Made in Dagenham – Audition details
Michael Horne
We are pleased, and excited, to announce the workshop and audition dates for our Spring 2020 musical, Made in Dagenham.
Workshops
Workshops take place in the Clubroom at The Mill on Thursday, 5th December and Thursday, 12th December, both at 7.30pm. Come along, have fun and get to grips with the musical audition pieces.
Auditions
Auditions for Made in Dagenham will take place on Saturday, 14th December from 12pm at The Mill.
Rehearsals
Rehearsals for Made in Dagenham will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Synopsis
The musical is based on the 2010 film Made in Dagenham which in turn centred around the true-life events of the Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968. The film principally follows the main character of Rita O’Grady, who acts as the spokesperson for a group of female workers at Ford’s Dagenham plant, who go on strike to fight the inequality that becomes apparent when women workers were to be paid less as they were classed as unskilled. In contrast, their male colleagues were classed as skilled and ultimately received more pay. These actions led to the creation of the Equal Pay Act 1970.
For a complete scene-by-scene breakdown of the show, please visit Wikipedia.
Characters
Women
Rita O’Grady – (Playing age 30s). Average working class mum. Excellent actress and singer. Married to Eddie for 10 years. Mother to Graham and Sharon. A Machinist at the Ford Dagenham factory – likeable with a good sense of humour.
Beryl – (Playing age 40s+) One of the machinists. Funny, foul mouthed factory worker. Ballsy, bolshie and inappropriate, she has a massive heart and is very well-loved with her self-deprecating sense of humour.
Connie Riley – (Playing age 50’s) Shop Steward. Strong actress and good singer. Has dedicated her life to the rights of the factory women. Strong, principled, she has a quiet passion to convince Rita to lead the strike.
Sandra – (Playing age 20’s-30’s) One of the factory machinists. Good actress and singer. Young, attractive and knows how to make the most of her looks.
Claire – (Playing age 20’s-30’s) One of the factory machinists. Excellent comedy skills and a good singer. Not the smartest tool in the box but she enjoys a giggle at the rude jokes. She is well meaning but totally inarticulate (Comically, she can never find the right words).
Cass – (Playing age 30s). One of the machinists. Ambitious and the most sensible and down to earth of the factory women. She is frustrated in her work and (idealistically) wants to be an airline pilot.
Barbara Castle – (Playing age 40’s/50’s) Minister for Transport. Excellent actress and singer. Able to capture the qualities of this well-known politician. West Yorkshire accent. Self-assured, feisty, strong. Likeable but does not mince her words or flinch at holding her own against the men.
Lisa Hopkins – (Playing age 25-35) Wife of Mr Hopkins. Good actress. Cambridge graduate. Well spoken, eloquent with RP accent but not at all a ‘snob’. Intelligent, human, compassionate but is unhappy in her marriage where she is expected to play the role of ‘trophy wife’.
Sharon O’Grady – Rita & Eddie’s Daughter
Men
Eddie O’Grady – (Playing age 30’s) Rita’s Husband. Strong singer and actor. An ordinary, likeable, working class bloke. Happy go lucky and a bit of a joker. Loves Rita, but is ‘one of the lads’ and would expect his ‘tea on the table’. However, he is a decent guy and tries his best to be supportive when the strike starts.
Harold Wilson – (Playing age 50’s) Labour Prime Minister. Good Comic actor and singer. Able to catch some of the qualities of this well-known politician. West Yorkshire accent. Is played as something of a comedy buffoon in the show. He is chauvinistic and slightly clueless.
Sid – (playing age 30’s+) Factory worker and Union Shop Steward. One of the workers on the shop floor who represents the ‘fitters’ and sprouts half-hearted Marxist banter. His priority is larking about and sharing a laugh. A ‘double act’ with Bill.
Bill – (playing age 30’s+) Factory worker and Union Shop Steward. One of the factory workers on the shop floor who represents the ‘engineers’ but, like Sid, is more likely to be larking about and sharing sexist jokes. A ’double act’ with Sid.
Monty – (Playing age 50’s) NUVB Convenor. Good actor. Working class factory worker and Union steward who represents the women. Sensitive, good hearted and quietly unassuming. He wants to support the women as he believes in their cause, but isn’t particularly assertive with management.
Mr Hopkins – (Playing age 35-45) Managing Director, Ford Dagenham. Good actor. Ex-public school, university educated and well spoken (RP accent). A conformer who wants an easy life and a submissive wife who will support him in his corporate career.
Mr Tooley – (Playing age 30s+) Ford U.S. Executive. Good actor and singer with a strong presence. American accent. Confident, powerful, arrogant, insulting. Speaks to everyone in a bullish way but can also be subtly sinister.
Ron Macer – (Playing age 30+) Ford Dagenham Production manager. Working class middle management. Unhappy at home and would rather be at work.
Gregory Hubble – (Playing age 30+) Ford Dagenham Personnel Manager. Working class Middle management. Sees himself as a bit of a comedian.
Cortina Man – (playing age 20s-30s) ‘Front Man’ for the Cortina launch. Good singer. Cheesy, charming, insincere, and attractive. The definitive car salesman.
Graham O’Grady – Rita & Eddie’s Son
There are also ensemble parts which may, or may not, be doubled, depending on who auditions.
Production Team
Director: Lester Cooke
Musical Director: Leigh Smith