The first five years

Directed by Peter Clerke

Blue Apple’s Christmas Carol had all the well-known seasonal ingredients - Scrooge, Marley, Bob Cratchit and all - plus a few unexpected additions, including a pillow with a mind of its own. The tale of Scrooge’s conversion from humbug to goodwill began with mulled wine, mince pies and carols around the grand piano in the foyer, before a main course of ghosts and startling revelations was served to a capacity audience in the theatre. Cratchit froze and Marley wailed as the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future took Scrooge on a journey back to his childhood and forward to his lonely, miserable old age. With only a cold, bleak gravestone, inscribed with the epitaph “the meanest man who ever lived”, to look forward to, the lesson was finally learnt and, as Christmas Day dawned, a new man filled with Christmas goodwill emerged. Developed over two and a half months and involving the full acting company of over thirty performers, the production played over three nights at the Tower Arts Centre to full houses.

Directed by Anita Rogers

Framed took Blue Apple members on a really good journey. A Victorian school about to be demolished, a confident set of cool boys from the 21st century school next door who brought new music and saved the girls from being trapped in time, Dr Who and the magic clock, a house-proud housekeeper and an authoritarian headmaster all came together happily in the end..

Directed by John Tellett

Hurly Burly was the first Blue Apple show to be made up of lots of different pieces, some entirely devised by the company and some scripted from their ideas.

Directed by John Tellett

Shiver Me Timbers was a wonderful pirate adventure created from ideas from the cast, spiced with spirited movement and improvised dialogue, mixed with freshly ground drama games, jokes, treasure maps and lots of laughs.

New Beginnings was the first Blue Apple show to focus heavily on dance and songs. We start in an ale house, travelling players arrive for a Holy Day, but find the villagers grumpy and depressed because it keeps on raining. Noah enters the stage and we alternate between village affairs and stories on stage.

Written by William Jessop

Written by William Jessop and directed with material developed from interviews with individual cast members, Cinderella and the Wolf incorporated the company’s own words into the script. Poisonings, evil witches, evil stepmothers, secret missions, soldiers, even love for the ugly sisters - and someone had to kiss the wolf! Extracts were also performed at the Langdon Down Centre for the Down’s Syndrome Association Christmas show.

Blue Apple Theatre appeared at Winchester’s Hat Fair on Sunday 2 June 2006 in temperatures of over 30 degrees. Members of the company performed interactive scenes from Jason and the Astronauts, involved members of the public in drama games and sold their Born to be Blue hats. Using Alex’s soundtrack, Jason and his heroes acted out a series of scenes and drew a good audience who then enjoyed the growlopalus dance and the fearsome roars of Gon, the dangerous dragon. The “heroes wanted” sign brought several gallant young men to the stand as volunteer heroes, and Jason taught them the special haka dance.

Jason and the Astronauts set out in Colin’s spaceship on an intergalactic journey. They met the King’s evil advisor, discovered that the meteor maids were not to be trusted, defeated dragons and rescued the maidens before heading home victorious.

Born to be Blue was Blue Apple’s first show and a showcase of work in progress. Performed over two nights in December 2005, it gave every member of the company a role, with costumes made by the performers themselves.