ABOUT US

Square Peg Productions is a small, not-for-profit theatre company based in Hebden Bridge.

We have just completed the fifth of a five-year production project of outdoor, site-specific promenade plays on the theme of 'Unsung Northern Heroines'.

The first production in this series was performed at Skipton and Brougham Castles in 2005 and 2006: An Owl in the Desert, focusing on the life of Lady Anne Clifford. The second, An Eclipse of the Sun, on the life of Queen Anne Neville, was performed at Middleham Castle in August 2006. Secretly Pleased, on the life of Alice Longstaff, was produced at Land Farm Garden, Colden in both 2007 and 2008, A Pearl in the Sands, on the life of Margaret Fell, was performed at Swarthmoor Hall in 2008, and the latest, Woven in the Fabric, on the lives of Martha Crossley and Lavena Saltonstall, was performed at Square Chapel, Halifax and Halifax Minster in 2010.

We look forward to continuing success as we re-mount Woven in the Fabric in 2011 and work on a new series of heroines for the future.

Angela Cairns ('Anna Carlisle' pen name) is a Calderdale-based writer. Her writing combines her joint passions of imparting literature and history to children, and Yorkshire's landscapes and history. She comes from an education background, having specialised for many years as an English teacher in Australia. By co-founding Square Peg Productions, she marries up her skills not only of writing but of producing and directing plays of a high quality.

Angela's earlier publications and plays include:

Gone Walkabout with Anna Carlisle: a handbook of 24 walks within Calderdale, Pennine Pens (2004);

Introducing Shakespeare: approaches to Shakespeare for students, Hicks and Cairns, OUP (Australia) 1995 (bought by Nelson UK, 1998);

An Owl in the Desert: the life of Lady Anne Clifford, performed August 2005 and 2006 at Skipton and Brougham Castles;

An Eclipse of the Sun: a play on the life of Queen Anne Neville, performed at Middleham Castle, 2006 (commissioned by English Heritage);

Secretly Pleased: a play on the life of Alice Longstaff, BIPP, produced in association with the Alice Longstaff Gallery Collection and performed at Land Farm Garden, Colden, 2007;

A Pearl in the Sands: a play on the life of Margaret Fell, performed at Swarthmoor Hall, Cumbria, 2008.

Woven in the Fabric: a play on the lives of Martha Crossley and Lavena Saltonstall, performed at Square Chapel, Halifax and Halifax Minster, 2010.

Angela is also a copy editor for Design Dimension, Dean Clough, Halifax and writes many articles and reviews for newspapers, magazines and journals.

Angela’s writing combines her joint passions of imparting literature and history to children, and Yorkshire’s landscapes and history. She comes from an education background, having specialised for many years as an English teacher in Australia. By co-founding Square Peg Productions, she marries up her skills not only of writing but of producing and directing plays of a high quality.

Alexandra Mathie is a professional, award-winning actress who trained at LAMDA and has worked widely in British theatre, TV, film and radio. Her most recent roles were as Lady Bracknell and the Nurse (The Importance of Being Earnest and Romeo and Juliet, the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh), and recent work also saw her in The Crucible at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and in Alan Ayckbourn’s My Wonderful Day (Scarborough, New York and UK tour). Alexandra also appeared in See How They Run, Antigone, Separate Tables and The Vortex at the Manchester Royal Exchange; Wit and Sweet Fanny Adams in Eden for Stellar Quines Theatre Company in Scotland as well as The Unconquered (Scottish tour, London and New York). Recent TV includes Stuart: A Life Backwards and Doctors; and her extensive radio recordings include The Wild Duck, The Insecurity Guard, Writing the Century and Spellbound for the BBC, and Ballet Shoes and The Ghost of Thomas Kempe for First Writes. For Square Peg Productions, she appeared as Margaret Fell in A Pearl in the Sands (2008), as Alice Longstaff in Secretly Pleased (2007 and 2008) and as Lady Anne Clifford in An Owl in the Desert (2005 and 2006). As an associate of Square Peg Productions, she is able to pursue her performance work in projects made available to local audiences in Calderdale.

Robert Garrett is a Calderdale-based actor who trained at RADA. His theatre work over the years has taken him to the Bolton Octagon, the Royal Exchange and Library Theatres, Manchester, as well as extensive work with touring companies such as New Perspectives and in theatre in education. His most recent work has seen him directing and appearing in Deck the Halls for Demi-Paradise at Lancaster Castle and Hoghton Tower, Preston, as well as voice-over and talking book recordings and featuring in an episode in the Brief Lives series for BBC Radio 4. On TV, Robert played Sir Thomas Wyatt in Elizabeth R, and he appeared in Family at War, Circle Line, Crown Court, Emmerdale, Brookside and Love Lies Bleeding. He played the role of Ted Hughes in Dreaming of Foxes produced by Leap of Faith, and of the Ghost and the Player King in Demi-Paradise’s production of Hamlet at Lancaster Castle.Robert appeared as George Fox in Square Peg’s A Pearl in the Sands (2008), as John Longstaff in Secretly Pleased (2007 and 2008), in An Owl in the Desert in both 2005 and 2006, and also in An Eclipse of the Sun – as Richard Earl of Warwick – in 2006.

Some of the actors who have worked with us at Square Peg Productions:

Olwen May (‘Crystal Marriott’ in Woven in the Fabric) was born in Leeds and lives in Hebden Bridge. She has worked extensively in the north appearing regularly at the Library Theatre in Manchester, most recently in The Importance Of Being Earnest, The Good Person Of Szechuan and Stanley Houghton’s Independent Means. Other work includes Broken Glass (Bolton Octagon) and Cider With Rosie (New Vic, Stoke). TV includes Five Days, Waterloo Road, The Forgotten Fallen (filmed in Saltaire), Casualty 1909, Housewife 49 and Life On Mars. A BBC Radio 4 regular, Olwen has recently recorded The Glass Bead Game and an adaptation of J B Priestley’s novel, Bright Day.

Emma Kearney (Lavena Saltonstall in Woven in the Fabric) was originally from Northern Ireland and now lives in Mytholmroyd. She trained at Manchester Metropolitan Capitol School of Theatre. Theatre work includes Pack of Lies (tour), The Mortal Ash, Midden (Oldham Coliseum), Separate Tables (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester) and Translations (Library Theatre, Manchester, MEN Nomination). TV credits are Emmerdale, Where The Heart Is (YTV), The Gemma Factor, Doctors, Outlaws, Ideal, The Baby War (BBC), Wired (ITV), Spooks-Code 9 (Kudos Prods), Torn Up Tales (CH 4/Hat Trick), Goldplated (World Prods), Northern Lights, Coronation Street, Donovan (Granada), The Courtroom, Hollyoaks (Mersey) and Shameless (CH 4). Films include Omagh. Emma has also made numerous recordings for BBC Radio Drama.

Shenagh Govan (Martha Crossley in Woven in the Fabric) trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and has worked extensively in theatre, TV, film and radio, including national tours and many seasons in regional theatres. Her theatre work includes A View from the Bridge (Palace Theatre, Westcliff), Our Country’s Good (Mercury Theatre, Colchester) and Athol Fugard’s Statements (Theatre Royal, Northampton). TV credits include The Mill on the Floss, Innocents and Stuart: A Life Backwards (BBC) and a number of troubled mothers in Murder in Mind, Holby City, Doctors and Casualty. Shenagh has recently recorded a voice-over for BBC’s The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister.