Sisters of ’78, a new play by Kristen Da Silva, beautifully highlights women’s labour, workers’ rights, and the power of collective action.
The play tells the story of the real-life 1978 Fleck Strike, when 80 women at an auto-wiring plant in Centralia, Ontario, walked off the assembly line to fight for safer working conditions, fair wages, and union security. The production is now playing at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton (where Da Silva is based), following its premiere at Blyth Festival Theatre over the summer, directed by Aquarius’ artistic director Mary Francis Moore.
Our fictional protagonist in the cast of 10 is named Maeve (Madison Hayes-Crook). Though a loving and encouraging mother, Maeve is bad at stereotypical women’s work: she makes a dress for her daughter with comically uneven sleeves, and her husband complains about her tuna salad. (I had to resist the urge to yell, “Buddy, make your own damn sandwich!”)
When her husband Andrew (Aiden Altow) leaves for RCMP training in Saskatchewan for nine months — leaving Maeve and her daughter without a car or reliable income — Maeve decides to get a job. The market views her as unskilled, despite 15 years’ experience caregiving for her father-in-law and her daughter Janie, so she ends up at the only place that will hire her: Fleck Manufacturing.
She’s soon exposed to the plant’s brutal working conditions, and bonds with the women trying to improve their situation. Maeve’s talents start to shine when she becomes involved with the labour movement. She has creative ideas like writing the union meeting information on the back of someone’s shirt because management took down their posters.
The costume and set design, by Sean Mulcahy, are a highlight. Maeve swaps her feminine turquoise dress and heels for a collared shirt, trousers, and flat shoes when her husband’s away. The whole cast dresses in gorgeously crafted ’70s style, from bell bottoms to jean coveralls to puffer jackets that emphasize just how cold it is (-22°C) when the strike begins.
On the factory floor, the women operate industrial presses. Giant spools of wire double as stools and, stacked two apiece, tables. It’s a striking contrast to the warmth of Maeve’s period kitchen, with its yellow-and-orange flowered wallpaper, brown teapot, rotary phone, and wooden mail organizer.
Moore’s direction has the cast make full use of the large stage at Aquarius — and it’s easy to imagine that the women are working in a small part of an expansive factory, or out on the picket line facing down hundreds of police cruisers.
Hayes-Crook gives a solid performance as Maeve, flipping between a mouse-like housewife to a woman confident in taking up space. Cara Hunter plays Maeve’s underappreciated Irish mother-in-law, Margaret, as well as fellow striker, Claudine, providing stability and generational wisdom.
Altow is good, but playing the show’s flattest character. Andrew is dismissive and demeaning to his wife, and horny towards every woman he encounters. Beyond that, it’s difficult to understand his motivations; he feels more like an amalgam of an oppressive husband than a real one. His return to Ontario mostly serves to give Maeve her moment to stand up to him.
Other than that, the play is well-structured, with a story that flows smoothly toward its emotional climaxes and solid, sharp pacing. For a show that treats unsafe working conditions, workplace harassment, and police brutality, it’s also surprisingly funny. Angie (Kait Post) delivers many of Da Silva’s jokes, as a fun-loving 20-year-old who faces some of the show’s hardest moments, including being sexually harassed by her boss and getting arrested for her legal involvement in the strike.
The relationships among worker trio Angie, Joyce (Alyssa LeClair), and Natalie (Kirstyn Russelle), who gradually adopt Maeve into their fold, are the heartbeat of the story. Through everything, they have each other’s backs, reminding me they’re fighting for a better future not just for themselves. Natalie is pregnant and still picketing. Joyce’s powerful monologues rouse strikers without a hint of preachiness. Angie waits until they win and return to work before slyly revealing that she’s leaving for a better job.
Da Silva does a beautiful job weaving history with the women’s lives. The facts are shocking, but their determination to see it through — and ultimately change Ontario labour laws — is inspiring. My favourite moment came near the end, when we learn who the show’s voiceover belongs to — and are reminded yet again of the enduring power of women’s work.
Sisters of ’78 runs until October 18. More information is available here.
Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.
WRITTEN BY
Caelan Beard
Caelan Beard (she/her) is a freelance journalist, communications specialist, and author from southwestern Ontario. She is excited to be a part of ON Criticism: The 2025/2026 Theatre Critics Lab, a collaboration between Intermission and four Ontario theatres. In addition to theatre, she loves books, being outside as much as possible, and driving around Ontario in search of baked goods.
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