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We started in a Sayers bakery and now we're changing lives

Elektric Apple is determined to overcome people being defined by their labels

[Carol Darby and Nicola Broadley run Elektric Apple theatre group]

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Carol Darby and Nicola Broadley run Elektric Apple theatre group(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

A Liverpool community group is challenging the stigma around people with disabilities being defined by their condition. Elektric Apple was founded in 2012 by Carol Darby after she was frustrated at the lack of opportunities available for her daughter, Leanne, to explore her passion for the performing arts.

The 79-year-old told the ECHO: "We sat in Sayers bakery in town and we thought, 'what do we do?' So we thought, we'll open our own [theatre group], so we came to [The Liverpool Lighthouse in Anfield] on a wet day. We brought four of five people with disabilities and, since then, we have just added to the group.

"If you can sing, dance or act, we'll give you a chance." The performing arts school for people with disabilities has continued to go from strength to strength ever since as Carol recruited her other daughter, Nicola Broadley, who is a professional singer, to run the drama group.

The 53-year-old writes and directs original shows for the actors, who she compared to a West End cast. She told the ECHO: "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."

[You Are My Sunshine cast at the Lighthouse Theatre in Anfield ahead of the show on July 9]

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You Are My Sunshine cast at the Lighthouse Theatre in Anfield ahead of the show on July 9(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

Nicola is proud of the work her cast have produced - and is determined to overcome people being defined by their labels. She added: "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. I've wrote scripts for mainstream schools and theatre shows and thought, 'That wasn't right.' They didn't portray it how I wanted. These do. They get it.

"It's not about the disability. It's about their ability and their ability is incredible. A blind girl is running across the stage, singing songs, being attacked [in the latest show]. 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."

The latest play arrives at The Liverpool Lighthouse this evening and is a thriller named You Are My Sunshine. At the request of the cast, the show is deliberately darker than the traditional story performed by a community group, as the company wanted to try something different from comedy.

[Liam Claeys is playing the lead role in You Are My Sunshine]

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Liam Claeys is playing the lead role in You Are My Sunshine(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

Liam Claeys stars as the serial killer and he said the group is special as it puts trust in people with disabilities to carry a lead role. The 41-year-old from Whiston is autistic and has been acting since 2002. He told the ECHO: "Unfortunately there's not many drama groups for people with disabilities anymore. At Elektric 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 and the ECHO watched the dress rehearsal as a moving song was performed by Melissa Morton and Jayne Massey. Jayne is blind, but crosses dotted around the stage means she can move around in the performance without issue.

[Melissa Morton and Jayne Massey are appearing in You Are My Sunshine]

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Melissa Morton and Jayne Massey are appearing in You Are My Sunshine(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

Speaking about the group, the 28-year-old from Wavertree said: "If I wasn't in Elektric Apple, I'd be sitting in my room doing nothing. Elektric Apple show that disabled people have the ability to act. Why fit in when you were born to stand out."

Melissa, who has autism, agreed as the 34-year-old from Walton said: "It's like a second family. Singing has been our lives basically so it makes us happy." The group is looking forward to the next chapter as the show debuts in front of a packed out crowd at the Liverpool Lighthouse tonight.

The group is determined to continue this vital community work by producing more original projects, as they aim to secure a permanent home for the group in the future. They aim to do this, all while continuing to spread their vital message.

As founder Carol said: "We always say, 'Its not about teaching our guys, it's about teaching you.' The cast know what they can do. It's about teaching the audience." You Are My Sunshine arrives at The Liverpool Lighthouse tonight

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