9.85°C Rodney Appleyard has always loved a stage.
Back in the late 80s and early 90s, that stage was usually the Hippodrome. Or The Venue. Or the Marquis. Sometimes the Hole in the Wall. Often, three nights a week, when the Colchester club scene was thriving.
“We’d get up on stage doing our best Bobby Brown, MC Hammer… whatever was on Top of the Pops,” he says. “We felt like rock stars, but without the ego. It was just joy.” The running man featured heavily.
Those nights were not just about dancing. They were about belonging. Football at Leisure World. Trips to the Odeon. Early dance music energy, when it felt like something new was happening. Rodney moved to Colchester at 11 and says he instantly found people warmer and more open. “I made friends for life here.”
There was a moment when those dancefloor memories resurfaced unexpectedly. Colchester’s Dermot O’Leary said on live television that while Matthew Morrison might be the greatest dancer he’d ever seen, Rodney Appleyard at a Colchester sixth-form disco was in a different league.
Rodney was picking one of his daughters up from Brownies when his phone started buzzing. “All my friends were messaging me,” he says. “For me, it was just Dermot being generous. Sharing the stage with his friends.” It landed because it rang true. The lad who would jump on stage at the Hippodrome and give it everything is still there. He just channels it differently now.
On 12th April, that energy turns up at the Mercury Theatre for The Mayor of Colchester’s Variety Show. This event will raise money for the local charities chosen by the Mayor of Colchester, Cllr Michael Lilley and the Mayoress of Colchester, Alderman Lyn Barton.
Rodney’s life took him a long way from those venues for a while. He worked at the BBC and Channel 4 before becoming deputy editor of the Film4 website, where he interviewed major actors and directors. Later, he and his wife moved to Sydney, where he edited Smoke & Mirrors, a magazine focused on special effects and the people behind the scenes.
That phrase comes up a lot with Rodney. The people behind the scenes. The collaborators. The ones who make things happen but do not always stand in the spotlight.
They built a life in Australia. Gained citizenship. Their first daughter was young. It could easily have stayed that way. But perspective shifts when you have children.
“I realised how much my parents had given me. And I was on the other side of the world.”
A Christmas visit home sealed it. Colchester lit up. Family nearby. Familiar streets. They came back in 2010. Not because they had to, but because they wanted to.
His wife, a teacher, embraced it too. She jokingly calls him the Ministry of Fun and herself the Ministry of Education. Their daughters have grown up immersed in local creativity. School productions. Youth arts projects. Performing at the Mercury. Rodney talks about how confidence grows when young people are given a real stage, real lights and a proper audience.
“If you give them belief early, it stays with them.”
Coming home did not mean slowing down. Rodney began writing again, initially for Colchester Circle, just as I did. Part of that wave of local voices that wanted to talk about what was good here. Now he writes for the Colchester Gazette, shining a light on the positive stories that often get drowned out.
“When I came back, I heard a lot of pessimism,” he says. “But everywhere I looked I saw opportunity.”
Mersea is on the doorstep. Dedham and Constable Country. Roman walls. Young bands. Theatre talent. Creative energy bubbling under the surface.
“If you choose to see light, you see light.”
Alongside the writing sits his day job, or more accurately, jobs. Rodney works in communications across the charity and public sector, including roles with Catalyst, The UK Data Service (based at the University of Essex) and Anglian Community Trust. He also interviews local filmmakers for the Movie Makers show on Colne Radio. He is also a Trustee of Colne Radio and The Mercury Theatre.
Much of his work involves helping charities shape fundraising strategies and tell their stories more effectively. “I’ve had a lot of good experiences in my life,” he says. “Now I want to give back.”
And that is visible.
During our conversation, I told him something I genuinely believe. There are a handful of people in this city who seem to be everywhere. Quietly connecting things. Supporting talent. Championing others. Rodney is one of them. Jo Coldwell is another. You see them at events, encouraging from the sidelines, making introductions, building momentum. They do not brand it. They just do it.
Rodney talks constantly about collaboration. He learned that in film. He applies it here.
He is 51 now. There is no midlife drama in the way he talks about it.
“You get to this age and realise it’s a privilege,” he says. “Not everyone gets here.”
He plays football. He does Pilates. He speaks openly about encouraging men to look after their mental health and stay active.
“Nothing changes unless you change something.”
Stay involved. Keep moving. Contribute.
That outlook runs straight into 12th April. As Chair of the Mayor’s Charity Committee, Rodney has helped deliver a programme of events supporting local causes. But this one feels important.
On Sunday, 12th April, the Mercury Theatre hosts The Mayor of Colchester’s Variety Show.
Headlining is magician Michael J. Fitch, secured, Rodney admits, by simply asking. “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
Also appearing is Colette Van Sertima, the voice behind the 90s anthem Hold That Sucker Down, debuting three new releases live on the night.
There will be musicians, comedians, dancers and emerging local talent.
The evening supports the Mayor’s chosen charities: Colchester Foodbank, Level Best Enterprises, Open Road, The Not Forgotten, and Underdog Crew Studios.
Rodney has spent years helping charities think strategically about fundraising. This time he is doing it with a theatre full of people.
“Entertainment and fundraising together just works,” he says. “People get a brilliant night. Charities get support. The city feels uplifted.”
He talks about the finale, Colette performing Live for the Moment, and the hope that everyone in the room feels that shared buzz. A reminder that Colchester has something special.
From the Hippodrome stage to the Mercury stage, the thread is the same. Music. Movement. Community.
And if the mood takes him on 12th April, do not be surprised if the running man makes one more appearance.
Into:
The Mayor of Colchester’s Variety Show
Sunday 12th April 2026
Mercury Theatre
Tickets:
https://www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/event/the-mayor-of-colchesters-variety-show
