Chris O’Connor Archives - North West End UK

Through It All Together – Leeds Playhouse

29Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Through It All Together – Leeds Playhouse

In theatrical circles stories from the world of football seem to be very much in vogue at present, already in 2025, I have reviewed “Red or Dead’ at Liverpool Royal Court and the smash UK touring production of ‘Dear England’ in Salford. Completing my personal hat trick is ‘Through It All Together’ a poignant and funny new play from local Leeds writer Chris O’Connor, which explores the subject of dementia through the lens of a family's passion for Leeds United and their manager Marcelo Bielsa. We join the action in the Summer of 2018 with Howard (Reece Dinsdale), Sue (Shobna Gulati) and their daughter Hazel (Natalie Davies) struggling to cope following Howard’s recent diagnosis with Dementia. Howard forgets little things, like where the milk is in the kitchen; he also constantly repeats ...

Leeds Playhouse has announced a Premier League line-up for the world premiere of football play Through it All Together

It’s a love letter to Leeds United’s eccentric former boss Marcelo Bielsa as Shobna Gulati and Reece Dinsdale play Sue and Howard, a Yorkshire couple navigating a diagnosis of dementia. As they deal with the traumatic aftermath of that news, they find comfort cheering on their beloved Leeds United as they returned to the Premier League during the Argentinian’s glory days in his first two years as he developed a style of flowing football that became known as ‘Bielsaball’. Shobna Gulati is best known for iconic roles including Anita in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies and Sunita Alahan in Coronation Street. Shobna also portrayed Mari Hoff in the UK tour of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, and Ray in the West End production of Everybody's Talking About Jamie. Reece Dinsdale is a Yo...

Freedom Studios are looking for experienced Yorkshire writers for free playwriting course

Bradford theatre company Freedom Studios are looking for experienced writers to join Street Voices 8, the company’s popular free six-month playwriting course. They want to support distinctive voices who can offer new perspectives, but have an ability to write, and the potential to develop their skills. They will work under the guidance of playwright and previous course graduate Zodwa Nyoni, who went on to write Boi Boi is Dead for Leeds Playhouse, Tiata Fahodzi, & Watford Palace Theatre. Freedom are looking for writers who may have been writing creatively in other forms and are looking to broaden their practice. All applicants must have a willingness to take risks, and try out new ideas, along with a commitment to attend all course dates, which will run from 10th October 2020 til...