GIRL power stormed the stage at Gordon’s School to tell the story of the sewing machinists’ strike at Ford’s Dagenham car factory as they demanded equal pay with male workers.

Pink apron-clad students were among the cast at the West End secondary school, in a musical based on the film Made in Dagenham.

The production transported audiences back to 1968, when women among a workforce of 55,000 stood their ground against the company, their union and the Government – paving the way for the Equal Pay Act of 1970.

Inequality, misogyny and the difficulties faced by women are exposed, in a true story about women whose skilled job of sewing car seat covers was classified as unskilled. They were paid just 87 per cent of the unskilled male rate.

The women stood up for their rights, bringing their fight to the notice of Parliament and ultimately proving a vital force in women workers’ rights.

Gritty and compelling, Made in Dagenham was also humorous and touching and demonstrated the exceptional ability of those singing, acting and dancing. Many of the production team were also students.

The musical, performed over three nights to capacity audiences at Gordon’s, opens with breakfast at Rita O’Grady’s (Emily Hallett) home with her children (Susie Early and Owen Knight) and her hapless husband Eddie (Killian Smith), who has again forgotten their wedding anniversary.

Then it’s off to the Ford factory, where Eddie works on the motor production and Rita at the sewing machine. There the women machinists learn that their pay grade is being lowered to “unskilled”.

With support from their shop steward (Leo Dicks-Scantlebury) the women begin their journey 
towards improving their pay to that of a skilled worker and equal to their male counterparts.

The strikers gain the attention of Prime Minister Harold Wilson, played by Noah Schollick complete with pipe and northern accent.

He passes on the problem to Employment Secretary Barbara Castle (Faith Kurzberg), with her 
nylon matching dress and jacket, who brokers a deal with the striking women and Ford so their rate of pay is increased to that of eight per cent below that of the men.

Director Robbie Olden said: “The students’ approach to the production has been professional and mature from the outset. The show tackles difficult themes and the students have shown a genuine desire to learn about the history and context behind the show.

“We have had great fun in rehearsals since September and the students have worked tirelessly tackling difficult text, intricate songs, some dodgy accents and some occasional strong language.”