Reece Dinsdale is possibly one of the UK's most unknown stars of the acting world. Up until quite recently, despite his incredible CV, he has gone under the radar of pubic consciousness, due in no small part, to his own desire to stay out of the limelight and continue to be a 'jobbing actor'. All that is very much to his credit. At 62 however, he's coming out of his shell, fighting off a few of his own demons in the process, and sitting on stage, as himself, chatting about his life and career.
Why now? Well that question was asked of him by the evening's compere, Joe Simpson (head tutor at Manchester company Act4TV), and I think Dinsdale's answer must have constituted the longest and most convoluted in history! However, suffice to say, that the death of his father, the coronavirus lockdowns, his dissatisfaction at always having to fight for every job and deal with agents, and his need to find his own voice, all contributed heavily.
And so here he was: an actor who I had first seen on stage in 1983 (although I did not know who he was then of course!) in a play called, 'Beethoven's Tenth'. Since then he has most famously portrayed the roles of John Thaw's son in 'Home To Roost', Jimmy Kemp in 'Threads', Joe McKintyre in 'Coronation Street', and much more recently, Paul Ashdale in 'Emmerdale'. But despite all his TV and film accolades, his first love (as with most 'real' actors) remains the theatre, and has played many great roles at the Leeds Playhouse and Manchester's Royal Exchange to name just two. He is also a consummate TV director, and enjoys the challenges this side of the business brings, attacking each role (whether acting or directing) with precision, talent, dedication, and a lot of background research and graft.
'Reece's Pieces' however was something a little different, and it felt rather special too. Here was a man who just happened to have been lucky enough for life to have fallen right for him, 'finding his own voice', just chatting about his life and his work in a very down-to-earth way. Most actors have huge difficulty in 'being themselves', and Dinsdale is no exception by his own admission, and so the 90 minutes in his company - to see and hear the real person - was a privilege.
One of the things which gives him the most pleasure and satisfaction in recent times is helping others. He has a wealth of experience behind him, and so he finds that guiding, teaching, or even actually being able to offer work to, those who are on the first rungs of the ladder, brings fulfilment.
Why now? Well that question was asked of him by the evening's compere, Joe Simpson (head tutor at Manchester company Act4TV), and I think Dinsdale's answer must have constituted the longest and most convoluted in history! However, suffice to say, that the death of his father, the coronavirus lockdowns, his dissatisfaction at always having to fight for every job and deal with agents, and his need to find his own voice, all contributed heavily.
And so here he was: an actor who I had first seen on stage in 1983 (although I did not know who he was then of course!) in a play called, 'Beethoven's Tenth'. Since then he has most famously portrayed the roles of John Thaw's son in 'Home To Roost', Jimmy Kemp in 'Threads', Joe McKintyre in 'Coronation Street', and much more recently, Paul Ashdale in 'Emmerdale'. But despite all his TV and film accolades, his first love (as with most 'real' actors) remains the theatre, and has played many great roles at the Leeds Playhouse and Manchester's Royal Exchange to name just two. He is also a consummate TV director, and enjoys the challenges this side of the business brings, attacking each role (whether acting or directing) with precision, talent, dedication, and a lot of background research and graft.
'Reece's Pieces' however was something a little different, and it felt rather special too. Here was a man who just happened to have been lucky enough for life to have fallen right for him, 'finding his own voice', just chatting about his life and his work in a very down-to-earth way. Most actors have huge difficulty in 'being themselves', and Dinsdale is no exception by his own admission, and so the 90 minutes in his company - to see and hear the real person - was a privilege.
One of the things which gives him the most pleasure and satisfaction in recent times is helping others. He has a wealth of experience behind him, and so he finds that guiding, teaching, or even actually being able to offer work to, those who are on the first rungs of the ladder, brings fulfilment.
A straight-talking, 'ordinary' individual who has done extraordinary things is how I saw him. Honest, passionate, straight-forward, approachable, and a damned decent bloke!
Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu
on - 15.10.21
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