Radium Girls dress rehearsal photos. All photos provided by Dr. Greg Doran, Chair of English Department and creator of Vagabond Productions.
With its annual tradition, Vagabond Productions launched their winter semester play on March 13th. This year, the story of Radium Girls was on the docket. In addition to Vagabond’s tradition of winter semester plays, The Cadre continues its tradition of reviewing these performances and offering a critique. Before the play, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Greg Doran, Chair of English Department, coordinator of the UPEI Theatre Program, creator of the Vagabond Productions as well as the director of the Radium Girls. We discussed a wide variety of topics, including the constant change in location for his performances, audition and attendance numbers, and his tenure as producer and director. Here’s what he had to say.
Q: How long have you been in this role (producer and director) for these yearly plays?
A: There’s only one professor and it’s me. We offer a minor in Theatre Studies, and every winter term there is a show. We did do one fall show before, but we will not be doing that again. I was hired by UPEI in 2004, and I created Vagabond Productions in 2005, which I created for this program to have its own company. It takes a while to get the audition, readings, and performance all done right, it can take months, as we start the process in November. But to answer your question, yeah, I have been in the role since the beginning.
Q: Do you do this particular play every year?
A: Every year is a different play. Last year it was Twelfth Night, this year it’s Radium Girls, and next year it’ll be different yet again. I usually start casting my mind forward to what we want to do next year in late spring, or early summer. Funnily enough, a lot of the plays I investigate are what I get recommended on Amazon, so that tells you what my shopping list looks like. Nevertheless, I get a copy of the play, all the copyrights, all that stuff, and get ready to mount the show. Every year is a different play.
Q: Do you find that the number of those auditioning and/or attending the plays has gone up or down since COVID-19?
A: I don’t know if COVID affected the numbers, as we’re a bit out of that now. COVID did wipe everything out for a little while, and we had to cancel our play for that year, but we are starting over and we’re only a couple of years back on stage. My audience numbers consist largely of family and friends and my colleagues. Those are a constant, the others I find depend on the popularity of the play that is being performed that year. Like for example, Romeo and Juliet had a huge turnout because people knew that play, and it was very popular. They all read it or were forced to read it, so audience familiarity often helps. I also coordinate with places like the Confederation Centre [of the Arts] and other venues to make sure we have a wide variety of plays and that the same things are not played twice. But yeah, the popularity of the play plays a big role. This year we have a stable venue [UPEI Performing Arts Venue], which helps as well, as In the past we kind of just floated around and went to open venues, as we did not have one place to call our own. Now, since the Arts Centre opened, we have a big, new, solid stage to use, which is amazing.
Review:
I was fortunate enough to attend the opening night of the performance, which took place at the UPEI Performing Arts Centre on March 13th at 7:30 pm.
The play itself ran from March 13th to the 16th, and I felt compelled to experience the energy of the opening night. Keep in mind that I am no professional play critic. Thankfully, I did not need to be an expert, as this play was straightforward and easy to both watch and understand. The overarching theme of the play revolves around the stories of three women who worked at a Radium plant. They were exposed to high levels of radiation during their work, which ultimately led to their premature deaths.
As the story unfolds, we follow the journey of Grace Fryer, a dial painter, as she battles for justice in court. She contends with her ex-boss, Arthur Roeder, a man in denial about the link between the element that cures tumours and the alarming health issues among his workers. As the lawsuit progresses, Grace faces opposition not just from the U.S. Radium Corporation, but also from her loved ones, who worry that her pursuit of justice could backfire.
As for the performance of the play itself, it was nothing short of spectacular. The use of lights to shift the main storyline from one setting to another was spot-on. The dynamic lighting, combined with a dramatic atmosphere, immersed both myself and the rest of the audience, holding us in suspense until the very end. The acting and use of accents by cast members to signal a change in role were also commendable. The two-hour performance flew by, the storyline and dialogue remained engaging, yet simple enough to not confuse or lose the audience. I found myself recommending this performance to my friends and classmates, eagerly anticipating the next winter term play in 2025.
Overall, it was a very engaging and thoroughly thought-out play, definitely worth every minute of your evening. If you have the time, make sure to check out Vagabond’s social media, which can be found at @theatreatupei_vagabond.
A big thank you to both Greg and the Radium Girls cast for a fantastic night of theatre. I can hardly wait for next year’s performance.
By Devon Thistle,
Managing Editor