Image of Blue Apple Dancers by Mike Hall Photography

Blue Apple showcase of talent and contagious joy ignites Hampshire

In a dazzling display of talent and inclusivity, Blue Apple Theatre's For One Night Only! showcase electrified audiences last Saturday at Thornden Hall. Marking a momentous expansion across Hampshire, the event brought together performing arts groups from Winchester, Totton, Hedge End, Southampton, and even online, celebrating the creative power of individuals with learning disabilities. In attendance were councillors and other notable public figures representing key areas where Blue Apple supports learning disabled people to pursue their passion for performing arts. This included the Lord Mayor of Southampton, Councillor Valerie Laurent; the Mayor of Eastleigh, Councillor Nick Couldrey; the Deputy Mayor of Winchester, Councillor Russell Gordon-Smith; Shaun Riches, Head of the Hampshire Music Service.

"Brilliant and varied. Full of talent," exclaimed one audience member. "Fun, energetic, joyous," described another. "Joyous, celebratory, delightful," a third echoed. The positive feedback continued with comments like: "A fantastic display of talent," and "Fantastic. A pleasure to be in the audience."

Associate Director Rebecca Godden curated For One Night Only!, offering a taste of Blue Apple's diverse work across Hampshire and beyond. Highlights included performances by Blue Apple’s Winchester Stage Companies, a foyer walkabout performance of Complimentary Colours by Blue Apple’s Special Assignments Company, a medley of songs from the Blue Apple Singers, a beautiful set of dances from the Blue Apple Dancers, a pre-recorded video performance on the theme of light by the Blue Apple Theatre Young Online Company, and a dramatic performance called ‘Through the Wardrobe’ from Chestnut Theatre in Southampton. There were also presentations by partner groups that are facilitated by Blue Apple at QE2 Activity Centre who performed ‘A Christmas Carol’ and the Minstead Trust’s Hanger Farm Community Theatre who performed a drama and dance show called ‘Musical Madness’. As one attendee admitted, " I had no idea about the other groups who perform locally."

The evening concluded with a tantalising preview of Blue Apple's upcoming production of The Wind in the Willows, due to be staged on 26 and 27 June at Theatre Royal Winchester and also livestreamed on 27 June.

See some show images below and read more about the show below the images and video.

Reviewer Elaine Chapman wrote in her Blog @ElaineC_reviews: "The performances during the hour-and-a-half show were a showcase offering a cross-section of entertainment showing the audience everything that performers with disabilities have a vast range of abilities to offer to the art world and are too often overlooked." "The standard presented by Blue Apple is superb. The entire creative team behind them work exceptionally hard."

The Drama Beast echoed this sentiment on social media: "Thank you Blue Apple Theatre for a completely joyful evening celebrating the creative arts. Bravo to all performers. We loved it. And can't wait to see The Wind in the Willows later this year."

Local learning disability charity Winchester Go LD added on social media: "What a brilliant evening...fantastic performances and what a brilliant learning disability community we're all part of! Huge congratulations to all the Blue Apple Theatre performers and their support crews for such a fun, happy and inclusive evening."

The show attracted new audience members with over 54% of show survey respondents saying they had never seen a Blue Apple show before. One newcomer, Veronica Gordon from Southampton, who runs a community media enterprise that’s equipping black – and other minoritised communities – with media and journalism skills to tell their own stories posted online: "Bravo. Well done Blue Apple Theatre! Thanks for a lovely evening."

When asked what people enjoyed most, responses included: "You could tell everyone was having fun," "The happy faces of the people on stage – it's infectious," "Inclusivity and variety," and "Variety and quality of performance." And a heartfelt comment response concluded with: "Thank you so much for a lovely evening."

Winchester's Stage Companies presented a taste of Blue Apple's summer production of The Wind in the Willows which will be staged at Theatre Royal Winchester with a guest cameo role by Chris Packham. Tickets are already on sale at Theatre Royal Winchester with special offers on large group bookings available. Join Blue Apple Theatre as they paint the stage with talent, inclusivity, and sheer theatrical magic!

For One Night Only! marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Blue Apple Theatre. The infectious joy of Blue Apple performers is sure to captivate audiences across Hampshire and beyond!

Don't miss The Wind in the Willows at Theatre Royal Winchester!

Performances:

• Wednesday, 26 June, 7.30 pm

• Thursday, 27 June, 1.00 PM and 7.30 pm

• Livestream webcast performance: Thursday, 27 June, 1.00 pm

For more information and tickets, visit Theatre Royal Winchester’s website or click the button below.