Les Midinettes de Jacques Hadjaje par le Théatre Régional des Pays de la Loire dans sa tournée des villages - Châteauneuf sur Sarthe (Les Hauts d'Anjou)

The Théâtre Régional des Pays de la Loire is organising its 20th Village Tour, stopping off at Châteauneuf sur Sarthe (Les Hauts d'Anjou) on Friday 11 July 2025 for a performance of Jacques Hadjaje's show Les Midinettes.

The Théâtre Régional des Pays de la Loire will be touring the villages of Châteauneuf sur Sarthe (Les Hauts d'Anjou) on Friday 11 July 2025 for a performance of Jacques Hadjaje's show Les Midinettes .
Synopsis
There are five women: Cécile, Leïla, Peggy, Jennifer and Yolande. They work at "Marilou", a factory that makes top-of-the-range women's underwear and employs almost exclusively women. "Marilou has a long history in Vernon-sur-Aumance, in central France. Yolande has spent all her working life there. Young Cécile has just joined. They all share a pride in their skills: they may be tired, their bodies may ache, but they love their work. Outside the workshop, they lead very different lives. And even though they have developed a real bond at work, even friendships, they don't know everything about each other: there's a great deal of modesty in their relationships.
The story begins, the day after Christmas Eve, with the announcement of the immediate closure of the factory. The workers were not prepared for this. The decision comes as a slap in the face. After the moment of shock, their reaction was animal: they occupied the factory, "their" factory, and camped there, right next to "their" brand new sewing machines. The occupation lasted twenty-seven days. There will be moments of joy, moments of doubt, moments of crisis. There would be confessions and arguments. The women, who had never been on strike before and had no trade union or political involvement, were to discover that together we were less afraid and stronger. This fight to defend their rights conceals another fight: the fight for dignity. You can't just throw out two hundred women workers. They are two hundred living women. So, no, we definitely can't do that.