Stagecrafters Brings a True Story to Metro-Detroit Audiences with CALENDAR GIRLS
Royal Oak, MI - Stagecrafters is delighted to present CALENDAR GIRLS, running November 6 – 22, 2026 at the Baldwin Theatre in downtown Royal Oak. Equal parts
hilarious and heartfelt, this beloved comedy-drama follows a group of Women’s Institute
members who set out to raise a little money for charity and end up changing their lives, and the world’s idea of what ordinary women can do.
Written by Tim Firth and based on the hit film by Juliette Towhidi and Tim Firth, CALENDAR GIRLS premiered at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2008 and has since delighted audiences around the world. Inspired by real events, the play balances big laughs with genuine emotion, and it offers a message of resilience, love, and the power of friendship in the face of loss.
CALENDAR GIRLS is inspired by the true story of a group of Yorkshire Women’s Institute
members who, in 1999, posed for a charity calendar to raise money for leukaemia research in
memory of a member’s husband. The Women’s Institute is a long-running British community
organization best known for baking, crafts, and village life, which made the calendar all the more
unexpected. Their fundraiser became an international sensation and has raised millions of
dollars for cancer research. The play captures both the humor of that unlikely adventure and the
heart behind it.
In the village of Knapeley, Yorkshire, best friends Annie and Chris are lifelong members of the local Women’s Institute. When Annie’s husband John dies of leukaemia, the two decide to raise money for a new sofa in the hospital waiting room, and Chris has a bold idea: instead of the usual calendar of picturesque local scenery, why not have the WI members pose themselves, tastefully, in the spirit of the best-loved WI pursuits? What starts as a modest fundraiser quickly
becomes a media sensation, putting the women in the international spotlight and testing the
friendship at the heart of the story. Funny, moving, and ultimately uplifting, CALENDAR GIRLS
reminds us that courage can be found in the most unexpected places.
At the heart of CALENDAR GIRLS is a message of community in the face of cancer, and
Stagecrafters is proud to partner with Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit to make that message a central part of this production. Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit, also based in Royal Oak, provides free
support, education, and community to anyone touched by cancer, so that no one has to face it
alone. Through this partnership, Stagecrafters and Gilda’s Club hope to raise awareness, honor
those affected by cancer, and bring audiences together in the same spirit of connection and
generosity that drives the show.
More information about Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit can be found by visiting their website,
Tickets can be purchased online at www.stagecrafters.org or by calling 248-541-6430.
