KWU Theatre Department Premieres: “Radium Girls”

By Nicolas Fierro / Staff Writer

The Kansas Wesleyan University Theatre Department premiered, “Radium Girls” on October 19th to kick off Homecoming and Family Weekend at KWU. 

This was Kansas Wesleyan’s first theatrical performance of the year and there were 100 people in attendance on opening night.

The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) made an appearance for Friday night’s show.

The KCACTF is a program that is dedicated to improving and recognizing collegiate theatrical performance.

Director Karen Babcock-Brassea and the KCACTF

Director and Professor of KWU’s theatre department, Karen Babcock-Brassea gives her thoughts on the KCACTF attendance and the play overall. 

“I had to pay a fee so that I can invite the KCACTF, because it wanted my actors to get feedback from someone besides me,” says Babcock-Brassea.

The KCACTF is an organization that was developed to give opportunities and workshops for collegiate performers a chance to learn besides their general professors. KCACTF holds conferences where they allow students to learn more about their theatrical personas.

Photo by Ash Bissell / Tammy Houston poses as Irene Rudolph.

KWU’s Radium Girls cast has a chance to compete in the Irene Ryan acting competition after the KCACTF’s attendance. This will be held in the Midwest.

“It is always interesting for me to watch, I noticed the extra adrenaline that was occurring from the actors on Friday night, which I think was the best out of the three,” says Brassea.

Babcock-Brassea speaks on what she wants to instill out of her student actors.

“I am trying to build students who have resilience, and sometimes they have encounter things that are uncomfortable. I want them to handle themselves and not change their performance despite whoever is watching.”

“I am trying to build students who have resilience, and sometimes they have encounter things that are uncomfortable. I want them to handle themselves and not change their performance despite whoever is watching.”

Lead Role: Breann Johnson

Photo by Ash Bissell / Breann Johnson (Grace Fryer) and Guthrie Burch (Katherine R. Schaub).

Lead role and Freshman, Breann Johnson discusses on what she learned about her role as Grace Fryer.

“I learned that I can get empathetic about Grace’s story and it gave me an urge to fight and make the Radium Corporation know of their faults during the play.”

“Grace has helped me learn to embrace my emotions. Radium Girls made me think about all the people who had to go through events that were naive at the time. The Radium Girls helped shape our knowledge about our health today,” says Johnson. 

Johnson is a non-theatre major (art major). 

Nick Rogers, Senior and Theatre Arts major at KWU played as Arthur Roeder who was the President of the U.S Radium Corporation at the time.

“During the rehearsal process, one my challenges was my dialogue. I wanted to have a New Jersey accent, but it kept coming out as a Boston accent. I overcame this challenge by watching New Jersey accent videos,” says Rogers.

Male Lead Role: Nick Rogers

Rogers learned that he can act as as the antagonist of the play which he says he has never done before.

“My character was the villain, without knowing he was the villain. He was ignorant to what was happening with the radium. I learned that I can create ways that myself and the audience can understand,” says Rogers.

KWU’s Radium Girls staff was a short one, but they managed to get the job well-done. 

Babcock-Brassea gave special shoutouts to:

Photo by Ash Bissell / Guthrie Burch poses as Katherine R. Schaub.

Jacob Brown and Perry Grewell who managed the running crew. Tiana Marion who was the stage/set manager. Paul Green, Caleb Tener and Gage Thompson (Qlab) for sound, Kent Beuss and Jacob Corman for lighting.

Ashley Bissell for pictures, Luke Hager for music, Billy Brassea and the rest of Karen Babcock-Brassea’s family for clothes.