Photos by Tim Stiller Opens this Friday, March 18th at 8pm
Verge Theater is proud to present These Shining Lives, Melanie Marnich’s play based on a true story of four women who worked in a watch factory in the 1920s. The story dramatizes the danger that women faced as new members of the American workforce, and the lack of concern by companies for protecting their employees. Contemporarily, as we debate concussion protocols in the NFL, and despair over textile mills collapsing on workers throughout the world, Marnich’s play adds a human voice to the dialogue and speaks relevant volumes.
Catherine Donohue lands a good paying job with the Radium Dial Watch Company, painting the faces of watches with a radioactive Radium compound that glows in the dark. The women are told that the compound is not dangerous, and actually may have healthful attributes, but as the watches pile up, the symptoms start to mount, and the women must fight battles on many fronts as their new worlds begin to decay. The emancipation that comes with money and work outside of the home exposes the women to new friendships, new ideas, and new perils.
The show is directed by Erin Roberg and Natalie Scheidler. It stars Tami Renner, Luke Sorteberg, Jolie Meade, Annalise Scheppers, Sarah Suta and Keith Suta
The show runs Fridays and Saturdays March 18th-April 2nd at 8pm. Tickets are $14 and can be purchased online or in person at Cactus Records and Gifts.
