Tony always wanted to be a soldier ever since he was a lad diving off Cullercoats pier. Now he's back to be a good Dad to Andy and the husband Katie longed for.
Tony is the central character of Dragon, a new play about PTSD, which is to première at The Exchange in North Shields in June.
Written by Whitley Bay playwright Bob Jeffrey, Dragon is based on the experiences of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in the infamous battle against the Taliban at Now Zad in Afghanistan. Tony was part of that platoon which, grossly outnumbered and under-equipped, fought for 107 days in what is believed to be the longest trench warfare action since World War II.
The playwright, Bob Jeffrey, is 72 and this is his first play.
“I’ve spent two years interviewing veterans across the region, many of whom suffer with PTSD, in order to help shape my play and ensure that it is as authentic as possible,” he said.
“The play is designed to show former soldiers that they are not alone and that there is support available. We want as many former soldiers to see the performances so they can tell others in the ex-services community that help is out there.”
Dragon is directed by Roxana Freeman who has worked on script development for Live Theatre. It is performed by NE actors Micky McGregor (whose theatre work includes productions at Live Theatre, Alphabetti, Arts Centre Washington and the Customs House and whose TV and film appearances include Wolfblood and I, Daniel Blake) and Harriet Ghost whose theatre includes The Filleting Machine (on tour), On the Count of Three (Alphabetti) and Spoonful of Honey (Edinburgh Fringe). McGregor and Ghost are co-founders of Blowin’ a Hooley Theatre Company.
The production runs at The Exchange from 14 to 16 June at 7:30.