A THEATRE group is breaking out of the coronavirus lockdown with a production of Bad Girls the Musical, which will run in partnership with mental health charity Woking Mind.

The show, by Camus Productions, will be serving time in early May at Camberley Theatre, including a special discount NHS Wednesday performance during its run.

“The work that Woking Mind does for the local community is vital and raising funds for them to be able to carry on their work is really important,” said Camus chairman Laura Thomas.

There will be collection for the charity after each performance, as well as members of Woking Mind present “to offer support, information and a friendly chat to anyone who needs it”.

“Bad Girls the Musical touches upon some hard hitting subjects, including bullying and abuse,” said Laura. “With mental health being such an important subject, we felt supporting the local mental health charity would benefit everyone.”

Based on the ITV drama of the same name, the show focuses on life in fictional woman’s prison HMP Larkhall, and the conflict between wing governor Helen Steward (Freya Wall) and old guard officer Jim Fenner (Eddie King). A tragic death, in which Fenner is implicated, leads to an angry protest from the women prisoners.

A blend of hard-hitting drama and heart-warming comedy, the musical is written by Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus, the creators of the original television series, with musical score and lyrics by Kath Gotts offering a mix of funny and moving songs from ballads to showtime including Freedom Road, Jailcraft and All Banged Up.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support of Camus to help raise awareness of Woking Mind and the mental health support that is available to people living in Surrey,” said Mandy Dhingra, the charity’s marketing and fundraising director.

“Sadly, we are still riding the effects of the pandemic, so through our partnership, we hope to reach more people who could benefit from our support and raise vital funds from the planned collections.”

The show is also offering a discount ticket offer to the Wednesday evening performance for NHS staff and volunteers.

“Without the NHS working tirelessly during the pandemic, the arts might still not be back in action,” said Laura. “This is Camus’s first performance back since before the pandemic, we weren’t sure whether we would ever get back onto the stage. So we wanted to thank our NHS staff and volunteers for all their hard work and getting Camus back on stage!”

Bad Girls the Musical will run from 4-7 May at Camberley Theatre. Visit www.camusproductions.com for more details and advance ticket bookings.