Youth Music Theatre UK

In Victorian London, industry moguls assumed they could exploit a group of working class girls to death, unopposed. They were wrong. When We Strike is a punk-rock telling of the story of the Match Girls’ strike – the strike that sparked the British labour movement – with a company of all-female and female presenting non-binary performers and musicians.

It’s 1888 and a group of working-class girls in East-London are barely making ends meet working for Bryant and May’s matchstick factory. Though their lives are tough, these girls are tougher. But when they learn the abhorrent working conditions in their factory are responsible for the mysterious disease that’s been killing them, the Match Girls must band together to stand up to the capitalist elite who see them as disposable – and change the world. Inspired by historical events, the show celebrates the courage of young people and the rage of a new generation fighting for a more equitable world. Using the energy and fire of punk-rock, this new British musical will spark debate and question who’s responsible for igniting change.

Creative Team

Caitlyn Burt (Librettist & Lyricist), Amir Shoenfeld (Composer & Lyricist), Francesca Goodridge (Director). Jane McMurtrie (Choreographer).