THE MUSICAL
11, 12 and 13 December 2023 Ryan Theatre Harrow-on-the-Hill
From the Director A warm welcome to the Ryan Theatre this evening for our production of Made in Dagenham. We are thrilled to present this wonderfully uplifting and empowering musical, which not only marks a significant moment for John Lyon School but also holds a powerful relevance in today’s global context. The story of female workers at the Ford Dagenham plant fighting for equal pay in the 1960s resonates strongly with the ongoing struggle for social justice and gender equality. In a world where we continue to grapple with complex socio-political issues, the resilience of the characters in Made in Dagenham serves as an inspiring reminder of the strength that individuals can find in the face of adversity. For the cast and company, the play’s themes, and characters depicted through the
interpersonal relationships between the strident female workers and their often over-zealous, chauvinistic male counterparts has provided an invaluable lesson. We hope you enjoy the show and leave with a newfound appreciation for the fortitude and determination of those who fight for justice and equality. This production has been a remarkable collaborative effort, featuring students from various year groups, from Year 8 all the way up to the Upper Sixth. We are also grateful for the wonderful contributions of our visiting students from Whitmore High School, St Dominic’s Sixth Form College, and St Helen’s School, whose energy, skill, and professionalism have greatly enriched this project. The commitment and dedication displayed by everyone involved, from the cast to the production team, have been nothing short of extraordinary, and we are truly proud and excited to perform the material to you this evening. Made in Dagenham is a contemporary musical that challenges our performers in multiple ways, from mastering
Mr Poole’s complex harmonies to executing Miss Lee’s intricate dance sequences whilst embodying the depth and emotion required to tell such a complex and thought-provoking story. ‘This is America’ that begins Act II, is a particularly memorable number for its sheer spectacle, meticulous attention to detail and precision. The journey to bring this story to life on stage has been a long and ambitious one, but the passion and dedication of our cast and crew has shone through every step of the way. The Ryan Theatre, with its remarkable facilities, has been an invaluable asset in elevating the quality of our production. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to Mr Kinsella, Harrow School Enterprise Limited, and all the staff and personnel at this venue for their unwavering support and professionalism. Tonight’s performance is the culmination of countless hours of hard work and determination. We hope that you, our audience, will be moved and inspired by the outstanding talent
of our ensemble of young actors and the incredible live orchestra that accompanies them.
From the Director Mr Nick Bissessar
From the Musical Directors We have very much enjoyed being Musical Directors of this year’s show, Made in Dagenham. It has been an absolute joy working with such a large and talented cast, spearheaded by a group of experienced and reliable leads, with many starring in previous shows here at the Ryan Theatre. It has also been wonderful to collaborate once again with Mr Bissessar and Miss Waller, as well as (for the first time) Choreographer Miss Lee. The show itself, from a musical perspective, is high quality, but also something of a ‘box of chocolates’ – with a phenomenal range of popular styles on display from Northern soul to American hard rock, with plenty of classical moments in between to bind it all together. The scoring is expertly completed by David Arnold, who works
Musical Director Mr Huw Jones
ingeniously with librettist Richard Thomas’ gritty and sometimes comedic verses to create a range of hit songs. Arnold himself is a pianist, guitarist and clarinettist – and there are prominent moments for all three of these instruments as part of the 10-piece band this evening. The Arnold-Thomas pairing here may not quite be Rodgers & Hammerstein in terms of fame(!), but they are none-theless uniquely talented. Arnold composed the music for five of the more recent James Bond films (starting with Tomorrow Never Dies), and also collaborated with Danny Boyle for the 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony music. Thomas is probably best-known for his libretto for the controversial but successful show Jerry Springer: The Opera, which ran for 609 performances in London from 2003.
Musical Director Mr Gary Poole
A short background and context on the show
THE MUSICAL Made in Dagenham is the hit British musical that originated from the West End stage production based on the heart-warming 2010 film of the same name. The musical, with a book by Richard Bean, music by David Arnold, and lyrics by Richard Thomas, draws inspiration from the real-life events that took place in 1960s Dagenham, East London, England. The story of Made in Dagenham revolves around the Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968, which marked a pivotal moment in the fight for gender equality and workers’ rights. The strike was initiated by the brave and emboldened group of women working in the Ford factory in Dagenham, who were demanding equal pay for equal work, a cause that resonated with women all over the world.
