Cast includes actors Reece Dinsdale, Ian Puleston-Davies, Karen Henthorn, Mark Charnock and Steve Evets

A Square Chapel Arts Centre Fundraiser Event

Square Chapel Arts Centre hosted an exclusive reading of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman taking place on Sunday 2 February 2019 at 7.30pm

The cast for this dark reading included Square Chapel patrons Reece Dinsdale (Home to Roost, Life on Mars and Hamlet) and Ian Puleston-Davies (Tin Star, Coronation Street and Pennyworth), with actors Karen Henthorn (Dark Heart, In the Flesh and Silent Witness), Steve Evets (Looking for Eric, Brassic and Gentleman Jack) and Mark Charnock (Emmerdale).

The Pillowman is a play by Irish playwriter, screenwriter, producer, and director Martin McDonagh who is best known for the films In Bruges (2008), Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (2017).  Martin McDonagh is sometimes referred to as someone who possessed the sickest mind of his generation. Fortunately, he puts this asset to good use and creates thoughtful, funny and disturbing plays for all to become engrossed in, of which this is no exception.

The play is based in an interrogation room where writer, Katurian, is being interrogated by two detectives. Next door the writer’s mentally disabled brother Michael waits. The detectives want to know why Katurian’s stories feature gruesome plots about child murder and torture, and, why they seem to mirror a string of recent child murders in the area.

This fundraising event was the idea of Square Chapel Patron Reece Dinsdale who has been a huge support for the arts centre since taking up the role. Reece will be reading the part of the writer, Katurian.

Dinsdale was born and raised in Normanton West Yorkshire and still resides in Yorkshire. He trained at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. This has led to a long and successful acting career in television, theatre, film and radio drama.

He has appeared in some of the most celebrated TV shows and films over the last thirty-five years. He starred alongside the late John Thaw in the hugely popular television series Home to Roost, won the Special Jury Prize (International Critics Award) at the Geneva Film Festival for his portrayal of John Brandon in the feature film I.D., played Guildenstern (to Tim Spall’s Rosencrantz) in Kenneth Branagh’s highly acclaimed movie of Hamlet and played Joe McIntyre in Coronation Street from 2008 to 2010.

Reece Dinsdale has starred in many high-profile TV dramas including Threads, Jim Henson’s Storyteller (both BAFTA award winning), Take Me Home, Spooks, Life on Mars, Conviction, Silent Witness to name just a few.

His stage appearances nationwide include plays at The National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal Exchange Manchester and The West Yorkshire Playhouse.

In more recent years he has added a new string to his bow and has been busy on the other side of the camera directing six single dramas in the Jimmy McGovern led BBC Television series ‘Moving On’, one of which won The Royal Television Award for ‘Best Daytime Program’.  Reece has also been directing episodes of the award-winning Emmerdale on ITV.

Fellow patron, actor, writer and director Ian Puleston-Davies will be reading the part of the interrogator, Topolski during the evening. Audiences will recognise the established actor from TV and film features such as Tin Star, A Confession, Vera, Coronation Street and Being Human, to name a few. He’s also a regular to the Square Chapel stage as he’s hosted a number of Season launch events and the arts centre’s very first Film and Television Festival in 2019.

Puleston-Davies also co-wrote the film ‘Dirty Filthy Love’ with Jeff Pope (the British television producer and screenwriter who won a BAFTA for the drama See No Evil: The Moors Murders) – starring Michael Sheen and Shirley Henderson. The film followed a man trying to cope with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

‘Dirty Filthy Love’ was nominated and won numerous awards including a BAFTA nomination for best film and best actor for Michael Sheen, it won the Best TV Moment Award, the Silver Award at the New York Film & TV Festival and the RTS award for Best Single Drama.

Actor and Square Chapel Patron, Ian Puleston-Davies said: “What could be better for an actor than getting with together with a bunch of pals to do a play reading of a script that you all love. I can’t wait!”

Tickets were priced at £20 per person and all proceeds were invested back into the arts centre for future development and programme.