Tanya Laing Gahr is so enamoured with the production she sheds a tear every time she watches the magic unfold on stage.

And thatsa国际传媒檚 saying a lot considering Laing Gahr has been hard at work in the directorsa国际传媒檚 chair for four months to bring Calendar Girls to the Powerhouse Theatre May 2-12.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a very funny script but itsa国际传媒檚 also incredibly touching,sa国际传媒� Laing Gahr said. sa国际传媒淚t still makes me cry every time. These actors make me cry every time. Itsa国际传媒檚 a play that this audience will give themselves over to.sa国际传媒�

Calendar Girls, written by playwright Tim Firth, originally hit the silver screen in 2003 and starred Helen Mirren and Julie Walters.

Following the true story of a group of Yorkshire gals and their monthly meetings at the local chapter of the Womensa国际传媒檚 Institute, Annie sa国际传媒� played on screen by Walters and Powerhouse stage by Bev Steeves sa国际传媒� and her close friend Chris sa国际传媒� Mirren, Jennifer Goodsell sa国际传媒� go above and beyond to spice up the institutesa国际传媒檚 annual calendar.

It was meant to be a banal calendar full of bridges that litter the English countryside, but when Anniesa国际传媒檚 husband passes after a battle with leukemia, Chris and Annie rally the institute to put together a nude calendar and raise money for leukemia research.

sa国际传媒淭his is such a wonderfully funny, poignant and powerful script,sa国际传媒� Laing Gahr said.

While she stands firmly behind the power of the script, Laing Gahr opted not to watch the film.

sa国际传媒淚 wanted to make sure the story was not a retelling of another directorsa国际传媒檚 vision,sa国际传媒� Laing Gahr said. sa国际传媒淲e wanted to be as authentic in our telling as possible. They (audience) can expect to see some more authentic communication between actors, between each other and between the moments they developed. Wesa国际传媒檝e really been digging into the emotional aspect of live theatre.sa国际传媒�

Unlike many community theatre performances, Laing Gahr said, Calendar Girls revolves around a women-centric cast.

sa国际传媒淚 love womensa国际传媒檚 stories,sa国际传媒� Laing Gahr said. sa国际传媒淭here tends to be a lot of men with women in supporting roles. (In Calendar Girls) women are the driving force. Their stories are so real, theysa国际传媒檙e so authentic.sa国际传媒�

Laing Gahr, who has more than two decades experience in the industry, including a stint running a theatre company in Cranbrook and working as a director for hire, leads a cast comprised of four relatively new actors and nine veterans.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a really interesting blend of personality, experience and background,sa国际传媒� Laing Gahr said. sa国际传媒淭he thing that truly unites them is they love this play so much. Theysa国际传媒檙e just bringing it.sa国际传媒�

And, like the story itself, the cast and crew of Calendar Girls is putting together their own calendar, which will be available on performance nights and around town soon. Proceeds from the calendar support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.

sa国际传媒淚 think itsa国际传媒檚 an important story because of those relationships and the struggle of those characters to reach their fullest potential,sa国际传媒� Laing Gahr said. sa国际传媒淭he removal of clothing is very good, very funny, but itsa国际传媒檚 also a great metaphor.sa国际传媒�

At the root of it, Laing Gahr said itsa国际传媒檚 an inspiring story made possible by the dedication of cast and crew.

sa国际传媒淲hat I really love is watching the culmination of so many peoplesa国际传媒檚 efforts. Itsa国际传媒檚 this incredible effort of so many people to put two hours of story telling on stage,sa国际传媒� Laing Gahr said. sa国际传媒淚 just think this is going to be one of the best plays wesa国际传媒檙e going to see here.sa国际传媒�

Calendar Girls runs at Powerhouse Theatre May 2-15 and 8-12 at 7:30 p.m., with matinees May 6 and 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $28 adult and $22 student and are available through the Ticket Seller, 250-549-7469, . Following a new partnership with Little Tex restaurant, ticket holders are eligible for specials on performance nights.