Getting Ready Pack

Getting Ready For: BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Performing Arts

Summary of ‘Made in Dagenham’:

Main themes - Defiance against convention

• Fight for equal pay
• Casting
• Female empowerment 
• Duty/Obligation

Made in Dagenham is a comedic musical that captures a historical event and presents it in a simultaneously entertaining and didactic way.

Issues - 

• Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 - led by a group of women who sewed the car seats for Ford cars. 
• Their jobs were regarded as ‘less-skilled’ positions and because of that, they were to receive 15% less wages than men whose jobs were classified in the same level of skill.
• The ultimate result was the passage of the ‘Equal rights act’ in 1970.

Setting - The musical is set in Dagenham which is on the outskirts of Essex and London.

Time Period - The time period of the musical is the 1960’s - 1970’s but mainly based around 1968-1970. 

Context - ‘Made in Dagenham’ is a musical with music by David Arnold and lyrics by Richard Thomas and the original book in which the musical is based off was written by Richard Bean. Based on the 2010 film of the same name, which is turn was based on the real events of the Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968. The musical made it’s west-end and world premiere at the Adelphi Theatre in 2014.

Social Class - Majority of the characters = Working class people. So far as I know - Lisa = High class.

Costume requirements of a piece of text: 

From the text that I analysed it shows two characters were their costumes are explained, ‘Lisa and Rita’, the other character shown in this extract is ‘Teacher’ although their costume was not explained and are not important compared to the named roles of ‘Lisa and Rita’. 

Rita Costumes/Props:

Props shown: Bike “It’s stopped raining as Rita slides through a puddle on her bike”.

Costume shown: Blouse, Stockings, Short skirt “ She straightens her blouse” “one stocking is smeared with splashed up dirt” “As Rita strides towards them, short skirted”. 

I feel that the way Rita is portrayed in this script extract doesn’t really give you a lot to work with because it states what she’s wearing, although you can be creative with colours and more clothing that are not mentioned, such as: Hat, Coat, Handbag, Shoes etc. 

Lisa Costume/Props:

Props shown: N/A

Costume shown: Expensive clothing “She turns to face Rita. She is of a similar age, thin, and impeccably dressed in expensive high street fashion.” 

I feel that the way Lisa is portrayed in this script extract gives you a lot to work with. After researching clothing from the era of the late 1960’s to the early 1970’s it gave me a good idea on what Lisa might look. 

• Short hair (pixie cut possibly)
• Dangly earrings or Pearl large circular studs
• Hat
• Dress
• Heels 
• Handbag

The hat, dress, heels and handbag would all be matching a section of her outfit. Such as a colour theme. The theme she could have chosen could be blue and therefore she can have corresponding colours of either the same colour or colours that match her preferred choice. 

I feel that clothing in this scene really extends the different in the social class between Rita and Lisa. Although Lisa attempts to be kind to Rita by asking her “ Are you alright?” Which she speaks with a posh voice, indicating that she has been raised with wealth and also her clothing can show that she has been raised with wealth. Rita then responds with “Fuck off!” And then Rita barges past her. You can see that Rita seems embarrassed almost or that it isn’t exactly in her best interest to talk to Lisa about what's ‘wrong’.

Character Analysis: 

Rita O’Grady - 

The role of the character? - Rita is a devoted wife and mother of two school children, with a strong sense of right and wrong. She works as a machinist at the local Ford factory. Although not a naturally a leader at the beginning, after Connie dies she takes it upon herself to put things right and she shows herself to be a strong woman who leads the fight for equal pay.

The contribution of the character to the plot? - Rita’s contribution to the plot is that of the fact that she leads the fight for equal pay for women in 1968. The story of the musical slowly unravels Rita’s world as she loses her family through her own fight for the women equal pay. 

Their relationships with other characters e.g The other workers, their families etc.? - At the beginning of the musical has strong relationships with the other female workers at the Ford factory and her and her husband ‘Eddie’ and her two children are very close. But throughout the movement fight for women equal pay in 1968 lead by Rita herself, you see that she grows closer with some of the women who are fighting with her but she loses sight of her family and who she is as a mother. Eventually Eddie has enough and leaves with the two children. 

Lisa Hopkins - 

The role of the character? - Lisa Hopkins is a trophy wife to Mr Hopkins. She is very educated and wasting her time being a housewife, as she discovers through the show. She always wears the latest designer fashion and lends her red beber dress to Rita for her final speech. After finding it happening to her son, she starts a petition to stop caning in her son’s school - where she meets Rita. She supports the women’s fight despite being married to the man trying to stop it. An elegant and well spoken lady.

The contribution of the character to the plot? - The helps Rita out a lot of the time. She wants to do something with her life like Rita has instead of wasting her time as housewife. So she starts a petition to stop caning children in school.

Their relationship with other characters? e.g. The other workers, their families etc. - She has a good relationship Rita.