Photos by: Li Xiaocao.
Winchester-based Blue Apple Theatre has recently returned from an international collaboration in Beijing, where Artistic Director Richard Conlon co-directed an inclusive adaptation of Journey to the West with Chinese partner Intellectual Heart Theatre Company.
The production, staged at the Luminous Festival in China’s 798 Art District, featured eight young adult performers with learning disabilities and autism. It marked the first inclusive theatre project of its kind in China, supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture grant.
Dom Hastings, Head of Arts at British Council China, praised the collaboration, saying: “I’m really pleased that the British Council is able to support this project through our long-running Connections Through Culture grant programme. We know that supporting artistic exchange between the UK and China has many benefits and the partnerships we have supported in the past have led to new co-productions, collaborative projects, and many examples of shared learning and professional development – strengthening cultural relations between the UK and China. I look forward to seeing how the project develops.”
Richard spent ten days in Beijing working closely with the cast and co-director Chen Ran, blending UK and Chinese approaches to inclusive performance. The result was a moving, visually rich retelling of the classic Chinese tale, performed at the striking 798CUBE venue.
Richard Conlon said: “This project underlines what a jewel Winchester and Hampshire have in Blue Apple Theatre. While it used to feel like a local good news story it is increasingly, internationally, important. Our cast have had a chance to partner with China from a distance over recent years and when I arrived, I was able to pass on my own casts hints, tips and encouragement for the first steps into performance.
It feels like the UK is perhaps twenty years ahead when it comes to having this conversation about inclusion and visibility in the arts. Since Blue Apple’s inception, it has grown to be not just a main-stage staple of Winchester’s cultural calendar, but a provider of outreach work for around 150 regular participants across (and beyond) Hampshire.
Of course, our company is about storytelling and entertainment, but it has always had a foot in the camps of civil rights and social justice – and our Chinese partners were keen to hear about that part of our journey.”
The project was inspired by community research in Beijing, which identified Journey to the West as a story with deep cultural resonance. For many of the performers, it was their first time on stage-an experience that proved both empowering and transformative.
This international partnership highlights Blue Apple’s commitment to inclusive arts and its growing role in global conversations around accessibility and creativity.
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