THE inspirational story of the 1980s Dunnes stores anti-apartheid strike in Ireland is being brought to the London stage.
Next autumn, the Ardent Theatre Company will bring to life one of the most pivotal protests of the anti-apartheid movement outside of South Africa, to audiences in the capital.
Strike! tells the story of the famous Dunnes store workers walkout between 1984-87.
The strike followed the actions of one employee who refused to sell South African fruit to a store customer and was subsequently suspended.
One of the theatre company’s creative directors Mark Sands is aiming to bring the show – which was originally performed in Dublin in 2010 – to an alternative audience.
“When the show was first run in Dublin five years ago it was a great success,” Mr Sands told The Irish Post. “Now, we want to bring the story to a wider audience.
Irish Poet Seamus Heaney (centre) with Dunnes Stores workers at an anti apartheid demo in 1985 (Photo: RollingNews.i)“The story of the Dunnes workers is famous in Ireland and we want to give it more exposure here.”
The production is still in its early stages and Mr Sands said that Irish actors in London are being sought to join the cast.
“If they can do an Irish accent then they could be suitable to join the cast,” he added.
Ardent Theatre Company must raise £150,000 to stage the production, which boasts an “unusually big cast” of 17 actors.
Mr Sands said that a public fundraising initiative has been launched, with an initial target of £50,000 to boost production costs.
“We have an ambitious funding target and the key to our success will be to rally London's Irish community behind the project”, he said.
A first reading of the script will take place at the Park Theatre in London on December 2, with some of the original Dunnes store workers who took part in the strike set to attend.
