Tanya Laing Gahr is so enamoured with the production she sheds a tear every time she watches the magic unfold on stage.
And that鈥檚 saying a lot considering Laing Gahr has been hard at work in the director鈥檚 chair for four months to bring Calendar Girls to the Powerhouse Theatre May 2-12.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very funny script but it鈥檚 also incredibly touching,鈥� Laing Gahr said. 鈥淚t still makes me cry every time. These actors make me cry every time. It鈥檚 a play that this audience will give themselves over to.鈥�
Calendar Girls, written by playwright Tim Firth, originally hit the silver screen in 2003 and starred Helen Mirren and Julie Walters.
Following the true story of a group of Yorkshire gals and their monthly meetings at the local chapter of the Women鈥檚 Institute, Annie 鈥� played on screen by Walters and Powerhouse stage by Bev Steeves 鈥� and her close friend Chris 鈥� Mirren, Jennifer Goodsell 鈥� go above and beyond to spice up the institute鈥檚 annual calendar.
It was meant to be a banal calendar full of bridges that litter the English countryside, but when Annie鈥檚 husband passes after a battle with leukemia, Chris and Annie rally the institute to put together a nude calendar and raise money for leukemia research.
鈥淭his is such a wonderfully funny, poignant and powerful script,鈥� Laing Gahr said.
While she stands firmly behind the power of the script, Laing Gahr opted not to watch the film.
鈥淚 wanted to make sure the story was not a retelling of another director鈥檚 vision,鈥� Laing Gahr said. 鈥淲e wanted to be as authentic in our telling as possible. They (audience) can expect to see some more authentic communication between actors, between each other and between the moments they developed. We鈥檝e really been digging into the emotional aspect of live theatre.鈥�
Unlike many community theatre performances, Laing Gahr said, Calendar Girls revolves around a women-centric cast.
鈥淚 love women鈥檚 stories,鈥� Laing Gahr said. 鈥淭here tends to be a lot of men with women in supporting roles. (In Calendar Girls) women are the driving force. Their stories are so real, they鈥檙e so authentic.鈥�
Laing Gahr, who has more than two decades experience in the industry, including a stint running a theatre company in Cranbrook and working as a director for hire, leads a cast comprised of four relatively new actors and nine veterans.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really interesting blend of personality, experience and background,鈥� Laing Gahr said. 鈥淭he thing that truly unites them is they love this play so much. They鈥檙e just bringing it.鈥�
And, like the story itself, the cast and crew of Calendar Girls is putting together their own calendar, which will be available on performance nights and around town soon. Proceeds from the calendar support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 an important story because of those relationships and the struggle of those characters to reach their fullest potential,鈥� Laing Gahr said. 鈥淭he removal of clothing is very good, very funny, but it鈥檚 also a great metaphor.鈥�
At the root of it, Laing Gahr said it鈥檚 an inspiring story made possible by the dedication of cast and crew.
鈥淲hat I really love is watching the culmination of so many people鈥檚 efforts. It鈥檚 this incredible effort of so many people to put two hours of story telling on stage,鈥� Laing Gahr said. 鈥淚 just think this is going to be one of the best plays we鈥檙e going to see here.鈥�
Calendar Girls runs at Powerhouse Theatre May 2-15 and 8-12 at 7:30 p.m., with matinees May 6 and 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $28 adult and $22 student and are available through the Ticket Seller, 250-549-7469, . Following a new partnership with Little Tex restaurant, ticket holders are eligible for specials on performance nights.
