VALLEY CHRISTIAN THEATRE STATEMENT
Here at Valley Christian Theatre (VCT), we believe it is vital for our students to know they can be unapologetically Christian in the Arts; their artistic gifts are God-given, after all. Further, it is equally important to us that our students leave our program well-prepared to think and live like followers of Jesus in a complex world. This includes learning to use their own Christian perspective to address worldly themes and the fallen nature of humanity, much like they do in their other academic studies. Often, it is when we confront these very themes that we turn towards Christ, humbling ourselves as we examine our own convictions, and seek wisdom; this is the gritty work that allows us to strengthen our faith (James 1:5-7).
Every VCT production, K-12, goes through a vetting process with several sets of theatrically experienced eyes on scripts before they are decided upon. We examine the scripts closely and decide as a team whether a show is a good choice for the Valley Christian Schools (VCS) stage. It is an extensive and time-consuming process, and one we do not take lightly. Invariably, we come across characters and situations that challenge our very human (and Christian) sensibilities. Please keep in mind that VCS does not condone these situations, characters, or lifestyles; rather, what you see on stage is a reflection of the reality of our modern world and culture. It is in these moments that we pause, humble ourselves, and begin to look for clues of justice and redemption within the story. While not always overt, they nearly always exist. And sometimes, bringing a smile to your face or a moment of joy to your heart is the redemptive moment (Isaiah 61:3).
As you enjoy tonight’s performance, if at any moment you find yourself triggered, we encourage you to pause, reflect, seek wisdom, and look for justice and redemption. If you have questions, strong thoughts, or feelings you wish to express, please, reach out to us—we want to engage in a healthy, respectful, and godly dialogue with you. It is our true desire to give y/our students artistic opportunities that allow the light of Christ to shine through them so that they may ultimately glorify God through their art “at home and in their communities”—to “Do it heartily unto the Lord.” We strive to ensure that the Valley Christian Theatre program embodies the VCS mission in all that we do.
BY D.W. GREGORY
October 2-4 and 9-11 | 7:00pm
ASL Interpreted performance on October 9
COSTUME DESIGN KATHY RISK
STAGE MANAGER HANNAH BALOG*
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER ANVI GOEL
ASSISTANT BACKSTAGE MANAGER EMMA HANNA
SCENIC DESIGN & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR JUSTIN McPHERSON (’07)
ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR KEATON MILLER (’17)
SOUND DESIGN GINGER KAELIN*
PROPERTIES AND SET DRESSING NICOLLE WAGNER
STUDENT HOUSE MANAGERS AASHNA MAHATO, AYUSH ROY
LIGHTING DESIGN LUCAS WARD
ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGN AVA DELKE (’24)
HAIR, WIG, & MAKEUP DESIGN LISA KESTER
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT/HOUSE MANAGER CRISTINA ZEPEDA
GRAPHIC DESIGN JILL CARLSON
RUNNING CREW LOGAN ABREAU CAMPEN, TAMARA ADKINSON, SPENCER HORSLEY, SOPHIA NAMEK, JAMES HAYWARD, JOSEPH GIAMMONA, JACOB THOMAS, SOPHIA MORAIS
PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR
MYRA KAELIN (’94)
*Conservatory Honors Fellow
Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
This is an exciting story. This is an uncomfortable story. This is an educational story. And this is a tragic story.
Most importantly, this story is true.
Our nation has a long history of discovery and advancement. Nowhere does this seem more palpable than right here, in the Silicon Valley of California. Technology seems to move faster than we can think, and what is today the latest and greatest, tomorrow will have been left behind in the wake of exploration and revelation. It is breathtaking! And why shouldn’t we seek it out? Are we not gifted with brains, with exceptional intelligence to use to our advantage, to make our lives longer, better, and easier? The answer is a resounding YES…isn’t it?
When our pursuits of progress and profit begin to take up residence in our souls, however, and visions of glory and grandeur take the place of truth, that is when we must be wary. That is when we must step away from our ego and deeply examine our hearts. When we must quiet our exceptionally intelligent minds, when we must stop our mouths, and simply listen. For when we listen with our spirit we can, miraculously, experience grace. Grace to accept truth, even though we may not like it. Grace to admit our mistakes, even though we might look foolish. Grace to bear our burdens. Grace to humble ourselves in front of God and humankind, which will ultimately lead to our salvation. Ironically, it is through our hardship, through our willingness to humble ourselves, that we encounter God’s grace. How fitting, then, that our story’s heroine is so aptly named.
This is an exciting story. This is an uncomfortable story. This is an educational, tragic, and very true story. But most all, this is a grace-filled story.
Glory to God in all things!
