SOLDIERS IN THE ARTS
Tunnel at the End of the Light
Late November 2022. The night before the funeral of a decorated Afghan veteran, and his buddies have come together in secret at The Legion, to give their own unique farewell, dressed as Superheroes, and ready to play Beer Hunter one final time.
But uncertainty hangs over the veteran’s death in a hotel room, and with that uncertainty comes the lifting of a twelve-year-old lid on who was actually responsible for an ill-fated patrol in Kandahar Province - Their betrayal, an ambush and a fatal IED.
Now that Eric ‘Top Gun’ McCracken has gone, and without his protection, is this the night when old scores finally get settled? As the clock ticks down, how many more fatalities will there be if they don’t learn to forgive and move on?
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In this darkly funny and poignant new play by Jonathan Guy Lewis, he explores the very raw emotions that the veteran community are feeling after the sudden fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. What was the point of it all? They thought they were there to make a difference, for the long haul. But it turns out that was a lie. So… who betrayed who?
Cast and Creatives
Jonathan Guy Lewis has worked extensively as an actor, writer, director teacher, mentor, and coach for over thirty years and has won a number of awards for his work. An ex-army scholar, he has a degree from Exeter University in Politics & Society and is a graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Over the last few years, he has focused his creative attention on two different areas – education and military veterans. He has been teaching and directing at UK Drama Schools and written a trilogy for the theatre on education - the first part, ‘A Level Playing Field’ was premiered at The Jermyn Street Theatre in April 2015. The second part ‘The Be All & End All’ was produced by York Theatre Royal and Colchester Mercury Theatre in the summer of 2018. From 2018, Jonathan has been working with the Soldiers’ Arts Academy (SAA), becoming it’s Artistic Director at the end of 2019. He wrote and directed a play for military veterans called ‘Soldier On’. This premiered at the Northcott in Exeter and toured the UK, before coming to London, firstly at The Playground Theatre, and then The Other Palace. In 2019, The Roland Gossage Foundation brought the production to The Berkeley St Theatre in Toronto, and it is currently being developed as a film.
Jonathan Guy Lewis
WRITER & DIRECTOR
Tony White is a Metis actor, born in Val Caron, Ontario, and has been performing as both an actor and singer for over four decades, appearing in film, television, and of course his first love, theatre. 18 months ago, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of moving to Toronto and performing full time.
With a brother and sister-in-law who served in the Forces just shy of 29 and 22 years respectively, this production brings him that much closer to them, and what they may have endured.
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Tony would like to thank his family for their continued support, Heather for being an incredible stage manager, Liz for producing such an important piece of work, and the incredibly talented Jonathan Guy Lewis, for not only writing such a truly inspiring piece, but also directing the shit out of it!
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“ I hope when you walk out of the theatre after seeing this production, it allows for deep thought and conversation”.
Tony White
Vincent Crowsfoot Hyde
BILBO
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Reece Presley is a stage and screen artist whose love for the craft knows no limits. He knows the feeling of searching for something and finding your tribe.
Recent theatre credits include; The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Deep Cove Theatre Society), The Silly Adventures of Robin Hood (Royal Canadian Theatre Company), and Titus Andronicus (Seven Siblings Theatre). His film and television credits include; Spencer Sisters (CTV), Psycho Goreman (Amazon Prime), For Heaven's Sake (Paramount +), 12 Monkeys (SyFy), and The Cowboy War (Netflix).
Reece thanks his friends and family for their continued love and support during this wild ride.
