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Award-winning theatre company Blue Apple are bringing their new production of Around the World in 80 Days to Theatre Royal Winchester this week, supported with £14,863 through our Grants for the Arts scheme.

Blue Apple Theatre Company empower people with learning difficulties and try to change the way people see and understand leaning disability.  Using the skills and enhanced confidence gained by participating in the arts, they raise the ceiling of expectation for members of the company.

Blue Apple are right at the forefront of delivering true diversity in the artsRuth Kapadia, Relationship Manager for Diversity

Their latest production is a new adaptation of Jules Verne’s epic tale brought to life in an exciting collaboration between Blue Apple and touring theatre company The Occasion.

In 1872, Mr. Phileas Fogg was one of the most striking members of the Reform Club, though he always seemed to avoid attracting attention.  Until, that was, he uttered the fateful words… “Gentlemen, it is now possible to travel around the World in 80 days”.  A fast-paced farce quickly ensued…

Blue Apple have produced 24 original theatre productions since 2005.  These have included full company productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2010), The Government Inspector (2011),The Snow Queen (2013), Arabian Nights (2014) and The Selfish Giant (2015).  Major touring productions have included the ground-breaking, anti-hate-crime show, Living Without Fear (2011-14); Hamlet (2012); and Much Ado About Nothing (2015).

Hamlet went on to be the subject of William Jessop’s hour-long BBC3 documentary Growing up Downs which won the prestigious Creative Diversity Network Most Ground-Breaking Programme Award for changing perceptions of disability and was nominated for an International Emmy.

Unless you’re given a fair chance then they will not know what you, the individual, can doJames Benfield, Blue Apple member

In March 2016 Blue Apple performed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, The Globe in London.  For the company and for the Globe this was quite a milestone; this was the first time Blue Apple had performed at a world renowned theatre, and it was the first time a learning disabled company had performed at the Globe.

Channel 4 covered the event and some of members became involved in the programme No Go Britain, examining issues around disability and the Paralympics. 

Another member was recently accepted on to a two year professional training programme for dancers with StopGap Dance Company.

Find out more

You can find out more about Blue Apple here and more about our Grants for the arts programmehere.

You can also sign up for our e-newsletter to find out about funding, what we’re up to and how you can get involved in making the case for art and culture.