Blue Apple Theatre Presents Reinvented HAMLET, Touring in May

Blue Apple Theatre presents Hamlet, adaptation by William Jessop, touring production for Hampshire and the South of England in May 2012.

Blue Apple reinvent the play in a adaptation using Shakespeare’s original language.

Celebrating the World Shakespeare Festival and the spirit of the Olympics, Blue Apple Theatre will tour Shakespeare’s most famous play and bring the talent of learning disabled artists before audiences. This pioneering theatre project challenges audience preconceptions and brings the experiences of learning disabled performers to stages around Hampshire and the South of England, including The Minack, Cornwall's world famous open-air theatre.

The tour returns to Winchester in June with a full company production at Winchester’s Theatre Royal. This presentation, with its cast of 35, will bring new insights into a familiar play and discover Hamlet as he has never been seen before. Blue Apple Theatre recognizes the support of the Arts Council, whose funding acknowledges the work and ambition of the company.

Blue Apple Theatre is an award- winning inclusive theatre company which promotes the talents of actors with learning disabilities.

Their programme includes large-scale performance projects, commissioned small-scale touring productions, dance and film.

Hamlet features Tommy Jessop in the title role. Tommy, who has Down’s Syndrome, is a founder member of Blue Apple Theatre and has numerous stage and screen credits, most notably in the BAFTA nominated Coming Down the Mountain (Tiger Aspect for BBC1). He has also featured in Casualty, Holby City, Monroe and Radio 4 afternoon plays.

Hamlet is Adapted by William Jessop, Directed by Peter Clerke, has Design by Kevin Jenkins, is Co- directed by Kate Bannister, and has Lighting Design by Mark Dymock.

Peter Clerke is Artistic Director of Blue Apple. He was a founder member and Co-Artistic Director (1991-2009) of Scottish experimental visual theatre company Benchtours, whose highly acclaimed touring productions included Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle and Mother Courage and Her Children; adaptations of Iain Banks’ The Bridge and Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and The Sea of Stories.

William Jessop has written five productions for Blue Apple: Cinderella and the Wolf (2006); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2010); Captain Miserable and the Book Guardian (2010); The Government Inspector (2011) and Living Without Fear (2011). William is also an accomplished film-maker. He was short-listed for a Grierson Award for Tommy’s Story, a broadcast documentary he made about his brother, the Blue Apple actor.

Hamlet Tour Cast: Hamlet -Tommy Jessop, Gertrude- Anna Brisbane, The Player /The Ghost- Ros Davies, Claudius- Lawrie Morris, Ophelia- Katie Francis, and Polonius/Laertes- James Elsworthy.

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