Calendar Girls

Please note doors open at 7.30pm and show starts at 8pm

Rebel City Drama Club will bring Tim Firth’s much-loved play ‘Calendar Girls’ to the Nano Nagle Theatre, Ballyphehane, from Fri 20th - Sun 22nd November.
Based on an extraordinary true story, the play follows Annie and Chris, two friends whose lives are changed by the death of Annie’s husband, John, from leukaemia. Determined to raise money in his memory, Chris persuades the women of their local group to pose for an alternative calendar. Their apparently modest fundraising venture soon attracts attention far beyond anything they could have imagined, testing their confidence, their relationships and the friendship at the centre of the story.
For this production, director Cathie Cowhig is relocating the action from Yorkshire to contemporary Cork. The intention is not simply to change the accents or place names, but to make the community at the heart of the play feel immediate, familiar and truthful. Its close friendships, local rivalries, irreverent humour and instinct to rally around people in difficult times all translate naturally to a Cork setting.
“I believe ‘Calendar Girls’ works because it allows us to laugh without ever diminishing the reality of grief,” says Cowhig. “These are not glamorous, fearless women setting out to make a statement. They are ordinary women who are uncertain, self-conscious and sometimes at odds with one another. What makes them extraordinary is the way they find courage collectively. Beneath all the comedy is a deeply human story about love, loss and what people can achieve when they decide to stand together.”
The production aims to balance the play’s exuberant comedy with the tenderness of Annie and John’s story. The famous calendar scenes will be playful and celebratory rather than sensational, keeping the emphasis firmly on the women’s bravery, individuality and friendship.
Rebel City Drama Club also hopes to connect the production with a local Cork cancer charity, reflecting the fundraising purpose at the heart of the original story. No partnership has yet been confirmed, but further information will be shared as plans develop.