The letters UCS, so firmly affirmed in the title, stand for Upper Clyde Shipbuilders. This new musical play by Neil Gore celebrates, in Townsend Productions’ trademark popular-theatre style, the UCS work-in of 1971-72. Reacting to the then Tory government’s attempt to liquidate UCS (and bring about mass unemployment) in June 1971, shop stewards took control of the shipyard gates, occupied the yards and declared a work-in.
It’s a big story wittily told in word and song and given a vivid, poster-bright presentation, with projections of Soviet-style workers and Tories with faces painted blue, as well as period footage of rallies and speeches (Ruth Darling’s design; graphics and animations by Scarlett Rickard and Jonny Halifax). Surprisingly, given that most of the images and interviews of the time centre around men, we are guided through the events by two young girls. This works well, dramatically. As Aggie and Eddy find their way into this new, grown-up world, they share their experiences with one another and so lead us both into their personal stories and into the wider political picture.
