The Railway Children

Director's Notes I Cast & Crew I Gallery I Performances

A classic story about family and community, international intrigue and red petticoats – come mothers and sons, come fathers and daughters; the 11.45 train is just about to pull in…

Director's Notes

I hope the choice of this piece for a winter show sits well with you as an audience. So many of us will remember watching the 1970 classic movie adaptation on Christmas Days gone-by. To us it felt like it had the warmth and charm people expect from a Blue Apple show, and the cast have discussed the themes of ‘justice’, ‘family’, ‘community’, ‘faith’, and a certain open-heartedness in the feel of story.

2020 marks the fifteenth year for Blue Apple and the company continues to develop whilst holding on to what made it so valuable in the first place. At heart we are just storytellers, but I hope that in the telling of the stories perhaps something else is happening; I sometimes refer to Blue Apple as ‘the most social of social justice organisations and the most civil of civil right groups’ and while there is humour in that statement there is truth too.

Like Bobbie, Peter and Roberta, we are trying to make the world a better place with one small act at a time – our ‘small acts’ are our productions and the many outreach sessions that go on across the county each week. I couldn’t be prouder of our performers and we are all so pleased that you have come to join us.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Richard Conlon
Director

Cast & Crew

Bobbie - Katie Appleford
Peter - Sam Dace
Phyllis - Katy Francis
Mother - Anna Brisbane
Ruth - Ros Davies
Mr Perks - Tom Hatchett
The Stationmaster - Paul Smith
The Old Gent - Alistair Sinclair-Wilson
God - Ryan Nicholas
The Doctor - James Benfield
Engineer & Fireman - Elena Moody & David Hunt
Mr Szczepansky - Tommy Jessop
Father - James Elsworthy
The Dream-Spirit - Amy Britt
The Bargees - Neil White & Lucy Parrott
Mrs Perks & Young Perks - Ros Davies & Alice Peck
The Hound - Lawrie Morris

The People Of Oakwood - Neil Bennett, Rachel Collins, Sue Dashper, Kym Nash, Chris Pearce, Michelle Pluck, James Spencer, Clare Talks, Yazmin Whyton

The Railway Poets - Daniel Austin, Daniel Chopra, Tom Gibson, Joseph Guerrier, Jonny Ling, Andrew Malster, Rhodri Mayer, Michelle Pluck, Emma Rabjohn, James Smith, Lucy Thomas, Issy Weallens

‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ Recorded By The Blue Apple Singers: Kate Mellors With Harry Ayling, James Benfield, Anna Brisbane, Jane Chadwick, Jenny Grover, Lawrie Morris, Lydia Owen

Winchester College Volunteers - Alastair Brown, Walter Creswell, Kai Marshall, Oscar Vogel, Seb Longman, John Julius Schwabach, Romarho Ibru

Production Team:

Director - Richard Conlon
Set Construction, Production & Stage Management - Mark Pyke
Lighting Design & Operations - Katy Dixon
Costumes - Polly Perry
Choreography - Amanda Watkinson
Film - Lara Oyeneye
Extra Visuals - Rhodri Mayer & Yazmin Whyton
Thanks To - Aarti Panchmatia & Niall Thomas

Blue Apple Team

General Manager - Simon Morris
Artistic Director - Richard Conlon
Finance Manager - Kenneth Parry
Administrator - Elisabeth Yeats-Brown
Communications Manager - Helen Rimmer
Drama Leaders - Jacqueline Goddard, Alex Lonsdale, Charlotte Teschner, Hannah Wright
Dance Leaders - Caroline Hotchkiss, Rosa Kentwood, Amanda Watkinson
Music Leader - Kate Mellors
Group Assistants - Rachel College, Rhodri Mayer, Cat Randall, Yazmin Whyton
Blue Apple Trustees - Georgiana Robertson, Rebecca Sheppard, Duncan Rutter, Ross Harvie, Ed Rochead, Kim Gottleib
Blue Apple Founder - Jane Jessop
Blue Apple Patrons - Alan Lovell, Sally Phillips

Programme Production

Graphic Design & Cover Image - Richard Williams
Photography - Mike Hall
Printing - Diguru Limited

The staff and board of Blue Apple would like to thank the families and supporters of our performers as well as the many volunteers who give their time freely and enthusiastically to support all of our groups.

We are also very grateful to all our funders and donors including The National Lottery Community Fund, Winchester City Council, Hampshire County Council and Rathbone Investment Management; and for the generous in-kind support provided by the University of Winchester and the University of Southampton.