Tickets are now available for Bluffton University’s production of “These Shining Lives” by Melanie March, to be performed in November.

Dr. Melissa Friesen, a professor and chair of communication and theatre at Bluffton, will direct the show, being staged at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3-5 and 2:30 p.m. Nov. 6 in Ramseyer Auditorium in College Hall. Reserved tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for senior citizens (65 and over) and non-Bluffton students. Tickets are available online at http://tickets.bluffton.edu or at the Marbeck Center information desk. For assistance with tickets, call the box office at 419-358-3239. 

“These Shining Lives” is based on the true story of the women who worked at the Radium Dial Company in the 1920s and 30s. Set during a period when newly liberated women were entering the workforce, the play begins as the women get jobs painting the faces of watches and clocks at the Ottawa, Ill., factory with luminous paint. However, the paint is toxic, and unbeknownst to the women, their company has knowingly poisoned them. 

The emotional drama chronicles how the women, led by Catherine Donohue, set out to improve working conditions for future generations. 

The major roles and participating students are as follows: 

Catherine Donohue: Brianne Lugibihl

Frances: Carrie Blust

Charlotte: Brista Drake

Pearl: Emily Short

Tom Donohue: Lucas Augustine

Mr. Reed: Ian Mount

Leonard Grossman: Theran Carroll

Stage manager: John Eckenrode

Technical directors: Mervin Schrock

Costume designer: Joan Bauer