We were absolutly thrilled to have writer and actor Richard Turtle play Arthur Ellis – Canada’s most prodigious hangman – in our upcoming film.  Turtle, a man of many talents, has recently written a one-man play, Burying The Hangman, on dear old Ellis and is currently performing it across Ontario to rave reviews!  Richard also writes for his local newspaper, the EMC (which serves the beautiful Bay of Quinte and Hastings area), and has written an article about his experience filming with us inside the Don Jail.

Turtle to portray hangman in upcoming documentary

By Richard Turtle

Filmmakers at Toronto-based Ballinran Productions Ltd., while in the final stages of documenting a dark corner of Canada’s past, stumbled on the locally written play Burying the Hangman and approached its performer and writer, Richard Turtle, to play the part of executioner Arthur Ellis in the docudrama, The Hangman’s Graveyard, scheduled to air on the History Channel this fall. So they asked me to do this thing. And I said yes. Without hesitation. I had already researched the whole subject and written a play about the man (for reasons still not entirely clear to me) and was offered a chance to do a tiny bit more. At the Old Don Jail. Yes. Absolutely.

Read full article HERE.