March 1, 2025

PHOTOS: History comes alive on stage

After taking first overall in the state festival at home, the Lewiston Civic Theatre will take its production on the road to Boise regionals

Lewiston Tribune

During rehearsal, Gabi Garcia, playing New Jersey Consumers League chairperson Katherine Wiley, speaks to the public and members of the press. The league was committed to improving working conditions for women and children and investigated radium poisoning.August Frank/Lewiston Tribune

Macy Hardin, playing Grace Fryer, puts a hand to her jaw in pain during a rehearsal for the Civic Theatre production of "Radium Girls" on Thursday in Lewiston. Among the health problems the radium girls suffered from was “radium jaw,” a condition that caused necrosis of the jawbone. Resulting in bleeding gums, ulcers, and bone tumors. Dentists would sometimes pull out multiple teeth at once, and the jawbone would come out with them.August Frank/Lewiston Tribune

Abby Seward mimes lip-pointing a paintbrush during a rehearsal for the Lewiston Civic Theatre production of "Radium Girls" Thursday in Lewiston. Women who worked for the factory represented in "Radium Girls" were instructed to lick the brushes they used to paint watches to create a fine tip. The practice lead to ingesting deadly amounts of radium paint.August Frank/Lewiston Tribune

Jacob Trickey plays the role of Arthur Roeder, president of the U.S. Radium Corporation during the 1920s, during a rehearsal for the Lewiston Civic Theatre production of "Radium Girls" on Thursday in Lewiston.August Frank/Lewiston Tribune

Aailee Fuson, playing Katherine Schaub, is helped by Macy Hardin, playing Grace Fryer, during a rehearsal for the Lewiston Civic Theatre production of "Radium Girls" on Thursday in Lewiston. After Schaub’s cousin Irene, who also worked at Radium Luminous Materials Corp., died, Schaub began noticing connections between her cousin’s death with other women that had worked with painting radium on watches. Schaub went to the New Jersey Department of Health and filed a report detailing that many of the women she worked with were suffering from similar ailments.August Frank/Lewiston Tribune

Macy Hardin, playing Grace Fryer, and Aailee Fuson, playing Katherine Schaub, look at Abby Seward, playing Irene Rudolph, in a scene where they notice blood coming from her mouth during a rehearsal for the Lewiston Civic Theatre production of "Radium Girls" on Thursday in Lewiston. Rudolph died at 21, suffering from complete necrosis in her jaw. August Frank/Lewiston Tribune

Macy Hardin, playing Grace Fryer, lays on the floor during a rehearsal for the Lewiston Civic Theatre production of "Radium Girls" on Thursday in Lewiston. Fryer became the driving force behind the five New Jersey women who famously filed suit against the U.S. Radium Corp. in 1927. Fryer died at 34 from radium-induced sarcoma in the shoulder. Her legacy and suit against the corporation established the right of workers to sue corporations for labor abuse, and occupational disease labor law. August Frank/Lewiston Tribune

Macy Hardin, playing Grace Fryer, talks to Matthew DeBerard, playing the company's legal representative Markley, as he comes to her with settlement money during a rehearsal for the Lewiston Civic Theatre production of "Radium Girls" on Thursday in Lewiston.August Frank/Lewiston Tribune

Macy Hardin, playing Grace Fryer, and Jonson Brotnov, portraying Tom Kreider, rehearse a scene in which their characters, a young couple in love, choose wallpaper for their future baby’s nursery.August Frank/Lewiston Tribune

Macy Hardin, playing Grace Fryer, stares at Jacob Trickey, playing the role of Arthur Roeder the president of the U.S. Radium Corp., during a rehearsal for the Lewiston Civic Theatre production of "Radium Girls" on Thursday in Lewiston.August Frank/Lewiston Tribune

With its production of “Radium Girls,” the Lewiston Civic Theatre won overall performance on Feb. 22 at the I-ACT State Festival and are moving to Regionals in Boise on March 29.

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They will stage encore performances of the production as a fundraiser to help cover the cost of traveling and housing actors and crew for the Boise competition.

The fundraiser production will be staged at 7 p.m. March 15 and 2 p.m. March 16 at the old Lewiston High School auditorium, 1114 Ninth Ave. Cost is by donation.