“We are such stuff as dreams are made on” proclaimed Prospero in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
What prophetic words, spoken by actor Tommy Jessop on stage at The Theatre Royal Winchester in Blue Apple’s 2019 production of The Tempest.
Tommy breathed life into the dreams of many other performers with learning disabilities as he took to the stage at the University of Winchester to receive an honorary doctorate in July 2021.
Tommy is an experienced Shakespearian actor and co-founder of Hampshire based Blue Apple Theatre. The charity seeks to challenge prejudice by creating ambitious opportunities for performers who have learning disabilities and showcasing their talents to the widest possible audience.
Working with Blue Apple, Tommy Jessop became the first actor with Down syndrome to play Hamlet on mainstream stages. Tommy is now a multi award-winning film and television actor whose first film, Coming Down the Mountain, was BAFTA nominated. He was the first actor with Down syndrome to play the lead in a primetime TV drama, the first professional actor with Down syndrome to play Hamlet and is the first actor with Down syndrome to become a full voting member of BAFTA.
You may recognise Tommy from his dramatic role as Terry Boyle in the recent BBC1 series of Line of Duty where he was nearly drowned.
Blue Apple’s artistic director Richard Conlon said “The whole of Blue Apple Theatre are rightly proud of Tommy for blazing a trail and for opening doors. The company he founded with his mother, Jane, has changed lives by offering up high-quality performance opportunities for people just like Tommy. By telling stories and entertaining audiences locally and further afield, we become part of a bigger, joyful, national conversation about what everyone can do if given the chance.”
