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This was the most-talked-about play we had ever done.
“Calendar Girls” is based on a true story of a Women’s Institute (WI) in Yorkshire, England who put together a calendar to raise money for leukemia research. This play, written by Tim Wirth (who also co-wrote the screenplay for the movie of the same name) has a cast of 14 people; some new to the Actors Theater and many of our regulars.
When Annie’s (Suzanne Gropper) husband John (Tony Lee) dies of leukemia, she and best friend Chris (Bev Leyman) resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow WI members (Holly King, Lesley Liddle, Melinda Milligan and Bailey Sande) to pose nude with them for an “alternative” calendar, with a little help from hospital porter and amateur photographer Lawrence (Kelly Toombs).
The news of the women’s charitable venture spreads like wildfire, and hordes of press soon descend on the small village of Knapeley in the Yorkshire Dales. The calendar is a success, but Chris and Annie’s friendship is put to the test under the strain of their new-found fame. Other actors include Aaimee Johnson, Annette Garver, Carla Weston, Freddy Hinkle, John Mazzarella and Quija Keogh. “Calendar Girls” is directed by Doug Bechtel.
“Calendar Girls” opened on Friday, September 11, 2015 with additional performances on Saturday, the 12th; Friday, the 18th; Saturday, the 19th; Friday the 25th; Saturday, the 26th and Sunday the 27th. All performances are at the Grange at 7:30 pm.
The cast and crew of our local production of “Calendar Girls” also made a 2016 calendar which was available for purchase at intermission.
What some newspapers have said about “Calendar Girls”:
“It’s a show full of poignant moments – about friendship, determination and hope; about loss in many forms; about the importance of acceptance; about knowing when to let go. But it also offers plenty of humour, as the six friends and WI members decide to pose nude for a calendar” – Liverpool Daily Post
“Unashamedly sentimental and full of heart and bare-faced cheek, Tim Firth’s stage adaptation of his own film script, inspired by the group of Yorkshire WI members who stripped off for a charity calendar to raise money for Leukaemia Research, should rake in a bob or two itself.” – The Guardian
