May 15, 2024
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Joliet theater to feature play about 4 women from the Radium Watch Factory in Ottawa

Performances are Thursday and Friday at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park and Theatre

By Denise M. Baran-Unland
The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet will present “TheseShining Lives” by Melanie Marnich on Thursday, March 24, and Friday, March 25, 2022, in honor of Women’s History Month. The play is based on the true story of young women in the 1920s and 1930s who painted luminous watch dials for the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois. Pictured (from left) are Stephanie Reusz as Catherine, Brenda Gilmore as Charlotte, Carla Montagano-Liburdi as Frances and Tamara Martinez as Pearl.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet will present “These Shining Lives” by Melanie Marnich on Thursday, March 24, and Friday, March 25, 2022, in honor of Women’s History Month. The play is based on the true story of young women in the 1920s and 1930s who painted luminous watch dials for the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois. Pictured (from left) are Stephanie Reusz as Catherine, Brenda Gilmore as Charlotte, Carla Montagano-Liburdi as Frances and Tamara Martinez as Pearl. (Photo provided)

In honor of Women’s History Month, a Joliet theater is hosting a play based on the lives of four women who worked at a watch factory in Ottawa.

Show times for these “These Shining Lives” by Melanie Marnich will be 10 a.m. (tenatively) and 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park and Theatre, 201 W. Jefferson St. in Joliet. The lobby will open 6 p.m. for evening shows.

The play centers around four women who painted luminous watch dials for the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa during the 1920s and 1930s, according to a news release from the Bicentennial Park.

“According to the opening monologue, the drama ‘isn’t a fairy tale, though it starts like one. It’s not a tragedy, though it ends like one,’ ” the release said. “It is a very human story focusing on four women who contracted horrible diseases due to their work. Their story helped make it illegal for a company to knowingly make employees sick or at risk.”

“These Shining Lives” is appropriate for ages junior high and up, according to the release.

The morning performances will be presented only if enough seats are reserved, according to the release. Teachers and home-school parents should make reservations as soon as possible by calling Bicentennial Park at 815-724-3761.

The cast includes Stephanie Reusz as Catherine, Brenda Gilmore as Charlotte, Carla Montagano-Liburdi as Frances and Tamara Martinez as Pearl as the four working women, according to the release.

Cast members also include Tom Csepregi (founder of the Women’s Theatre Guild) as Mr. Reed, the plant manager, and Austin Jones, as Tom, husband of Catherine. Jayce Carmine and Lucie Martinez portray Catherine’s children, according to the release.

Other cast members are Zane Carmine, Carole Harris, Jalina Klinger, Max Mayhew, Piper Novotny, Tom Novotny, and Abby White. Director is Jan Novotny, according to the release.

The 7 p.m. show will include concessions and a cash bar. Tickets for all shows are $5.

For ticket reservations and information, visit bicentennialpark.org or call 815-724-3761.