A local theatre group are hoping to raise money for charity by staging a unique production of the hit 2003 film ‘Calendar Girls’.

The musical will be put together by Stage Door Entertainment, with rehearsals beginning at the start of next year.

All being well, the production will hit the stage at the Gaiety Theatre in May 2025.

The 2003 Calendar Girls film, which stars Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, follows the true story of a group of women in a small Yorkshire Women’s Institute who, following the death of a much loved husband, set about creating a nude calendar to raise money for charity.

The inspiration to take on the adaptation came from Stage Door co-director Krissy Wilson, whose husband Chris was diagnosed with prostate cancer in October 2022.

All proceeds from the show will be donated to the to ‘The BIG Manx Community Charity’, who will give it directly to those affected by cancer - whether they are living with the disease or nearing the end of their lives

Stage Door member Lisa Kreisky said: ‘Although this is what we normally do as a business, this one will be a little different as it is very close to home.

‘Chris was diagnosed with stage three prostate cancer two years ago, shortly after his 50th birthday. It was a total shock and completely turned our world upside down.

‘After initial diagnosis, Chris immediately started on treatment and went through a whirlwind of tests before having a month of radiotherapy at Clatterbridge. He continues to take daily medication which comes with quite a wide range of side effects.

‘He has good days and bad days but is responding well to the ongoing treatment. It is unlikely he will be able to stop treatment and ever be cancer free, but all things considered, he is doing well.’

The BIG Manx Community Charity was set up by Krissy’s sister and niece to enable the profits of a Noble’s Hospital comedy show to be shared between worthy causes.

The charity allows fundraising for different types of charities and individuals, but all proceeds raised from Calendar Girls will look to aid people living with and dying from cancer.

Stage Door Entertainment was founded by performers Lisa and Krissy in 2014, which has now evolved to include ‘The Stage Door Academy’, a drama school which started in 2023.

The theatre group is best known for its previous productions of ‘Theatrefest’, ‘M is for Manx Cat on Tour’, ‘Our Day Out’ (starring Joe Locke), ‘You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown’ and ‘Steel Magnolias’.

The cast for the upcoming Calendar Girls show will include 12 female and seven male island-based actors.

Lisa said: ‘Rehearsals will be starting in the new year, but we have already done a huge, risqué photoshoot with all our female cast for promotional purposes and for our Manx themed 2025 calendar, which will be on sale in the next few weeks.’

As you can probably guess, this did involve the cast ‘getting in the nude’.

‘The photoshoot is already done and it was hilarious,’ Lisa added. ‘Some of us were completely out of our comfort zone, but that is how much we believe in the project.’