In February 1981, 240 workers — most of them women — at the Lee Jeans factory in Greenock were told their jobs were finished. The American owners, VF Corporation, wanted to shut up shop and chase fresh government subsidies elsewhere. The women voted, on the spot, to occupy the factory.

They barricaded the doors with sewing machines. They stayed for seven months. And they won.

Forty-five years on, that extraordinary act of collective defiance is finally getting its first theatrical telling. Stand & Deliver: The Lee Jeans Sit-In, a co-production between National Theatre of Scotland and Tron Theatre Company, opens at Glasgow's Tron Theatre on 24 April and runs until 9 May before touring Scotland.

Written by Frances Poet and directed by Tron Artistic Director Jemima Levick — from an idea conceived by Poet and story consultant Paul English — the play is based on first-hand interviews with women who were actually there, including shop steward Helen Monaghan and Maggie Wallace, who famously scaled down from a roof window on the first night of the occupation to source 240 fish suppers for her colleagues.

"What we all did was very brave," says Monaghan, "and it's great to have the story told of what all the women did at the factory. Every one of them deserves recognition for it. I was only as strong as they were."

Wallace is equally moved. "This production means a lot to everyone who was part of the Sit In," she says. "We had no idea at the time that it would go down in history. Now everyone has a chance to come along and step back in time to watch history in the making."

A Story That Still Crackles

The history itself is remarkable. In 1981, Greenock was already reeling from decades of industrial decline. Female unemployment was running at 13.3 per cent — fifty per cent higher than the Scottish average. When VF Corporation announced closure, the women had nothing to lose and everything to fight for.

Their own union, the National Union of Tailor and Garment Workers, was slow to back them and eventually withdrew support entirely. But rank-and-file trade unionists across Scotland rallied. Donations poured in. Boycotts were organised. After seven gruelling months, VF sold the factory to new owners, and the women returned to their sewing machines.

Poet, who began conversations with NTS about the project back in 2020, says the story has only grown more resonant. "1981 was a time of banging pop hits but also economic crisis and the steady erosion of legal rights," she says. "In deciding to make a stand, these women discovered a sense of agency they hadn't known before and found their voice. It is my privilege as a writer to amplify that voice for audiences today."

On Stage at the Tron

The cast features Jo Freer as Helen Monaghan, Hannah Jarrett-Scott as Cathie, Chiara Sparkes as Maggie Wallace, and Aron Dochard as Finlay, with Madeline Grieve in the ensemble and Shonagh Murray as performing musical director. Performed with a live 1980s soundtrack, the production promises to be as rousing as the story it tells.

Director Levick says: "It's an honour to tell the story of these women, who quietly changed history from a factory in Greenock by staying true to what they believed in. They saved a community and proved that resistance and protest can win out."

NTS and the Tron are also running a call-out to compile a definitive list of everyone involved in the 1981 sit-in, so they can be named and honoured in the production. Anyone with a connection can register via the National Theatre of Scotland website.

After Glasgow, the production tours to Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy, Edinburgh, St Andrews, Peebles, Mull, Inverness and Cumbernauld before closing at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock — not far from where the original factory stood.

Need to Know

Stand & Deliver: The Lee Jeans Sit-In runs at the Tron Theatre, Trongate, Glasgow from 24 April to 9 May 2026. Running time is approximately 120 minutes including interval. Age recommendation 14+.

Audio described (6 May), captioned (7 May evening) and BSL-interpreted (8 May) performances are available, along with a chilled performance on 30 April at 2.30pm.

Tickets: Previews £16; main run £19, £23 or £26. Preview performances on 24 and 25 April are already sold out. Book at tron.co.uk or via the Tron box office.