Young Norfolk performers are preparing to present the show Made in Dagenham at Norwich Playhouse next week.

Inspired by a true story and based on the movie of the same name, Made in Dagenham looks at how the strike of the underpaid women of Ford's car plant in the 1960s became a beacon for the rights of working women far beyond east London.

Thirty-eight young people are performing in the Norfolk Youth Music Theatre production which is packed with 1960s-inspired tunes and opens on April 6.

Sixteen-year-old Aylsham High School student Ellen Smith, from Worstead, is playing the lead role of Rita O'Grady, who must balance her role at home with the increasing demands of the unlikely campaign to stand up to the Ford Motor Company, meanwhile 16-year-old Paston Sixth Form College student Josh Hinds, from Cromer, is playing Rita's husband Eddie O'Grady.

The show is an East Anglian premiere as this is said to be the first time Made in Dagenham has been performed by an amateur company in the region.

The cast have been rehearsing for two months and Adrian Connell, Norfolk YMT artistic director, said the audiences were in for a treat.

'The cast have been amazing. Their vocal skills are amazing with huge choral numbers all in harmony. I am thrilled to bits with the show and I cannot wait to see it on stage,' he said.

Norfolk Youth Music Theatre has presented more than 60 productions and won a number of National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) Awards, including last year winning best musical and best production awards for Phantom of the Opera.

Made in Dagenham is at Norwich Playhouse from April 6 to 9. Tickets £18 (£16 concessions). To book, call the box office on 01603 598598 or visit www.norwichplayhouse.co.uk

Do you have a Norwich arts story? Email arts correspondent Emma Knights at emma.knights@archant.co.uk