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  • 1.  Radium Girls Casting Question

    Posted 08-02-2016 12:17

    As I am rapidly approaching auditions for Radium Girls (p.s. VERY excited), I was curious if anyone has produced this with an "in between" casting.  The script calls for 9/10 actors all roles doubled or 38 without any doubling.  I would like to potentially cast 15-18 (many parts doubled...).  

    I have started working out what this would look like then thought, "Hey my forum friends may have done this!"  So, I am asking. 

    Thanks in advance!

    Rain

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    Raenell Smith
    Speech, Theatre, English Teacher
    Clark Pleasant Community School Corporation
    Whiteland IN
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  • 2.  RE: Radium Girls Casting Question

    Posted 08-02-2016 15:06

    I did the competition version of this show. I have several girls and only a few guys(I had 5), so had to double the guys more than the girls. It worked well for the most part. I let my casting depend more on my individual students than the suggestion in the script. I had one costume change issue with an actor changing from one scene into the next (Tom/Neff I think) My main thought was create a few more leads, then use the rest as doubled characters. It worked out really well. It's pretty obvious once you break down each character by scene. It's such a great play too!

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    Don Griffiths
    Director of Theatre
    Donelson Christian Academy



  • 3.  RE: Radium Girls Casting Question

    Posted 08-03-2016 09:58

    I did the show several years ago and had 22 in the cast - 6 boys, 16 girls. The cast breakdown and a few photos are attached.  My school in NJ is only about 12 miles from the site of the factory in East Orange, so that made it very personal for the cast.  A few of the girls playing the dial painters even researched where some of the women had been buried and took flowers to their graves on opening night.  It was a profound experience for them and one of our most successful productions.

    Best wishes for a successful show!

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    Susan Speidel
    Chairman of the Performing Arts Department
    Morristown-Beard School
    NJ

    Attachment(s)



  • 4.  RE: Radium Girls Casting Question

    Posted 08-03-2016 10:12

    We did the competition version this year. We had 5 female and 5 male leads that doubled all the characters. However we also casted 9 additional radium girls. They started out alive in the factory and died one by one taking their place behind the scenes in a green light (Amelia started out behind everyone since she is dead at the beginning of the show. All leads end up back there except Harriet. That's the 13 girls.) It was very cool- we even got to take it to SETC! 

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    Brooke Jackson



  • 5.  RE: Radium Girls Casting Question

    Posted 08-04-2016 07:07

    Thank you all so far for your answers.  We will see where auditions lead me.  

    Loved seeing your pictures!

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    Raenell Smith
    Speech, Theatre, English Teacher
    Clark Pleasant Community School Corporation
    Whiteland IN



  • 6.  RE: Radium Girls Casting Question

    Posted 08-05-2016 09:14

    A very flexible show.  I used about a dozen or so actors that never left the stage.  We had benches and costume racks stage left and right.  They exited one scene hung up the "coat" grabbed a "hat and scarf" and were ready for their next entrance.  It took some coordination, but it worked.  We went to town in Illinois that had the same thing happen.  We took lots of pictures and used them as projections.  I plan on doing the show again in our black box in the next couple of years..

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    [William] [Myatt] [Director of Theatre]

    [Pleasant Valley High School]

    [myattw@pleasval.k12.ia.us][563-332-5151][Bettendorf][IA][USA]



  • 7.  RE: Radium Girls Casting Question

    Posted 08-05-2016 17:43
    Edited by Kandace McGowan 01-13-2025 00:00

      



  • 8.  RE: Radium Girls Casting Question

    Posted 08-05-2016 21:12

    You'll love this show!  I cast 23 (see attached).  I found I was able to use some people to watch Marie Curie's speech as well as audience for the trial.  I also attached a couple of pictures.

    Enjoy!

    ------------------------------
    Cindy Skelton
    Drama Teacher
    San Mateo Union High School District
    Burlingame CA

    Attachment(s)

    docx
    Radium. Cast List.docx   84 KB 1 version