Calendar Girls

By: Tim Firth

Director: Venetia Lawless

Genre: Comedy

Running: Mar. 29 – April 16 @ 7:30 p.m.

Matinee: Apr. 10 @ 2 p.m.

Based on the true story of how members of a Women’s Institute came up with a unique fundraising idea: a cheeky nude calendar featuring themselves in all their middle-aged glory. When the story goes “viral”, coping with the ensuing media frenzy proves even more challenging than shedding clothes. A glorious comedy-drama about female friendship.

Dazzlingly funny, shamelessly sentimental, and utterly captivating” -Spectator

CAST:
Cora…………………………………………………Judy McCormick
Chris……………………………………………………….Jane Morris
Annie……………………………………..Rosemarie Dawson-Hill
Jessie…………………………………………………..Ann Scholberg
Celia……………………………………………………Cheryl Jackson
Ruth………………………………………………………….Janet Uren
Marie…..………………………………………………Jenny Sheffield
Brenda……………………………………………………Patricia Kelly
John………………………………………………………Geoff Gruson
Rod…………………………………………………………..Mark Kielty
Lady Cravenshire………………………………………….Pam Harle
Lawrence…………………………………………………..Kurt Shantz
Elaine.………………………………………………….Jenny Sheffield
Liam………………………………………………………….Kurt Shantz

Tim Firth was born October 13^th 1964 in Wirral, Merseyside, England.  He spent most of his early years at school, writing songs. At the age of 18, Firth only began writing for theatre by accident. Firth applied to attend a song writing course run by Willy Russell and Danny Hiller, only to find it was in fact a playwriting course. Firth had to write dialogue and he wrote about the only thing he knew – two sixteen-year-olds trying to write a song. Another course participant recommended it for his production company and just like that, Firth decided to become a writer. Firth continued his education at Cambridge where he met Sam Mendes, creating a prosperous creative relationship, with Mendes directing his plays in several theatres.

After his time at Cambridge, Firth’s ensuing theatre work included A Man of Letters, Neville’s Island and The End of the Food Chain. Firth’s next act was to storm television with Money For Nothing, All Quiet on the Preston Front, and Once Upon a Time in the North. Firth’s work garnished many awards and praise from the critiques. Act three of Firth’s playwriting career came in the form of acting’s most popular form, the big screen. His feature film, Calendar Girls, starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, was filmed in 2002. Firth’s most prominent film to date is Kinky Boots. It tells the story of a British shoe factory’s young, strait-laced owner, Charlie, who forms an unlikely partnership with Lola, a drag queen, to save the business. Much to our pleasure, Firth converted both Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots to stage, providing us with the opportunity to illustrate his humorous penetrative words upon OLT’s Big Stage.