Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Hartland High School Drama Club presents "Radium Girls" this weeekend. It tells the real life story of young factory workers in the United States who contracted severe and fatal radiation poisoning in the early 1900s after painting watch and clock dials with self-luminous glow-in-the-dark paint.

The young girls, mostly immigrants, were encouraged to "tip" their paint brush with their lips.

Cast members Olivia Kolke and Ethan Stang were on WHMI's Morning Drive with Chuck and Madison.

"They were these factory workers who worked in watch dial factories, and they would paint those dials with radium paint, before anyone knew that radium was dangerous," said Stang, who plays one of the company executives Arthur Roeder.

"He's a little bit of an anti-hero, even though he's a pretty bad person," he added. "He makes a very bad string of decisions. He does not want to see the girls suffer, but he will do what he thinks will benefit the company."

Kolke plays one of the dial painters.

"Everyone has been working so hard. We want to make sure we get the story across and show the importance of it, and how history can affect the future, even now," she said.

"Radium was found as something to be very helpful, even something that could cure cancer. So, no one knew how dangerous it could be."

"Radium Girls" runs this Friday through Sunday, November 6-8 at the Hartland High School Auditorium.

Showtimes and ticket information is linked below.

Photo courtesy of Hartland HS Theatre Arts Facebook page.