Elektrik Apple, a Liverpool-based theatre group for people with learning disabilities, is challenging the stigma that defines individuals by their conditions. Founded in 2012 by Carol Darby, now 79, the group began after she struggled to find performing arts opportunities for her daughter Leanne.
Darby told the ECHO: "We sat in Sayer's Bakery in town and we thought, 'what do we do?' So we thought, we'll open our own, so we came to [The Liverpool Lighthouse in Anfield] on a wet day. We brought four or five people with disabilities and from there. Since then, we just added to the group. If you can sing, dance or act, we'll give you a chance."
From Humble Beginnings to a Thriving Production Company
The performing arts school has grown steadily, with Darby recruiting her other daughter, Nicola Broadley, a professional singer, to run the drama group. Broadley, 53, writes and directs original shows for the actors, whom she compares to a West End cast.
She said: "Every person, whether they're able bodied or in a chair, whether they've got a learning difficulty, autism or Down syndrome all have the one passion, which is performance. They're all incredible and they don't want to be treated differently from a mainstream actor. It's like working with a West End cast. This is a full on production company."
Overcoming Labels and Celebrating Ability
Broadley is determined to overcome the labels placed on people with disabilities. She recounted: "One of the carers came the other day and asked, 'Is that a Down syndrome girl getting attacked' and I said, 'No, that's Nicola.' That's Nicola and she's an amazing actress. Is that the blind girl doing that song? No that's Jayne. This is a cast and that's how they're treated. I am proud of them."
She added: "It's not about the disability. It's about their ability and their ability is incredible. A blind girl running across the stage, singing songs, being attacked. We have a girl with schizophrenia who doesn't hear a voice when she's anywhere near that stage. Those things completely get washed away."
'You Are My Sunshine': A Darker Thriller
The latest production, titled You Are My Sunshine, debuts at The Liverpool Lighthouse on July 9. The thriller was deliberately chosen by the cast, who wanted something different from comedies. Liam Claeys, 41, from Whiston, plays the lead role of a serial killer. He has been acting since 2002 and praised the group for trusting people with disabilities to carry lead roles.
Claeys said: "Unfortunately there's not many drama groups for people with disabilities anymore. At Elektrik Apple, we're all friends and family. It's so special this group. Just because we've got a disability doesn't mean we can't be better than mainstream. I hate that word, 'mainstream', because there's people in this drama group now who are better than mainstream."
The show features musical numbers. During a dress rehearsal, a moving song was performed by Melissa Morton, 34, from Walton, who has autism, and Jayne Massey, who is blind but navigates the stage using dotted markers. Morton said: "If I wasn't in Elektrik Apple, I'd be sitting in my room doing nothing. Elektrik Apple show that disabled people have the ability to act. Why fit in when you were born to stand out."
Melissa added: "It's like a second family. Singing has been our lives basically so it makes us happy."
Future Plans and a Permanent Home
The group aims to continue producing original projects and secure a permanent home. Founder Carol Darby summed up their mission: "We always say, 'It's not about teaching our guys, it's about teaching you.' The cast know what they can do. It's about teaching the audience."
