THE BRAVE lady members of a village dramatic society are preparing to bare all next week for the sake of drama and to raise money for charity.
In recent years, Calendar Girls has touched the hearts of thousands of theatre-goers and film enthusiasts throughout the country.
As Wheathampstead Dramatic Society (WDS) prepares for its own production of the play, there are a number of parallels between the fearless WDS cast and the intrepid ladies of the Knapely WI whom they portray.
The society’s base in a small village, within a close-knit community, has much in common with the Yorkshire village of Knapely, where a simple fund-raising venture (aimed at the purchase of a more comfortable sofa for the visitors’ room in the local hospital) blossomed into the mass-production of a calendar which changed the image of the WI forever.
To extend the connection still further, weekly rehearsals are taking place at the local WI hall and the cast are baring all, not just for dramatic art and entertainment but also with the rather more serious purpose of raising money for Leukaemia Research – the charity originally supported by the ladies of the Knapely WI – and the local Grove House Hospice.
The production runs from Wednesday, February 13, to Saturday, February 16, at the Memorial Hall, Marford Road, Wheathampstead, with a special charity performance on the first night when all monies raised will go to the two charities.
Tickets are £8 and are available from the Manor Pharmacy, Wheathampstead, online at www.wheathampsteaddramaticsociety.co.uk or call 01582 621357.
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