Expressions Community Theater will be holding auditions for These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich. Auditions will be held at the Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Avenue on Monday, December 4th, and Tuesday, December 5th from 6 to 8 p.m. Please bring a headshot or current photo with you along with your calendar. Auditions will consist of readings from the script. Rehearsals begin on December 7th, and show dates are February 9th thru February 18th. Auditions are open, no pre-registration required.
About the Show: These Shining Lives tells the true story of four women who worked for the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois. Catherine and her friends thought the job and the opportunity was too good to be true- and it was; the paint they used was made with radioactive compounds. The play chronicles the strength and determination of women considered expendable in their day, exploring their true story and its continued resonance. Theirs is a story of survival in its most transcendent sense, as they refuse to allow the company that stole their health to kill their spirits—or endanger the lives of those who come after them.
Expressions Community Theater is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
We are looking for a cast of six actors:
- Catherine Donohue (20's - 30's): The main protagonist who is very plain, but grows to become a woman with a backbone and nothing to lose. At the beginning of the play, she is 19 years old. She is a proper, young homemaker who goes to work "temporarily" in order to make some extra to support her family. Only plays herself.
- Charlotte Purcell (20's - 30's): The leader of the Radium Dial group. She is very strong and incredibly confident in herself. Also plays Reporter One.
- Frances O'Connell (20's - 30's): She is the moral backbone of the group and is tasked with keeping the other girls in line, but it isn't the strongest backbone in town. Also plays Reporter 2.
- Pearl Payne (20's - 30's): She the jokester of the group. Most likely the next to youngest based off of her innocence and joy. Also plays Daughter and Judge 2.
- Tom Donohue (20's - 30's): The man of the Donohue family. He is a steel worker who believes his wife belongs in the home, but she can chip in for a little while until he is able to make more money. Although he is very much in love with Catherine, he firmly retains the '20s views on women. Also plays Dr. Dalitsch.
- Mr. Reed (40's - 60's): He is the foreman that oversees the women at Radium Dial. He is the go-between for the women and the executives. He genuinely cares for the women, but doesn't let that get in the way of his job and what will bring home the check at the end of the week. Also plays Radio Announcer, Company Doctor, Son, Judge, and Leonard Grossman.
- Leonard Grossman (40's - 60's): He is the lawyer that the women hire for their lawsuit against Radium Dial. He is very passionate about his work and he believes that the women have a right to the truth. "Vivid, avuncular, aggressive." Played by Mr. Reed
For more information please contact the director; Kenna Barker at 612-709-4091, or call the Arts center at 952-985-4640.