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THIS year marks the 50th anniversary of the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders’ Work-In of 1971-72, and the always resplendent Townsend Productions have a new musical drama to bring this powerful story to life.
Based on verbatim interviews with shipyard workers, Yes! Yes! UCS! tells of two women workers in an industry facing closure, drawn into the monumental, heroic battle to save thousands of jobs.
The Work-In was a defiant new tactic from shop stewards who included union activists Jimmy Reid and Jimmy Airlie. Instead of the usual union strikes and sit-ins, they staged this strategic action to show that workers were not only willing to work, but that demand for their work existed.
Townsend have a great track record in bringing these histories to all communities. Recent work includes Rouse, Ye Women! in 2019, a folk ballad about Mary Macarthur and the women chainmakers of Cradley Heath striking to achieve a living wage in 1910.
In 2017, they toured with We Are the Lions, Mr Manager, the remarkable story of Jayaben Desai who led the 1976-8 Grunwick strike.
‘Yes, Yes, UCS!’ opened recently and tours extensively until May 1. For dates near you visit: townsendproductions.org.uk