Reece Presley
Cory Dandrianov
DANDRUFF
Cassidy lost his right leg in an IED blast in 2011 while on his second tour to Afghanistan as part of 42 Commando. He was in an induced coma for a week and hospitalised for two months. Within 3 months of recovery he was part of The Bravo 22 Company playing the lead role of Charlie in The Two Worlds of Charlie F. In 2015. Cassidy won the first BBC’s Peoples Strictly in aid of Comic Relief. Theatre includes: Soldier On, The Two Worlds of Charlie F, Explosion, The Trial of Jane Fonda. Television includes: Murdoch Mysteries (Shaftesbury), The Alienist: Angel of Darkness (Netflix), Midsomer Murders (ITV), Coronation Street (ITV), Doctors (BBC), Holby City (BBC), Rated (Forces TV), The Peoples Strictly (BBC). . Film includes: The Kingsman (20th Century Fox), Doom: Annihilation (Universal 1440 Entertainment), Centurion (Millicent Productions)
Cassidy Little
Aaron Fitzgerald
FITZ
Andrea Greening is a Calgary-based actor who served for 25+ years in the Canadian Armed Forces. She is a founding member of Night Ducks, a Calgary-based artists’ collective working to showcase dynamic female characters “past the slippery season of youth.” Her recent credits include: The Last of Us (HBO), The Winter’s Tale at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London, England, and Seagulls by Caryl Churchill (Night Ducks, Outstanding Production at the Calgary One-Act Festival). As an artist and veteran herself, Andrea is committed to exploring the challenges faced by veterans in the aftermath of their service and to shining a light on the often-overlooked struggles of these individuals, while also exploring the healing power of art. Look for Andrea next at the Toronto Fringe Festival in Mail Ordered.
Andrea Greening
Angela Harrison
SWANKY
Alexandra Floras-Matic is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist and educator. Alex is a graduate from the Acting Conservatory from York University ('21) and has pursued her craft both on screen and on stage. She began teaching with the Durham District School Board of January 2022 and it had sparked a passion for sharing the arts with others. Since then, she has begun teaching for the Toronto District School Board, the Nelvin Drama Academy, Workman Arts, Stagecoach Performing Arts and has been privately coaching actors in their self-tapes and audition techniques. Some of Alexandra's credits includes; Anne with an E (CBC/Netflix), Mrs. America (FX/Hulu), Good Sam (CBS/Prime), Five Days At Memorial (AppleTV+), I Woke Up A Vampire (Netflix), as well as others. Alex was first introduced to Soldiers in the Arts after being casted as Joni Field in their production of Tunnel at the End of the Light (written and directed by Jonathan Guy Lewis) which premiered at Alumnae Theatre in May 2023. She is teaching her very first workshop with Soldiers in the Arts as an Arts Facilitator, and is looking forward to the artistic and educating opportunities that lie ahead.
Alexandra Floras-Matic
Joni Field
M. John is thrilled to be working with Soldiers in the Arts on Tunnel at the End of the Light. This summer M. John can be seen in: The Tilco Strike at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook; Fireside Munsch Classics (his one-person show based on stories by Robert Munsch) for Toronto Youth Theatre; and Give 'Em Hell with Prairie Fire Theatre in Peterborough. Other recent theatre includes: Fireside Munsch**, A Number, Macbeth, 39 Steps, Hamlet, Hound of the Baskervilles, Romeo and Juliet, and Treasure Island* (*Dora Award nomination(s) for Best Performance). Recent television includes: Noel Next Door, Bury the Past, Ollie, Mrs. America, 11/22/63, The Strain; and Murdoch Mysteries. Audiobooks include: Tell Me When You Feel Something, Escape Plans, and The Colonial Hotel. M. John is also the Head of the Acting Program at the Randolph College for the Performing Arts in Toronto.
M. John Kennedy
Robert Thomas Hoffman
RAINMAN
Will served in the Canadian Forces for 13 years doing a NATO tour outside the wire in Afghanistan. Since his release, he has been involved with Soldiers in the Arts, learning the tricks of the trade. He has also been doing consulting in the medical marijuana industry, travelling across Canada and abroad. Will enjoys his downtime with his dog Indi. They both love anything to do with water. This is Will's debut performance.
Will Matheson
Brandon Joyce
BJ
Ryan served 20 years with The Royal Canadian Regiment and deployed to Afghanistan three times during his military career. After service, he began acting as a way to help him work through treatment from post-traumatic stress and has found significant healing through the pursuit of arts. Since his release from the Canadian Armed Forces, Ryan has worked as peer support with unhoused vets and currently helps design and deliver arts-based programming for veterans and their families in Toronto and Kingston, Ontario.
Ryan Hawkyard
Victor Morgan
VIC
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