Detailed Character Descriptions

Irene Rudolph

Irene is one of the primary dial painters featured in the factory. She is 17 at the start of the play, and dies at the age of 23 before its close. Her closest friends are Grace and Kathryn. She is also Kathryn’s cousin. At the beginning of the play, Irene is the most lively of the friends. She is playful, and pulls pranks at the factory using their paint. She also makes a point of being socially informed and shares her knowledge of others’ personal lives. She is straightforward and determined. However, she doesn’t have many opportunities to fight against radium injustices as she is the first of the three girls to pass away.

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Irene would also portray Miss Wiley, Board Member #2, Photographer, and Mrs. Michaels.

Kathryn Schaub

Kathryn is one of the primary dial painters featured in the factory. She is 15 at the start of the play, and dies at the age of 25 before its close. Her closest friends are Grace and Irene, and Kathryn is the first of them to realize the extent of their danger. Kathryn most forcefully fights for answers at first, but quickly becomes cynical when faced with corrupt bureaucratic systems and additional complications. Since Irene is the first of the three to die, Kathryn and Grace fervently support each other while enduring their illnesses and legal complications. 

Schaub pronunciation- SHAWB The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Kathryn would also portray Board Member #1, Shopgirl, Society Woman, and Harriet.

Grace Fryer

Grace is one of the primary dial painters featured in the factory, and her closest friends are Kathryn and Irene. She is 15 at the start of the play and 26 at its close, and her emotional growth follows as such. Before any problems surface at the factory, Grace is a goody two-shoes in many senses of the phrase. She follows instructions diligently, and trusts the authority figures around her. However, as her friends begin to exhibit symptoms, she grows into an uncompromising woman who is both stoic and vulnerable. While Kathryn is one of the first to forcefully search for answers, Grace becomes dedicated to finding answers herself and seeking justice, both on her own and by sharing her story with journalists.

In addition to her friends and her mother, Mrs. Fryer, Grace is most closely connected to her fiancé, Tom. Grace desperately wants a future with Tom, but fears her own illness and deterioration will hurt him and their relationship. Grace grapples with her looming death extensively, yet maintains an excellent perspective and internal strength. Though Radium Girls features a flexible cast size, the actor playing Grace doesn’t portray other roles in the show. In a play with so many characters, Grace is a centralizing and grounding force as audiences most closely follow her journey and story.

Arthur Roeder

Arthur Roeder takes over Dr. Von Sochocky’s job as President of the U.S. Radium Corporation. He is 34 at the start of the play, and is 65 at its close. He strongly believes in radium’s corporate potential, and is ready to capitalize on its hopeful future successes. In his job, Roeder is eager to beat out competition, but is keen on cutting corners whenever possible. Though he considers himself a good leader, he doesn’t read the articles on radium he compiles and publishes himself, and chooses to lie to the Department of Labor regarding his factory’s inspection. These are examples of his routinely choosing what he wants to believe rather than accepting and working with problems he faces. 

Though Roeder acts rashly in difficult situations, he is not an inherently bad person. He does what he can to protect what he deems to be important, and dehumanizes the girls and their difficulties in order to justify his own immoral actions. However, when the reality of radium’s detrimental impact on his workers fully sinks in, Roeder feels terrible and regrets his previous mentality and decisions. 

Roeder pronunciation- REED-er Though Radium Girls features a flexible cast size, the actor playing Roeder doesn’t portray other roles in the show. In a play with so many characters, Roeder is a centralizing and grounding force as audiences most closely follow his journey and story.

Edward Markley

Markley is a counsel for the U.S. Radium Corporation, and directly counsels Roeder. Though he flies a bit under the radar at first, he becomes the mind behind Roeder’s legal decisions and operates exclusively in favor of the company. Markley is a rational and direct man who is ethically ambiguous. It is Markley who argues that the girls can’t press charges due to the statute of limitations, continually pushes back the court date in the hope that the girls will become too ill to appear, and tries to convince Grace to sign away her right to hold the company responsible for her illness. 

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Markley would also portray Von Sochocky, Store Owner, Venecine Salesman, and Martland.

C.B. "Charlie" Lee

Charlie Lee serves as the Vice President under Roeder at the U.S. Radium Corporation. He later becomes President of the company. Similar to Markley, Charlie is mostly concerned with the company’s well being and often advises Roeder to make decisions that favor the company’s well being and image rather than the girls’ who seek both health and justice. The morality of Lee’s decisions fluctuate over time. At the beginning of the scandal he tries to convince Roeder not to lie to the Department of Labor, but as tensions increase, their stances flip. When Roeder wants to offer a reasonable settlement to the girls, Lee tells him to remember how their financial well-being is connected to the company the next time his conscious starts to bother him. However, Lee ultimately agrees to give each girl $10,000 as a settlement after the trial. 

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Lee would also portray Drinker, Bailey, Flinn, Male Shopper, Court, and Lovesick Cowboy.

