Outcry Youth Theatre Stages RADIUM GIRLS for Women's History Month

Do not let Women's History Month come to a close without purchasing your tickets to Outcry Youth Theatre's RADIUM GIRLS.

Outcry's usual hallmarks of bold artistic vision delivered by some of the most talented youth actors in the region will be on full display as they bring these heroic women of the past to life on stage for DFW audiences.

Inspired by a true story, RADIUM GIRLS, takes us back to the 1920s where radium was painted onto watch faces for its luminous qualities without concern for the health impacts of radiation. The story traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a watch dial painter, as she fights for her day in court. Her chief adversary is her former employer, Arthur Roeder, an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumors could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees. As the case goes on, however, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation, but with her own family and friends, who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire. The case brought by the "radium girls" that inspired this play is often thought of as a turning point in the labor rights movement. These women's efforts are credited with significant improvements in industrial safety standards that workers benefit from even today.

Becca Johnson-Spinos, RADIUM GIRLS director, thrives on the challenge of doing difficult things with a youth cast. Just a few months ago, her team successfully mounted a stellar run of Peter and the Starcatcher which left audiences awed by the complexity of the staging so well executed by this practiced group of youth performers. When asked, Johnson-Spinos describes the RADIUM GIRLS challenge as somewhat different, "There is an element of pressure when you are dealing with a true story. We want to do justice to these women and their place in history, while at the same time, we want audiences to walk away thinking we made some great theatre. I hope we've been able to do both."

Tickets for the show can be purchased at the door or online at www.outcrytheatre.com/radium-girls.

Outcry Theatre's hallmarks are bold artistic vision, highly physical staging and an energetic and visceral performance stylE. Johnson-Spinos brings the same style and unwavering dedication to excellence to Outcry Youth, the newest theatre in the Outcry family.

"This is not children's theatre. This is theatre." Outcry Youth Theatre's motto describes how they approach each of their productions. The goal is not for the plays to be good "for kids," but for them to be as good as any adult production. Outcry Youth Theatre opened its first show, Love/Sick, in July of 2016. In the nine short months since that first show, youth actors from McKinney to Dallas have performed in Eurydice, A Wrinkle in Time, A Year with Frog and Toad, Peter and the Starcatcher, and a new adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. A Wrinkle in Time was recognized with the 2016 Broadway World Dallas Best Youth Play Award. Upcoming productions include: Seussical and Lord of the Flies.

The Artistic Director of Outcry Theatre, Johnson-Spinos received her MFA in Directing for Theatre from Baylor University, which culminated with her thesis production of The Seagull. At Baylor, in addition to directing numerous workshop productions, she also directed Brilliant Traces and assistant directed Blood WeddinG. Johnson-Spinos earned her BFA in Music Theatre from Elon University, and attended Playwrights Horizons Directing Lab and Shakespeare's Globe and Washington University's Shakespeare Intensive. She wrote, directed, and performed a one-woman show for the New York Fringe Festival. Additionally, Johnson-Spinos worked as an assistant to the Artistic Director at Burning Coal Theatre Company in North Carolina, where she also assistant directed and performed. In the Dallas area, she previously served as a director at Plano Children's Theatre (directing over 25 productions), as well as their daytime show manager. Johnson-Spinos and her husband, Jason, a filmmaker, theatre-artist and teacher, founded Outcry Theatre in 2012 with the mission to draw young adults to theatre. Outcry Youth is a new expansion of Outcry Theatre in which Johnson-Spinos has created the perfect vehicle to meld her extensive children's theatre experience with the artistic vision of Outcry creating a unique theatre offering for DFW audiences and youth participants.

IF YOU GO:

RADIUM GIRLS

OPENING NIGHT: Friday, April 7, 2017 at 7:30pm
CLOSING PERFORMANCE: Saturday, April 22, 2017, 7:30pm
Evenings: April 7, 8, 20, 21, 22 at 7:30pm
Matinees: April 8, 9, 22 at 2:00pm

At Studio Theatre, Addison Theatre Center, 15650 Addison Rd., Addison, TX, 75001

Tickets: $10 for General Admission; $20 For Premium Reserved. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at this link: www.outcrytheatre.com/radium-girls.

 

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