The musical follows the journey of Rita O’Grady, a fictional character based on the real-life leader of the strike, as she becomes an unlikely but determined heroine and spokesperson for the female workers. With the determination and support of her colleagues, the then Secretary of State for Transport, Barbara Castle, and the Trade Union, Rita’s efforts lead to significant changes in employment law and a step toward gender pay equality in the UK, marking a watershed moment in British politics. Made in Dagenham is a poignant and empowering musical that not only celebrates the fortitude and solidarity of working-class women but also highlights the broader societal injustices, and political shifts that were taking place during the 1960s. It combines great drama, satirical humour, and catchy, uplifting songs to tell a story of social change and the importance of standing up for one’s rights; making it an utterly compelling piece of musical theatre that resonates with contemporary discussions about equality and labour rights that have come to fruition in recent times.
Cast
Other Named Character
Ford Factory Workers Rita O’Grady Lilia Annon Connie Riley Karishma Sharma Sandra Beaumont Jasmine Colibaseanu Clare Riya Hemant Cass Amelia Thomas Beryl Sara El Jacifi Jo Raphaella Alexandrou Emma Hannah Pyke Lisa Hopkins and Rachel Shreya Chotai Tracey Inaya Sadiq Eddie O’Grady Seb May Sid Demos Nicola Bill, Adams and MC Jai Davison Stan Aryan Lamichhane Barry Reuben de Souza-Gilroy Ronnie Aarushan Gowthaman Monty Masimba Mbadzo
Ford Factory Management Mr Hopkins Mr Tooley Ron Macer Gregory Hubble
Alex Rothwell Ali Al-Saraf Jack Ellis John Vazquez-Torrez
Harold Wilson Barbara Castle Civil Servant Civil Servant Civil Servant Civil Servant Graham O’Grady Sharon O’Grady Mr Buckton (School teacher) Chubby Chuff Cortina Man
Mark Humphrey Zara de Souza-Gilroy Sofia Ahmed Bella Nanthakumar Sahil Patel Mckenna Walker Dhyan Patel Rebecca Edwards Asan Arif Romir Card Amaroo Brown
Ensemble: Made up of: Mothers, GI Dancers, Club Singer(s), Press Reporters, Photographers, Factory Workers, and others Lian Alwaheidi
Finn Murphy
Sierra-Rose Andrews
Ania Nahata
Sophia Appleton
Ved Parekh
Harshiney Atchuthan
Alisha Patel
Raphael Berry
Anjali Patel
Saffie-Rae Gandecha
Radha Patel
Ollie Hoskins
Veer Patel
Ayaan Kalra
Aviya Lawrence Ojo
Shyam Kavia
Tobi Fagbulu Oluwatobiloba
Nikhil Kelshiker
Ameera Quadry
Nishka Khilnani
Ayaan Shabbir
Tabitha Lee
Shlok Shah
Cristian Mitchell
Creative Team Director
Mr Nick Bissessar
Lighting Operators
Milo Huntington, Ameya Bhattacharya
Assistant Director
Miss Daisy Waller
Flyers
Musical Director(s)
Mr Huw Jones and Mr Gary Poole
Myles Nagle, Toby Cope, Yannis Djn, Aokanmi Akinyosoye, Oscar Beynon
Choreographer
Miss Lisa Lee
Sound
Finley Burridge
Marketing & Promotions
r Max Wilkinson (OL), Miss Madison M Freeman, Mrs Milony Shah, Mr Jesal Suchak, Mr Mark Cartledge
Production Manager/ Sound Designer
Mr Luke Rao (OL)
Lighting Designer
Mr James Wakerell
RF Production
Mr Joseph Calvey (OL)
Sound Number 2
Mr Marco Viscito (OL)
Wardrobe Supervisor
Miss Stephanie Jones
Wardrobe Assistant
Mrs Korinna Vosper
Front of House Manager
Mr Leon Felgate
Hair and Make-up Designer Meg Goram, Flo Ellis Stage Manager
Mr Leon Felgate
Production Assistant
Mr Shyam Borkhatria (OL)
Stage Management Zac Cope, William Pye, Rhian Chohan, Lanus Sasikaran, Monty Thorne, Dylan Ireland Followspot Operators
Arjun Mehta, Shaan Khoda
Hair and Make-up provided by Delamar Academy
Band Reed 1
Mr Ian Killoran
Reed 2
Miss Holly Isherwood
Trumpet
Mr Tim Turner
Bass
Mr James Smyth
Guitar
Mr Ryan Marshall
Guitar
Mr Luke Rao (OL)
Drums
Mr Peter Huntington
Percussion
Mr Bertie Atkinson (OL)
Keyboards
Mr Joseph Erber
Piano/Conductor
Mr Huw Jones
