The film of ‘Calendar Girls’ based on the true story of eleven WI members who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund first hit our screens in 2003, going on to become the fastest selling play in British theatre history. Now the play adapted by Tim Firth is being brought to the stage of Abingdon’s Unicorn Theatre by the Abingdon Drama Club on Wednesday 10 to Saturday 13 July at 7.30pm each evening.
Abingdon Drama Club’s production is being directed by Alex Jenkins who had not actually seen the stage production until after she decided to direct it.
“I fell in love with the film and the story that inspired it. Then when the script was released, I read it and instantly fell deeper in love. As a director there is so much to get your teeth into with this play and I like to direct plays that have lots of layers and emotion. ‘Calendar Girls’ takes you on a roller coaster of emotion, from laughing out loud to ugly crying on the same page. It has a strong female cast and is empowering. It is also very unusual for a stage script that was originally a film to be better than the actual film. This script is. It is so well written.”
‘Calendar Girls’ is not an easy production to cast as most of the characters have their own journey to portray and are not merely sidekicks to the main protagonists. Audiences can come and see every performance, focusing on a different character each time, getting a totally different play to watch.
Alex tells us more: “It was all about getting the relationships correct between the women and luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, I had a large pool of talented women to choose from. I could have cast this twice over, but I am so very happy with the cast we have - they are outstanding.”
As you would expect if you have seen ‘Calendar Girls’ previously, the humour and magic of the story and performance comes from the fact that the women are naked, but the audience will not actually get to see anything!
“We all know the Unicorn Theatre is not what you would call conventional, plus it is very intimate which actually makes the task of producing great theatre much more difficult. But we pull it off with some amazing choreography and lots of practice. ADC is never frightened when it comes to performing controversial material - even when it is such great fun!’
As part of their production, ADC has produced a ‘Calendar Girls’ ‘style’ calendar which they will be selling to raise funds for Lymphoma Research (now known as Blood Cancer UK), the charity that inspired the iconic ‘Calendar Girls.’ The calendar will tastefully depict implied nudity in theatrical situations, paying homage to the bravery and unwavering spirit of the original ‘Calendar Girls.’ These will be available to purchase on their website and at the performances from production week.
Tickets cost: £12, £10 concessions (60+, Under 12s, students, ADC members). Group Bookings: Groups of 10 and over – All tickets £10 (£10.60 when booked online – just select the concession rate ticket and choose the number you require). Please let us know if you have any problems with your booking.
Tickets available from: The Bookstore, The Abingdon Precinct (15 Bury Street), Abingdon or online at abingdon-drama-club.com