Dr. Von Sochocky

Von Sochocky is the founder and ex-president of the U.S. Radium Corporation. The position was succeeded by Roeder. Von Sochocky also notably invented the luminous paint containing radium that poisoned the factory girls. However, he didn’t know about its poisonous nature at the time of its invention. He feels deeply guilty about his contribution and its harmful impacts. Once the girls’ stories are featured in the news, he states that radium is very dangerous and offers to testify for the girls. When Von Sochocky assumed radium was safe, he drank bottles of it and got sick himself. He is one of the most moral and sensitive men in the show, and does the right thing by taking the responsibility for the numerous deaths up front. 

Von Sochocky pronunciation- VON Sa-SHOCK-y The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Von Sochocky would also portray Markley, Store Owner, Venecine Salesman, and Martland.

Mrs. Alma Macneil

Mrs. Macneil is Grace, Irene, and Kathryn’s supervisor in the factory. She is strict about the rules, and wants to ensure the dial painters work at a high level. She makes sure to discipline the girls while the company managers are supervising, and they appreciate her work in turn. Mrs. Macneil instructs the factory girls to continue forming a fine point on their brushes by using their mouths, and refuses to answer resulting questions from the factory girls. 

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Mrs. Macneil would also portray Sob Sister, Clerk, Elderly WIdow, and Mrs. Fryer.

Tom Kreider

Tom is Grace’s fiancé who is several years older than she is. He works as a postal worker and is slightly concerned about finances. But Grace’s mom, Mrs. Fryer, mostly pressures Tom about being able to financially support her daughter. He is fully dedicated to Grace, and envisions a future with her and their hopeful children. Grace’s illness becomes a source of conflict, since she tries to create space between them knowing she can’t give him the future he wants, but he insists on continuing to hope their relationship will last. Tom is stubborn in the best of ways, and fully supports Grace throughout her illness even though she sometimes makes it difficult for him. 

Kreider pronunciation- CRY-der The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Tom would also portray Reporter, Berry, and Knef.

Diane Roeder

Diane Roeder is married to Arthur Roeder. Diane is intelligent, and feels conflicted between supporting her husband and confronting the accusations made against him. When Diane confronts Arthur about newspaper headlines that expose his factory, Arthur dismisses everything. But Diane is confident in her own reasoning and clearly is disappointed by his response and inaction. In many ways Diane is the voice of reason, and ultimately removes the radium bottles from their home. 

Roeder pronunciation- REED-er The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Diane would also portray Madame Curie, Customer, and Board Member #3.

Anna Fryer 

Anna Fryer is Grace’s mother. She is mostly concerned with Grace’s well-being, and therefore is mostly motivated to convince her daughter to make decisions that Anna believes will best support Grace. She is a bit single minded, focusing mostly on practical things, and doesn’t often consider the whole picture. Anna feels disconcerted by Tom’s minimal income, especially since Tom and Grace intend to be married. Anna doesn’t like it when Grace first quits her job at the factory because she wants Grace to have an income. But once Grace becomes ill and is pained by bureaucratic court processes, Anna attempts to force Grace to accept $1,500 offered to them in return for agreeing to “hold the company harmless from any further action.” She outwardly operates both to encourage financial stability, but also hopes to ease the strife Grace faces. 

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Anna Fryer would also portray Sob Sister, Clerk, Elderly Widow, and Mrs. Macneil.

Katherine Wiley

Katherine Wiley is a human rights advocate and the executive director of the New Jersey Consumer’s League. She is one of the most determined characters, and she represents the potential for positive future change. She tirelessly fights for the factory girls. She is never divisive or controlling, but rather helps them believe in their ability to have a voice that can inspire change. It is due to Wiley’s efforts that the girls gain such broad news coverage, and therefore are able to sway public opinion. However, because Wiley mostly prioritizes macro-goals like making a large impact through publicity, she sometimes misses the micro needs of the girls. But on the whole, Wiley is a selfless individual and is mostly motivated to make the world a better place by helping others as best she can. 

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Wiley would also portray Irene, Board Member #2, Photographer, and Mrs. Michaels.

Raymond Berry 

Berry is a human rights advocate and an attorney for the dial painters. He and Wiley function similarly and work together for the girls, but sometimes disagree on tactics. Since Berry is mostly concerned about the girls’ immediate well-being, he becomes concerned by Wiley’s guidance that encourages widespread news coverage. He is very true to type, as he productively and intelligently works for the common man and fights for justice with wit and heart. 

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Berry would also portray Tom, Reporter, and Knef.

Harriet Roeder

Harriet is Arthur and Diane Roeder’s daughter. She is nine years old at the beginning of the play, but grows into her 30s at the end. She is seen both in her childhood home, and accompanying her father to the cemetery where the factory girls are buried. She tells her father that none of what happened was his fault because there was less scientific knowledge at the time of the radium incidents.

