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Comedy About Baring All For Charity Kicks Off At Stamford's Curtain Call

STAMFORD, Conn., -- Fear of public speaking may be society's No. 1 phobia, so just think about doing it naked. That's just what a group of women ages 40-something and up will do when Curtain Call's first show of 2016 - "Calendar Girls" - opens in The Dressing Room Theatre in Stamford on Jan. 8.

The cover photo for Curtain Call's CALENDAR GIRLS 2016 calendar which is being sold as a joint fundraiser for Curtain Call and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Facing the camera is Stamford resident and director for CALENDAR GIRLS, Gail Yudain.

The cover photo for Curtain Call's CALENDAR GIRLS 2016 calendar which is being sold as a joint fundraiser for Curtain Call and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Facing the camera is Stamford resident and director for CALENDAR GIRLS, Gail Yudain.

Photo Credit: Contributed
Seen here on the set of Curtain Cal's next production - CALENDAR GIRLS - are most of the female cast members taking a break on the night of their first "disrobing." The production runs in The Dressing Room Theatre, Stamford, January 8 through 24.

Seen here on the set of Curtain Cal's next production - CALENDAR GIRLS - are most of the female cast members taking a break on the night of their first "disrobing." The production runs in The Dressing Room Theatre, Stamford, January 8 through 24.

Photo Credit: Contributed
Frank MacEachern

But before you have visions of a centerfold convention, the nudity is tastefully, if comically, handled and is brief. Adapted from the hit Miramax film of the same name, "Calendar Girls" is based on a true story that is both poignant and hilarious. A group of women, members of an ordinary Yorkshire Women’s Institute, sparked a global phenomenon by persuading one another to pose au natural for a charity calendar. 

"Many friends have joked with me that doing the show in the cold month of January and just after the holiday feeding frenzy may not have been too kind to the women of the play, but this group of ladies is amazing," said Lou Ursone, Curtain Call's executive director and producer for "Calendar Girls." "Right from the get go, they all knew what was required for the show and those required to be nude were completely committed to the project." 

One of the best-selling plays in British theatre history, "Calendar Girls" is about women’s friendships along with the power of imagination, risk-taking and resourcefulness under trying conditions. 

The show includes brief nudity and may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

In the spirit of the story, the female cast members have posed for and created a 2016 calendar, which is for sale through Curtain Call. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which is featured in the play. Director Gail Yudain took it off in solidarity with her cast and is featured in the cover photo.

The cast includes: 

  • from Stamford: Deborah Burke, Jean Carucci, Tom Costaggini, Brent McKinley; 
  • from Norwalk: Ann Alford, Carin Freidag; 
  • from Trumbull: Cathy Cordaro; Anthony Gray, Jordon Michael Hensley: 
  • from Greenwich: Kate Telfer; 
  • from Wilton: Christina Richardson; from Westport: Seth Barkan; 
  • from New Canaan: Dana Posner; and 
  • from White Plains, N.Y.: Stephanie Schwartz. 

"Calendar Girls" will play Jan. 8 through 24, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 and Sunday afternoons at 2. Regular prices are $32 for adults, $24 for senior citizens and $16 for students and children. Thrifty Thursday pricing – all seats $22. Box Office: 203-461-6358 or online at www.curtaincallinc.com. 

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