Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 12:30–2:00 PM EDT / 9:30–11:00 AM PDT / 10:30 AM–12:00 PM MDT / 11:30 AM–1:00 PM CDT / 1:30–3:00 PM ADT / 5:30–7:00 PM BST / 6:30–8:00 PM CAT & CEST / 7:30–9:00 PM EEST / 8:30–10:00 PM GST
This International Center for MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma webinar will address the enduring legacy of the dial painters whose work with luminous materials exposed them to lethal doses of radiation and whose campaign for justice changed the course of labor history. In 1928, a lawsuit by five women against their former employer, the U.S. Radium Corporation, revealed the complete lack of safety standards in the industry and set a new benchmark for radiation safety in the workplace. Their story has inspired documentaries, films, books and plays. Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory is one of the most produced dramas in U.S. high schools and a frequent choice for university theatre departments, with nearly 3,000 productions to date. Join the author, with radiation protection expert David J. Allard, and a panel of theatre-makers to discuss the depiction of this story in fact and fiction and its ongoing impact on new generations.
Speakers:
D.W. Gregory
D.W. Gregory is best known for RADIUM GIRLS, her most produced play, with nearly 3,000 productions throughout the U.S. and abroad. She is currently developing a musical version with composer Steven M. Alper and lyricist Sarah Knapp. Other works include THE OTHER AMERICAN, MEMOIRS OF A FORGOTTEN MAN; MOLUMBY’S MILLION, nominated for Philadelphia’s Barrymore Award; and A THING OF BEAUTY, winner of the Southeastern Theatre Conference’s New Play Award. Recipient, ICMGLT Repairer Excellence Award.
David J. Allard, MS, CHP, FHPS
David J. Allard, MS, CHP, FHPS, has been involved in radiation protection for over 48 years, and writes and lectures frequently on related topics, including clean-up of radium-contaminated sites. After 23 years of service, he retired as director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Radiation Protection in 2022. He is on several national and international committees and current chair of the TMI Unit-2 Community Advisory Panel.
Jeremiah Kolkman
Jeremiah Kolkman has been an English and Theatre teacher at Cheyenne Central High for twenty years. He received his B.F.A. in Theatre Performance and a B.A. in Secondary English Education from the University of Wyoming. He has produced and directed thirty-three shows at the high school, including Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory, which was performed at ITF in 2025.
Audrey Absher Mayfield
Audrey Mayfield received her B.A. in Theatre and Media Arts Education in 2001 from Brigham Young University -Provo. She has directed several plays at the junior high, high school, and community theater levels. She co-directed a production of Radium Girls at Cheyenne Central High School that went on to be performed at the International Thespian Festival (ITF).
Malakai Jaspersen
Malakai Jaspersen is a high school senior with eight years of experience in theatre, four of which were state and international competitions. He has been selected as a Rotary Youth Exchange student to the Czech Republic for the 2026–2027 academic year.
Isabelle Conwell
Isabelle Conwell is a senior at Cheyenne Central High School, experienced in theatrical performance and management. Serving as stage manager for Central’s production of Radium Girls has informed her perspective on arts and social advocacy. Isabelle will attend Boston University in the fall to study Music Education.
Seth Gordon
Seth Gordon is Professor of Directing and Theatre Management at the University of Oklahoma Helmerich School of Drama, where he is creating an MFA in Directing.Prior to moving into academia, he was a national leader in new play development and a highly regarded director throughout the United States. His book, “Crossroads in the American Theatre: New Leaders in a New Age” was published by Smith and Kraus in 2025. He considers himself a lucky man.
Willow Norton Zolan
Willow Norton Zolanis an Oregon-based theatre director, producer, and arts advocate focused on new work development and socially engaged art. Co-founder of The Bee on Fox Hollow, a nonprofit arts organization on a mission to repair the world through artmaking. Willow will be directing The Bee’s Signature Program; Small Batch Productions, a new work on ‘Repairing Oregon’ with visual, performing, and culinary artists in summer of 2027 in Eugene, Oregon.
Moderator:
Dr. Yael Danieli
A Clinical psychologist, traumatologist, victimologist and psychohistorian, Dr. Danieli is Founder, Executive Director and Senior Representative to the United Nations of the International Center for MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma (ICMGLT); Director, Group Project for Holocaust Survivors and their Children and Past-President, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
