Rehearsals are now well underway for the special ‘Calendar Girls’ charity show set to take place at the Gaiety Theatre later this month.

The musical has been put together by island theatre group Stage Door Entertainment, with a four-show run set to begin on Thursday, May 29.

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.

The cast of the show also created their own nude calendar, which went on sale back in October last year.

The calendar was priced at £12.50, with all proceeds also going to The BIG Manx Community Charity.

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.

‘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.

Talking about the support they’ve received for the show, Lisa commented: ‘In order to raise enough money to put on this show (and to enable us to make as much money as possible for the charity), we have enlisted the help of local companies, friends and family to bring this beautiful production to life.

‘We have found throughout this process that the whole community has come together to help in any way they can.’

The show will take place at 7.30pm on Thursday, May 29, Friday, May 30 and Saturday, May 31, as well as a special matinee performance on the Saturday at 2pm.

If you wish to book tickets (priced at £25) or find out more, you can visit https://www.villagaiety.com/calendargirls