Well here we are towards the back end of our run for Calendar Girls and really can’t believe that it has gone by that quickly. It seems only yesterday that we knew that the Licence was to be released for performances by amateur theatre companies.
During the first meetings, we sat and discussed all the great ideas being thrown around by everyone in relation to raising monies for local charities. With heads spinning from all of those ideas and how we were going to do them, we also decided to perform this play for slightly longer that the ‘normal’ run by extending it 2 nights.
The reading then took place and the cast was announced by Peta Maidman, who took on, what turned out to be a mammoth task in both Directing and producing (many a midnight candle has been burned I have no doubt!)
To my delight my wife, Ros, was asked to play Ruth, with myself playing Rod and my eldest daughter Fay, playing Elaine.
During the discussion of ideas, we decided to produce a calendar. This would involve all the ladies in various poses and states of undress. Even the ‘boys’ were down to do a page. When the time came, the ladies were photographed in various lovely locations around Blackwood and I was waiting eagerly to see where ours would be... which turned out to be a local car park! Well, with the weather we have been experiencing I wasn’t holding out much hope of being able to stay dry! However the day came for the dirty deed to be done and luckily it was one of those few days where it was nice and sunny. The 4 of us involved trooped down to the car park. With the van strategically placed, various poses were discussed and eventually settled on. A tentative look around and they were off (our clothes!) A few pictures later and everyone was happy and dressed, glad that we were not spotted by our local ‘boys in blue’. I did have visions of the Full Monty where we would all be carted off to the local station to be ridiculed.
The calendar was finalised and produced. I have to say that everyone looks great and they are selling so well that we have had to order more (smacks of the play itself). Talking of which, the play is going really well. We are pleased to say that we are playing to full houses and the feedback has been fantastic.
I know the ladies involved in the production have been worrying about ‘Scene 6’ (the photo shoot scene). Well all I can say is that they are all very brave and the scene has been handled tastefully which has resulted in everyone being confident that bits that shouldn’t bee see aren’t. It goes down a storm every night receiving applause from the audience for every ‘photo’ set up.
The cry from the female members is now for the boys to do the Full Monty. Well the gauntlet has been thrown down. I guess it’s a case of watch this space!!
Jerry Grummitt - Rod
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