Producer and director
NOTE TO AUDIENCE: THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTING RECORDINGS OR STREAMS IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING THE INTERNET, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED, A VIOLATION OF THE AUTHOR(S)’S RIGHTS AND ACTIONABLE UNDER UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: https://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists
DRAMATURG’S NOTE
Historical drama allows us to engage directly with the past, while reflecting on our own culture and society. Radium Girls begins in 1918, when the vast majority of radium dials were produced for military use. Delicately painted radium watch dials shone in the muddy trenches of World War I Europe, while aircraft pilots flying above read their instrument dials by a radium-green glow. After the war ended, the demand for luminous watches and alarm clocks increased as the United States experienced a postwar economic boom. Soaring into the roaring twenties, skilled female artisans (many coming from careers in china painting) flocked to radium painting studios that promised high pay and high social status to their painters. The skills of these painters, particularly the method of “lip, dip, paint,” (where the painter would use her lips to shape the brush, dip the brush in the radium-infused paint, and then paint each number on the clock dials) allowed for focused brush strokes and precisely delineated details on miniscule watch faces.
The 1920s also ushered in various labor-saving devices and scientific advancements that innovators promised would improve the lives of the average American. Radios became common in every home, and cars were mass-produced as assembly lines revolutionized production. The discoveries of insulin, sulfa drugs, and vitamins (and the advent of the humble band-aid) transformed medicine. Radium was also thought to be a wonder drug and was marketed as a cure-all that could beat old age, revitalize tired bodies, and enhance cellular life. Manufacturers added it to everyday products like toothpaste, face cream, and water. However, radium was costly, so only those with enough disposable income could afford to partake in radium infused products. The dial-painting radium girls, though working class and mostly from immigrant families, were given the rare opportunity of being exposed to radium without having to spend their hard earned money on mass-produced products. Radium, some claimed, even made the skin “glow” with health. With enough exposure, many learned, tragically, just how wrong these assertions were as the radium seeped into their systems and clung to the calcium in their bones.
The real conflict of Radium Girls, however, centers on the choice to suppress the truth of radium’s danger from the girls in the studio. The enemy in this play is not the toxic poison, which glows in the bones of the actual radium girls to this day. The villains are instead the businessmen and doctors who prioritized production and profit over the lives of the women who painted the dials. This battle between humanity and the bottom line has been waged over and over again: from cigarette sales to energy drinks. Ultimately, Radium Girls is not about the radium–it instead serves as a reminder that human life must always be valued above all else and we, as the Imago Dei, must strive to seek justice and reconciliation whenever humanity is sacrificed for profit or selfish desire.
NICCOLE CARNER, Dramaturg
SETTING
The action takes place in and around Orange, New Jersey, between 1918 and 1928.
There will be a ten-minute intermission
CAST
(in order of appearance)
Grace Fryer...............................................................................................................Malia Liu*
Raymond Berry / Tom Kreider..................................................................Junior Lomeli
Arthur Roeder..................................................................................................Elijah Willson
Edward Markley / Dr. Cecil Drinker / Frederick Flinn, PhD....Joshua Prabhakar*
Irene Rudolph / Mrs. Michaels...........................................................Chrissa Kilpatrick
Kathryn Schaub.............................................................................................Ginger Kaelin*
Radium Girl / Clerk.......................................................................................Allison Zhong
Radium Girl / Shopgirl............................................................................Riddhi Vidyarthi
Radium Girl / Shopper................................................................................Maegan Irmler
Radium Girl / Harriet Roeder....................................................................Bethany Dohn
Radium Girl....................................................................................................Milania Chacon
Radium Girl........................................................................................................Marisol Chou
Radium Girl................................................................................................Ariana Schneider
Radium Girl.........................................................................................................Emma Tseng
Radium Girl.................................................................................... Manchen (Mathea) Wu
Mrs. MacNeil / Store Owner.................................................................................Kara Day
Dr. Von Sochocky / Lovesick Cowboy / Board Member #2............ Ayden Babish
Sob Sister................................................................................................ .................Xinyi Yang Reporter / Board Member #3.................................................Johan Gonzalez Lopez
Society Woman................................................................................................ Ashley Pham
Madame Curie / Diane Roeder.......................................................................Emily Rank
CB “Charlie” Lee / William J.A. Bailey / Court......................................Varan Verma
Mrs. Anna Fryer / Katherine Wiley...........................................................Talia Santizo*
Dr. Harriet Martland / Dr. Josephine Knef / Elderly Widow.............Aryaa Mehta
Board Member #1 / Venecine Salesman...............................................Michael Lynch
PRODUCTION TEAM
A founding member of Valley Christian Theatre, Myra holds a Master of Arts in Theatre Education (University of Northern Colorado) and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance (Santa Clara University). Throughout her nearly 25 years as an educator and administrator, she has also worked extensively with various local community theatre companies both on and off the stage, including serving as President of the Board of Directors for South Valley Civic Theatre. Directing credits include Rock of Ages, Clue, Into the Woods, Twelfth Night, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Crucible, Mary Poppins, Hello, Dolly!, Steel Magnolias, You Can’t Take It With You, Guys & Dolls, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Producers, City of Angels, God’s Favorite, Harvey, and The Fantasticks, among others. During the 2020-2021 school year, she spearheaded and directed two fully produced and filmed online productions for VCS: Godspell, and Check Please. She would not be here today without the unflinching support of her husband, Michael, and her three beautiful children, Lucia, Oliver, and Ginger. Glory to God in all things!
