“Cancer affects the lives of everyone in one way or another, directly or indirectly,” said Melanie Winstanley, the chairman of the Algarveans Experimental Theatre Group, which is staging the Portuguese premiere of Calendar Girls by Tim Firth and using it as an opportunity to raise funds for the Algarve Oncology Association (AOA) in Faro.
The play, based on the film of the same name and starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, tells the true story of a number of WI women who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for a UK cancer charity, and has become the fastest-selling play in British theatre history.
Melanie, who is in the cast playing the part of ‘Chris’, said: “It has become really poignant in rehearsal as we have discussed our own experiences of cancer. I lost a dear friend to cancer, aged just 48, six years ago and it made my husband and I really re-evaluate our lives and probably contributed to us living here in the Algarve. Equally we have cast members who are in remission from the disease.”
The production has also been affected by cancer with a member of the cast having to pull out of the show due to ongoing treatment a few weeks into rehearsal.
“My character has a very apt line where she says: ‘If we could get that much nearer to killing off this shitty, cheating, sly, conniving, silent, bloody disease, I would run around Skipton Market smeared in plum Jam!’,” added Melanie, before goingon to tell us how the group will be donating €2 from each ticket sold to AOA, as well as asking for donations for the Algarveans’ version of an‘Alternative WI Calendar’.
There will also be a fundraising raffle on each night of the show.
“We don’t know how much we will raise, but if we can sell out each show that will be €1,800, without including donations for the calendars or the raffle,” said Melanie.
Calendar Girls is being staged at Lagoa Auditorium at 8pm from Thursday, June 27 to Saturday, June 29. Tickets are now on sale.
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