Cast Biographies Lilia Annon Rita O’Grady Lilia is a Lower Sixth student at St Dominic’s Sixth Form College. This is her third John Lyon production, after featuring as Liesl Von Trapp in The Sound of Music last year, and Charlotte Sowerberry in Oliver! the year prior. She has performed at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London’s West End, as well as several smaller performances such as School of Rock, Bugsy Malone and Romeo and Juliet. She currently studies English Literature, Drama and French and hopes to read English Literature at University. She has thoroughly enjoyed working with the cast, crew and production team this year and is incredibly grateful for all the hard work and effort put in by all.
Seb May Eddie O’Grady Seb is a Upper Sixth student at John Lyon. This is Seb’s third production, after featuring as Mr Grimwig in Oliver! in 2021, and featured in the ensemble in The Sound of Music last year. Seb studied Drama until GCSEs where he achieved a grade 9 and has continued his passion for drama beyond the classroom. He currently studies History, Politics and English and hopes to
study Law at university next year. He has thoroughly enjoyed working with the entire company and is looking forward to his final performance at the School.
Karishma Sharma Connie Riley Karishma is in her final year at Whitmore High School studying English Literature, Politics and Drama and has applied to study English at undergraduate level. This is her first John Lyon production but has previous experience devising a performance based on the Sports Journalism industry. Additionally, Karishma was also selected for the Jeremy Lemmon project run by Harrow School where she performed at Shakespeare’s Globe. She has also stage managed her school’s production of Matilda and Bugsy Malone. Karishma has found it an absolute privilege to work alongside a Company that works at such a professional standard and would like to thank everyone involved from the production team to the cast and crew for making Made in Dagenham such a memorable experience!
Riya Hemant Clare Riya is in the Lower Sixth at Whitmore High School and is currently studying Music AS-Level, as well as having previously studied and attained top grades in Music and Drama GCSE. This is her second John Lyon production, having previously played Frau Schmidt and Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music last year. She has also performed in her school’s production of Matilda, and is the band captain for Harrow Steel. Riya has enjoyed being able to develop herself musically through singing ‘Wossname’, as well as being appreciative of the process of building her character Clare, and the work put into the show by the cast, stage crew, and creative team: Miss Lee, Mr Poole, Mr Jones, Miss Waller, and Mr Bissessar. She hopes to be in next year’s production too!
Sara El Jacifi Beryl Sara is in her final year at Whitmore High School, studying A-Levels in Drama, Biology, and Chemistry. She says the role of Beryl has been the most entertaining for her as of yet. Previously, she has been involved in a wide range of productions
that have given her opportunities to perform on the West End stage in a cabaret as well as in The Globe Theatre. Sara has performed in two previous John Lyon productions – We Will Rock You and The Sound of Music. She would like to thank the cast and crew for making her third and final John Lyon production one to remember.
Masimba Mbadzo Monty Masimba is a Lower Sixth student at John Lyon studying A-Levels in Mathematics, Physics and Music Technology. Masimba has a keen interest in Drama and its musical elements. Having participated in eight concerts at John Lyon and other activities at the Lyric Theatre and the Barbican, his love for music is ever growing! Made in Dagenham has been an enjoyable experience for Masimba, and he is grateful for the opportunity as well as the hard work of the production team and cast.
