice Award at the Players Theatre BOO! Festival in 2017. The initial draft of the full-length piece was workshopped virtually through Western Connecticut State University’s New Works New Voices Festival in 2020, complete with green-screened sets, costumes, and fully orchestrated audio tracks. This production was honored by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), winning five national achievement awards including Overall Production Design and Musical Direction.
THE RADIUM GIRLS has also been a Eugene O'Neill NMTC Semi-Finalist, NAMT Festival Finalist, and Syracuse New Works-New Voices Finalist. Songs from the show have been presented at 54 Below, Green Room 42, and on Playbill's Songwriter Series.
In 2023, THE RADIUM GIRLS received a well-attended industry reading directed by Tony Winner Marissa Jaret Winokur with a cast of Broadway favorites including Olivier Award Winner Andy Karl and Tony Nominee Orfeh, after which High Octave Productions joined the team as lead producers. The show received another highly publicized 29-Hour Reading in 2026 starring Dee Roscioli, Larkin Reilly, Gianna Harris, Kuhoo Verma, and more - an important milestone as the creators continued to shape the piece in advance of the show's anticipated World Premiere in 2027.