Roeder pronunciation- REED-er The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Harriet would also portray Kathryn, Board Member #1, Shopgirl, and Society Woman.

Dr. Cecil Drinker 

Drinker is a Harvard industrial hygienist and an unbiased researcher. Unlike other industry “professionals,” Drinker is not paid off by Roeder. Rather, Drinker creates a truthful health report after investigating the U.S. Radium Corporation. Drinker’s report notes that the health problems in the factory are likely due to the radium present in the factory, and that the employees illnesses can be explained on no other grounds. Drinker advises in the report that immediate and drastic remedial action take place, but Roeder ignores this advice. 

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Drinker would also portray Lee, Bailey, Flinn, Male Shopper, Court, and Lovesick Cowboy.

Dr. Harrison Martland

Martland is the county medical examiner. When many individuals claim the positive effects of radium, Martland is skeptical and tells reporters he advises further study.

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Martland would also portray Markley, Von Sochocky, Store Owner, and Venecine Salesman.

Dr. Joseph Kneff

Dr. Knef is a two-faced dentist. Though he is honest and caring during his first appointments with the factory girls, he quickly becomes manipulative and self-serving when he realizes he can capitalize off their situation. During the beginning stages of the crisis, Irene and Grace choose to visit him as their dentist. He advises that the company should be obligated to help them given their horrible medical conditions. However, he later attempts to make a monetary deal with Roeder. Under this deal, Knef would offer the girls free dental appointments and Roeder would pay Knef for favorable diagnoses. Knef reasons the girls would be too poor to pay him, or they would die before they could pay him. So that way both he and Roeder would win. However, Roeder and his board don’t ultimately agree to sanction Knef’s scheme. 

Knef pronunciation- NEF The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Knef would also portray Tom, Reporter, and Berry.

Dr. Marie Curie

Dr. Marie Curie is the French scientist who discovered radium. She preaches radium’s healing powers, and advertises for fellow women to join the “Marie Curie Radium Club” which is intended to fund radium research focused on humanitarian aid. 

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Marie Curie would also portray Mrs. Roeder, Customer, and Board Member #3.

Dr. Frederick Flinn, Ph.D.

Flinn is an industrial hygienist from Columbia University with a Ph.D. Flinn is paid off by the U.S. Radium Corporation to convince the girls their symptoms are due to poor diet. In addition, he is paid to testify that the corporation shouldn’t be held responsible for the deaths of the factory girls.

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Flinn would also portray Lee, Drinker, Bailey, Male Shopper, Court, and Lovesick Cowboy.

Sob Sister (Nancy Jane Harlan)

Sob Sister is a tabloid reporter who writes for the New York Graphic. Overtime, she reads news updates and headlines aloud, participates in press conferences, and shares information with the public. She functions to document the dates and updates regarding the radium crisis. She does this alongside her male counterpart, Reporter.

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Sob Sister would also portray Clerk, Elderly WIdow, Mrs. Fryer, and Mrs. Macneil.

William J.A. Bailey 

Bailey is an entrepreneur and a manufacturer of Radithor (pronounced RAY-da-thor). He tells reporters that “Radioactivity is one of the most remarkable agents in medical science” and that he “discovered the amazing, vitalizing qualities of radium water.” 

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Bailey would also portray Lee, Drinker, Flinn, Male Shopper, Court, and Lovesick Cowboy.

Mrs. Michaels

Mrs Michaels is a consumer of Radithor (pronounced RAY-da-thor). She tells reporters that she drinks Radithor to help her rheumatism, and says that “I felt like I been hit by a bolt of lightning, it was that powerful. Now I drink a bottle a week, just to maintain my health.”

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Mrs. Michaels would also portray Irene, Miss Wiley, Board Member #2, and Photographer.

Society Woman 

Mrs. James Middleton, otherwise known as Society Woman, is a well-bred woman. She is connected to the Marie Curie Radium Club and hosts a Marie Curie speaker event for reporters and club members. 

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Society Woman would also portray Kathryn, Board Member #1, Shopgirl, and Harriet.

Clerk

Clerk is an overworked public employee at the health department. Kathryn files a complaint with her. When the Clerk assures Kathryn that the factory where the three girls worked had been investigated and was deemed safe since there was no trace of phosphorus, Kathryn rants to Grace and Tom and then catches the Clerk’s attention when she shares that Irene died.

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Clerk would also portray Sob Sister, Elderly Widow, Mrs. Fryer, and Macneil.

Reporter

Reporter is a member of the press who writes for the Newark Ledger. Overtime, he reads news updates and headlines aloud, participates in press conferences, and shares information with the public. He functions to document the dates and updates regarding the radium crisis. He does this alongside his female counterpart, Sob Sister.

The cast size in Radium Girls is flexible. The smallest version of the production features 9 actors. In this case, the actor portraying Reporter would also portray Tom, Berry, and Knef.