The Factory Girls – a play for our times

The Factory Girls, the play that first brought Frank McGuinness to the public eye, will be staged at the Town Hall Theatre next Tuesday and Wednesday, May 21 and 22 in a new production from Derry’s Millennium Forum.

The play, which is filled with humour and pathos, tells the story of five women who stage a lock-in at a shirt factory in Co Donegal when faced with the threat of redundancy. Ellen, Una, Vera, Rosemary and Rebecca are five strong, independent women who unite against a common enemy and stand up to ‘the man upstairs’ and the union in an effort to save their jobs.

The Factory Girls was first produced at the Peacock stage in the Abbey theatre in 1982 and was the play that brought Frank McGuinness to prominence. It remains particularly relevant today.
The Forum’s new production, which is touring nationally, is directed by Caitriona McLaughlin. It features a host of talented Irish actors including Lucia McAnespie, Noelle Brown, Stella McCusker, Kerrie O’Sullivan, Cathleen Bradley, Sean Donegan and Howard Teale.

The Factory Girls is at the Town Hall Theatre next Tuesday and Wednesday, May 21 and 22 at 8pm. Booking at tht.ie, 091 569777 or at the venue.