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

And that乌鸦传媒檚 saying a lot considering Laing Gahr has been hard at work in the director乌鸦传媒檚 chair for four months to bring Calendar Girls to the Powerhouse Theatre May 2-12.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a very funny script but it乌鸦传媒檚 also incredibly touching,乌鸦传媒� Laing Gahr said. 乌鸦传媒淚t still makes me cry every time. These actors make me cry every time. It乌鸦传媒檚 a play that this audience will give themselves over to.乌鸦传媒�

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 Women乌鸦传媒檚 Institute, Annie 乌鸦传媒� played on screen by Walters and Powerhouse stage by Bev Steeves 乌鸦传媒� and her close friend Chris 乌鸦传媒� Mirren, Jennifer Goodsell 乌鸦传媒� go above and beyond to spice up the institute乌鸦传媒檚 annual calendar.

It was meant to be a banal calendar full of bridges that litter the English countryside, but when Annie乌鸦传媒檚 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.

乌鸦传媒淭his is such a wonderfully funny, poignant and powerful script,乌鸦传媒� Laing Gahr said.

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

乌鸦传媒淚 wanted to make sure the story was not a retelling of another director乌鸦传媒檚 vision,乌鸦传媒� Laing Gahr said. 乌鸦传媒淲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. We乌鸦传媒檝e really been digging into the emotional aspect of live theatre.乌鸦传媒�

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

乌鸦传媒淚 love women乌鸦传媒檚 stories,乌鸦传媒� Laing Gahr said. 乌鸦传媒淭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, they乌鸦传媒檙e so authentic.乌鸦传媒�

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.