Niccole Carner holds her PhD in Theatre & Drama from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; her dissertation explored concepts of national identity within the plays of the National Theatre of Scotland. She’s previously served as dramaturg for Clue (VCT), Twelfth Night (VCT), The Merchant of Venice, Two Gentlemen of Verona, An Evening of Beckett Short Plays, and Eurydice. She appeared on the VCHS stage as Mrs. Merkle in Bye Bye Birdie (2023); other favorite productions include Hamlet (Gertrude), Woyzeck (Marie), The Mousetrap (Mollie Ralston), Miss Julie (Julie), The Birthday Party (Meg), and 1940’s Radio Christmas Carol (Judy).
Niccole Carner Assistant Director & Dramaturg
Myra Kaelin Producer & Director
10.30.25
JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL STRINGS
6 PM - JH Concert | 8 PM - HS Concert
SOUNDS OF AUTUMN
JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL BANDS, PERCUSSION, JAZZ BANDS, AND COMBOS
7PM - JH & HS Jazz Bands and HS Jazz Combos
6PM - JH Bands and Drums
Student Life Center
8PM - HS Bands and Percussion Conservatory Hall
AFFIRMING THE ARTS Fall 2025
Oct 2-4.............................. 9-11 Radium Girls - HS Theatre
Oct 23................................. Fall Choral Concert - JH/HS Choirs
Oct 30................................. Fall Strings Concert - JH/HS Strings
Nov 5.................................. Sounds of Autumn - JH/HS Bands
Nov 6-8............................... Treasure Island - JH Theatre
Nov 12................................. Fall Chamber Recital - JH/HS Chambers
Nov 20-22........................... Emerge: Adventures in Wonderland - HS Dance
Dec 10................................ Holiday Chamber Recital - JH/HS Chambers
Dec 12-13............................ A Charlie Brown Christmas - EL Theatre
Dec 15-18............................ Christmas at the California - K-12 Conservatory
Monday, December 15 - K-3 EL Choirs
Tuesday, December 16 - JH Music
Wednesday, December 17 - 4-5 EL Music, HS Band and Percussion
Thursday, December 18 - The Bells Still Ring: A Conservatory Christmas Finale
Grace Zhu
WARRIOR FUND
Tuition funds operations. Philanthropy fuels vision. Every gift makes a difference, so please consider donating to the Warrior Fund today.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 25, 2026
Join us for our annual Quest Ball dinner and auction. Enjoy a night to honor and celebrate the Warrior legacy, raise essential funds, and make a difference for students through financial assistance. vcs.net/questball
May 11, 2026
We look forward to welcoming the VCS community for a round of golf and a day of fellowship at the annual Golf Classic. vcs.net/golfclassic
Wherever you may be, we’re always here to support our amazing alumni like you.
As you continue to make a positive difference in communities around the world, we want to stay connected! We currently have 29 ambassadors all over the country that have connected with fellow alums near them. This past year we have visited 11 cities across the US and look forward to hosting an alumni dinner near you soon. Simply scan the QR code and fill out our “Alumni Connect Form” to stay updated on news and events. Let us know about where you’ve been, where you’re headed and stay connected with us today!
Giving PLANNED
The Shechem Oak Society empowers our community to make an extraordinary impact on future generations. The society comprises all who generously bequeath legacy gifts to Valley Christian Schools.
At a time when many American educational institutions are straying from biblical values, you can ensure that Valley Christian Schools continues its Quest for Excellence™ for future generations. Join us in providing high-quality Christ-centered education to our children and grandchildren by including VCS in your will.
VCS partners with Thompson & Associates to offer confidential and complimentary estate planning consultations to our board members, administrators, faculty, staff, and community. Join my wife, Kris, myself, and others in discovering the most tax-efficient means of transferring your estate to benefit your family and your passions.
As a trusted member of our VCS community, please accept our gift to you and arrange your estate planning consultation with Darren Penny of Thompson & Associates. You may email advancement@vcs.net or call my office at 408-513-2503. If you have already included VCS in your planned giving, kindly inform us so we may include you in our Shechem Oak Society.
Looking forward,
Clifford E. Daugherty, Ed.D. Chancellor
MISSION STATEMENT
Valley Christian Schools’ mission is to provide a nurturing environment o ering quality education supported by a strong foundation of Christian values in partnership with parents, equipping students to become leaders to serve God, to serve their families, and to positively impact their communities and the world.
VISION STATEMENT
A world where every student pursues their personal Quest for Excellence™
FOUNDING STATEMENT
Valley Christian Schools supports the homes and churches of students in providing an education that is grounded in the Judeo-Christian values of the Bible, as reflected in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. Valley Christian Schools is committed to a Quest for Excellence™ in all of its educational programs, and provides a comprehensive kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum with a rigorous college preparatory program. Firmly founded on Christian values, Valley Christian Schools challenges youth to aspire toward lives of character, service, and influence while pursuing their individual Quests for Excellence
