Johnathan Bennett as Butler & Old Gentlemen

Jonathan Bennett (aka JB) was born and raised in Sandbach, Cheshire, England where his house was next to a railway line so he was indeed a ‘railway child’.

On leaving school JB served in the Royal Air Force for 8 years, during which time he set about joining the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS).

On leaving the RAF in 1980 he worked for the BBC in Leeds, Yorkshire before finally joining BFBS with whom he served all over the world for the next 25 years, including both Gulf Wars as a war correspondent and broadcaster.

JB and his wife Sharon emigrated to Canada 20 years ago, taking up residence in Cochrane in 2005 where they remain.

JB has always taken a keen interest in drama and almost embarked on a professional career as an actor, however a desire to eat regularly persuaded him against it. Fortunately, the British Forces have many excellent drama groups so he was able to combine both radio and acting.

Whilst serving in Berlin with a ‘side hustle’ as a voice artist, he once supplied his vocal talents for a short movie which, to his surprise, involved a lot of naked people - his only contribution was his voice !

On-stage work includes musicals, comedies, pantomimes and the odd bit of serious stuff. One role he remembers above all is ‘The Narrator’ in Willy Russel’s ‘Blood Brothers’, a truly wonderful experience.

Now retired, JB’s other interests include cooking and mountain biking, though not at the same time. He would like to thank all the cast and crew for their dedication to the production and also thanks his wife for, once again, putting up with his latest character coming to live in their house.

Jonathan in his own words . . .

What are you learning from your character/role in this production?

You are never too old to learn or to have fun!

What is your favourite thing about this show so far?

Working with the cast a crew, a great bunch.

What message or specific moment from this story resonates with you?

The story takes me back to my youth as a ‘railway child’.

What do you value the most about being involved in a theatre production?

When (if) people tell me how much they enjoyed it.

When you're not working on a show, what else do you love to do?

Cooking, mountain biking, and tearing what’s left of my hair out supporting Everton Football Club.

Follow along on our journey as we prepare to bring you
THE RAILWAY CHILDREN.