Activism in the 80s

Strike! The Play

From Page to Stage

The Beginning

In 2014, Mark Sands and Andrew Muir decided to set up Ardent Theatre Company with a vision to make theatre a place where no one feels like an outsider.

On 9th September 2014, writer Tracy Ryan emailed Ardent her script STRIKE! following a sold out production in Ireland in 2010.

STRIKE! premiered at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Dublin in May 2010 and returned later that autumn for an additional run at the Beckett and the Axis Theatre in Ballymun due to popular demand. Helen Ryan produced the show and Tracy directed it with a dedicated cast and creative team.

2010 cast and production team with original strikers

Tracy had become aware of the story of the Dunnes Store Strikers after hearing an interview with Mary Manning on RTE Radio. Her first point of contact was Brendan Archbold, IDATU (now Mandate) Union Organiser for the strike. Brendan greatly supported Tracy by sharing his extensive archive and introduced her to the Strikers during the development of the play. The Strikers, Brendan Archbold and Brendan Barron would attend the Strike premiere at the Samuel Beckett Theatre on 27 May 2010.

It was instantly compelling; this story of a group of shop workers in Dublin during the 80s going out on strike to support those suffering under apartheid on the other side of the world in South Africa.

2015 The Park Theatre, London

Ardent decided to hold a public rehearsed reading of the play to hear it out loud and test it in front of an audience.

Preparation started in November 2015 in Ireland working with director Catriona McLoughlin, dramaturg Dr Shelley Troupe and writer Tracy Ryan to support the redrafting of the 2010 script.

The rehearsed reading was then presented at the Park Theatre on Wednesday 2nd December 2015 and directed by Catriona with a cast of 16 actors who performed to an invited audience.

The response was excellent, and from that Ardent made a commitment to producing the play. However, given the amount of funding that would be needed for a play of this scale, the process from this initial reading to a full production would take 8 years.

Read through at Park Theatre directed by Catriona McLoughlin

2018 The Playground Theatre, London

On Saturday 23rd June 2018, a semi-staged reading of the play was presented at The Playground Theatre as part of the venue’s first ever RebelFest season taking place over 2 days. This was directed by Francesca Tennant with some of the actors from the previous reading joining actors who were new to the play.

Poster for RebelFest at The Playground Theatre

2019 Liberty Hall, Dublin

To celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the strike, Dave Gibney from Mandate Trade Union, Clara Purcell as producer, and Tracy as director jointly organised a two-day event at Liberty Hall in Dublin on 1st and 2nd November 2019. The event, sponsored by several Irish Unions included a new staged reading of the play, followed by performances of music and spoken word by Irish and International artists, Farah Elle, Natayla O’Flaherty, and Yankari. On the following day, panel discussions on international solidarity included activists, historians, and unions from Ireland, England, South Africa, and Palestine. The event culminated in a live podcast with the Strikers.

35th Anniversary Reading at Liberty Hall in Dublin

2021 The Irish Cultural Centre, London

In January 2020, Arts Council England awarded Ardent a grant to work with Tracy to prepare the play for a full production.

Originally, a new rehearsed reading was planned to take place the same year, but the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown put that on hold. Instead, during lockdown, Ardent enlisted 11 actors to workshop the play via Zoom with director Kate Saxon as part of the rewriting process of the play.

Reading of STRIKE! at the Irish Cultural Centre

On 28th July 2021, after lockdown restrictions had been lifted, the play received another public reading at the Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith with 13 actors selected from previous readings and new actors taking part for the very first time. The aim of this reading was to test the most up to date version of the script and try and secure further funding for the full production.

The invited audience was asked to give their feedback as part of our development process of the play. The reading was funny, moving and pacy and proved how well it would be received by audiences. The story was fascinating and one which had gone under the radar for so many.

Reading of STRIKE! at the Irish Cultural Centre

On 16th September 2021, a video recording of the reading at the Irish Cultural centre was shown online as a free public event and was followed by a live-streamed Q&A with 3 of the original strikers.

Following the reading, Andrew Muir continued to work with Tracy on the script through dramaturgical support. Running in parallel to the script work, Ardent continued the process of raising the funds necessary to achieve a full-scale production; a process that led to several grants and many celebrity donations from people such as Ian McKellen, Richard O’Brien, Liam Neeson, Judi Dench and more.

Reading of STRIKE! at the Irish Cultural Centre

2023 Southwark Playhouse Borough, London

On Monday 13th March 2023, rehearsals began for a 4-week run of the play in the main space at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 13th April to 6th May, this time directed by Kirsty Patrick Ward with a cast of 13 actors.

Rehearsals for STRIKE! - Photo Ayah Khan

During rehearsals, the cast and creative team worked collaboratively to fine-tune the script, adding in new edits and enhancing theatrical moments with movement and music. For example, in a scene where Tommy is attacked by the Special Branch, the Actor, Director, Writer and Movement Director worked together to explore the moment through movement rather than text. It proved to be one of many highlights of the show.

The goal was to share the story of the strike while allowing the audience to connect with the Strikers' struggles in their pursuit of change.

The production ran for 28 performances, was seen by over 3,000 people, received 4- and 5-star reviews and a standing ovation almost nightly.