Press Release: 14.01.15
For immediate release
Winchester Blue Apple performer selected for national tour with Candoco
Winchester performer Katy Francis is one of only fourteen dancers to be selected to join Candoco
Dance Company on tour. Candoco is a contemporary dance company of disabled and non-disabled dancers. Katy will be joining six of their company dancers to perform a piece by the French choreographer Jerome Bel called "The Show Must Go On". It will tour to several venues in the UK, opening at Sadler’s Wells in London on March 20th.
Competition for this opportunity was fierce, from over 260 applications 120 people were auditioned and Katy was invited to attend a 3 hour recruitment workshop in London, one of 6 held throughout the country. This was the first time Katy had been to an audition like this, but she really enjoyed the experience .
Katy is the first dancer with a learning disability to work with Candoco.
Katy said “I’m really excited about this opportunity, I got the news just before Christmas – it was a great present! I’m really looking forward to getting to know the other performers and working on my own technique with the Candodo dancers. I’ll be living in London for 3 weeks during the rehearsals and then we’ll have two performances at Sadler’s Wells, Nottingham Playhouse and the
Tramway Museum, Glasgow.”
Katy went on to say
“2015 will be a busy year for me; I’ve also just started rehearsals for Shakespeare’s Much Ado
About Nothing with Blue Apple here in Winchester. I’ve been cast as Hero and we’ll be performing across the South during April and May and at Winchester Theatre Royal in July.”
Peter Clerke, Artistic Director of Blue Apple said: “Katy has grown enormously as a performer over the past few years, we’re really proud of her achievements, and are planning a Blue Apple trip to
Sadler’s Wells to see Katy perform.”
ENDS
For media enquiries please contact Louisa Milburn manager@blueappletheatre.com or 07510
844480 www.blueappletheatre.com
The Tower at Kings’ School, Romsey Road, Winchester SO22 5PW
About Blue Apple Theatre
Blue Apple Theatre is a highly ambitious theatre company which brings all the benefits of taking part in theatre to performers who have learning disabilities and enables them to present high

quality productions to the widest possible audience in a variety of large and small scale productions, touring theatre and film.
Blue Apple Theatre believes that direct involvement in the arts greatly helps in the building of a more inclusive and equal society. Founded in 2005, it uses the skills and enhanced confidence gained through performing on stage as an opportunity for raising the ceiling of expectation for people with learning disabilities. It aims to help its members achieve their social, personal and theatrical potential through the challenge of appearing on stage in public performance. It is dependent on the excellent work of our many volunteers to achieve this.