Orangeville Music Theatre is bringing the hilarious and cheeky comedy/drama Calendar Girls to the Opera House stage Jan. 13 to 22.
As a special treat, officials note, each performance of Calendar Girls will be opened by the incredible vocal stylings of The Orangeville Chorus (Sweet Adelines International).
When Annie’s husband John dies of leukemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow Women’s Institute members to pose nude with them for an “alternative” calendar, with a little help from hospital porter and amateur photographer Lawrence.
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.
Based on the true story of 11 Women’s Institute members who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukemia Research Fund, Calendar Girls opened at the Chichester Festival Theatre and has since become the fastest selling play in British theatre history.
The play is almost always performed in conjunction with the production of a calendar in support of a local cause.
Orangeville Music Theatre is supporting the Music and Memory program at Dufferin Oaks. Music and Memory is a non-profit organization that brings personalized music into the lives of dementia patients through digital music technology.
The music helps with responsive behaviours, and provides moments of joy and comfort.
Local icons from within the community have shed their clothes for the calendar in support of this great cause.
The models are Lynda Buffett, real estate agent; Donna Henderson, president of the Orangeville Agricultural Society; Sherry Irwin, owner of the Bluebird Café; OMT executive members; Pat Vipond, founding director of the Sweet Adelines; Kerstin Stinson, artist; Gail Campbell, Orangeville town councillor; Kay MacGregor, founder of Orangeville Music Theatre; members of Sweet Adelines International; Lynda Clare, artist; Betty McCabe, retired teacher and Community Support Day Program Volunteer; and Ed Crewson, federal Liberal candidate.
Calendars are $20 and can be purchased at Enchanting Esthetics, Shelburne; Royal LePage, Shelburne; Clean Slate, Orangeville; The Chocolate Shop, Orangeville; Broadway Farmers Market, Caledon or The Bartlett Gallery in the Alton Mill Arts Centre, Alton. They can also be purchase at the intermission of Calendar Girls from Jan. 13 to 22.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. All tickets are subject to a box office fee.
For tickets call 519-942-3423 or visit www.orangevillemusictheatre.com.
