VAMPS of St Neots are bringing the heart-warming musical Made In Dagenham to the Priory Centre.

The musical, under the direction of Don McKay who is also a NODA representative for the region, takes place from April 4-6.

The cast have been working on the powerful ballads the show contains with musical director, Alana Thackery, who is said to have “really brought out the cast’s vocal range in this production”.

Audiences can look forward to an evening of laughing, crying and tapping their toes. The cast’s biggest challenge has been to combine the music with the dance routines put together by the talented Kimberley Phillips, who joined VAMPS for the first time in November’s production of Legally Blonde.

Made in Dagenham is drawn from the real-life 1968 sewing machinists strike at the Ford factory in Dagenham, Essex. This strike was influential in the passing of the Equal Pay Act of 1970.

The musical focuses on the leader of the strike, Rita O’Grady, as she encourages the women of the Ford factory to walk out after they are re-classified as unskilled workers, while their male counterparts see their wages increase.

After Rita is patronised and snubbed by the factory at a union meeting, the women’s grievances over their worker status turn into a fight for equal pay.

Determined not to be treated like the poor relation, the women vote unanimously to strike. Rita continues her efforts for equality and gives a rousing speech at a televised Trade Union Conference which leads to the passing of equal pay within the union.

Tickets for the musical are available via: ticketsource.co.uk/vamps or you can call the Priory Centre box office on: 01480 388922 for tickets.