SHOPPERS at the Westgate Centre were treated to a surprise flash mob performance from a student theatre group on Saturday.

Members of FourSevenTwo Productions gave rousing renditions of routines from their upcoming play Made in Dagenham to stunned onlookers both outside and inside the busy shopping centre on Saturday.

The group of 15 dancers, dressed in 1960s-esque costumes, first sung to shoppers in Bonn Square before moving their performance inside to John Lewis where they strutted their stuff between the clothes racks as delighted (and somewhat confused) shoppers looked on.

The set included the title track from the play, Made in Dagenham and Stand Up, which is the final number in the show. 

FourSevenTwo producer Amy Thompson said: “We had a great reaction from the crowds, drawing a lot of attention from passers by with over 100 people stopping to watch in the cold. 

“Even the snow and ice didn’t stop people taking a few minutes out of their day to watch us, and lots of people were cheering afterwards. In the reprise in John Lewis we also had a couple of people talking to us about the Ford Dagenham strikes of 1968.” 

The production company is run by students based at the University of Oxford and is known for staging classic and contemporary works of theatre at venues around the city. 

Made in Dagenham tells the story of the Ford sewing machinists strike in the 60s that aimed for equal pay for women, and will be shown at the Oxford Playhouse from Wednesday, February 13 to Saturday, February 16. 

Tickets are on sale now and are available here.