Creatives Alex Rothwell Mr Hopkins Alex is a Upper Sixth academic and sports scholar at John Lyon. He studies Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics, and has a passion for the performing arts. This is Alex’s sixth production at the school and has thoroughly enjoyed the rehearsals that have created such a creative musical. Alex would like to thank all the members of the cast, crew and directors for their consistent dedication and enthusiasm that made this musical possible.
Ali Al-Saraf Mr Tooley Ali is a Upper Sixth student at John Lyon. This is his second school production after performing as Mr. Bumble in Oliver! in Year 11 whilst studying for GCSE Drama. He currently studies Maths, Economics and History for A-Level and hopes to
study Economics at university. He’s had a great time working with the cast and crew, enjoyed playing a villainous yet entertaining role and is excited to get on stage and put on a show!
Zara de Souza-Gilroy Barbara Castle Zara de Souza-Gilroy is a Year 9 Drama Scholar at John Lyon. Outside school, Zara has participated as a member of the ensemble in Hairspray, Fame, Junior, Addams Family, Oliver! and Cats. While at John Lyon, Zara has had principal roles in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mrs Alexander), The Tempest (Miranda), The Sound of Music (Gretl) and has taken a part in several school Drama Competitions. In this production Zara plays the role of Barbara Castle. She has thoroughly enjoyed rehearsals and is grateful to the whole team involved in the production. She hopes you will enjoy the show.
Miss Lisa Lee Choreographer
Mr James Wakerell Lighting Designer
Lisa is a professional dancer, choreographer and dance teacher and has worked in the industry for many years in theatre, film, ballet, television, pop tours, cabaret, and state events. Her most recent and notable credits include The Platinum Jubilee Pageant, the Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrations and the Diamond Jubilee Pageant all at Windsor Castle. Lisa is thrilled to have been invited to work with the fabulous students at John Lyon School as their choreographer for this production of Made in Dagenham.
James is the Theatre Manager of the Celia Johnson Theatre at St Paul’s Girls’ School as well as an established lighting designer. As a lighting graduate of London’s Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, James went on to work in lighting and production for highly acclaimed live events such as London 2012 Olympic Ceremonies and Glastonbury Festival as well as theatre productions such as Punchdrunk’s The Drowned Man. He specialises in theatre in education, working with many schools and organisations across London.
Mr Luke Rao Production Manager/ Sound Designer Luke graduated from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts with an honours degree in Sound Technology and he has worked and performed in many prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Echo Arena Liverpool and the O2 Arena. He regularly tours with his own band and has also been fortunate enough to work with artists such as Rod Stewart, Katy Perry, Muse and many more.
Rehearsals
Acknowledgements Mr Nick Bissessar and the company of Made in Dagenham would like to offer their sincerest thanks to the following: The Head, Mrs Rose Hardy, for her generous support of this production. Mrs Lauren Williamson, and all the staff at Harrow School Enterprises. Ms Joanna Shah from our Prep School and Mr Adam Cross from Harrow School for their kindness and support. Delamar Academy in offering their hair and make-up artists. Mr Kieran Kinsella and all the staff at The Ryan Theatre for their professionalism and hospitality. Trading Post for supplying the wonderful costume, props and set. The talented orchestra of professional instrumentalists. All the staff and students who have worked backstage and in front of house. Our talented group of visiting students with whom it has been an absolute pleasure to work. The parents and guardians of the cast and crew for their patience and support.
Future Productions A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, adapted by Siobhan Dowd: Boyd Campbell Hall, 26 and 27 February 2024 House Drama: Boyd Campbell Hall, 1 February 2024 Year 7 Drama Festival: Boyd Campbell Hall, 18 March 2024
THE MUSICAL
Music by David Arnold Lyrics by Richard Thomas Book by Richard Bean This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.co.uk
Past Productions 2022-23 The Sound of Music 2021-22 Oliver! 2019-20 We Will Rock You 2018-19 Anything Goes 2017-18 South Pacific 2016-17 Guys and Dolls
www.johnlyon.org @JohnLyonHarrow