Cannon storyteller starts theater group

Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Williams of Cannon Air Force Base isn’t just an air commando. He’s a storyteller — a lifelong passion that is responsible for the creation of the Cannon Air Force Base Theatre Group.

“When I was a little kid, I had a dream of being an author, and I started writing stories at 5 years old, and I just kept writing,” said Williams, who threw theater writing, producing, and directing into the mix when he began studying theater performance in college.

Williams said when he came to Cannon in 2018, he was focused on learning his new role and his new base, but last year, he began to feel ready to “be at the helm of a ship again and build a crew and tell some stories.”

He felt the call to return to storytelling, but the COVID-19 pandemic happened, and a national shutdown occurred.

“The year started off with a lot of momentum,” Williams said of 2020, saying that he and his best friend and fellow commando Tech. Sgt. Christopher Reynolds worked on short films and other projects together.

But a national pandemic wasn’t going to stop Williams from telling a good story. So, he wrote a science fiction novella called “Wisali,” which he hopes to see on bookshelves by summertime.

“I can’t sit still,” Williams said. “I grew up with a dad who was a really hard-working guy. It’s just very matter of fact for me. Wrote a book, OK, check. Now let’s produce another show. That’s what’s supposed to happen when you want to call yourself a director.”

About two months ago, Williams and Reynolds decided it was time to get a theater group into gear, determining they could do so by exercising COVID-19 safety guidelines.

“We started with just us two and a lot of ideas,” Williams said. “Sgt. Reynolds has been supporting my interest in theater. He’s one of my closest friends. We’ve been stationed together before, and as a best friend, he supported me in my passion.”

Reynolds has filled in whatever work “gaps” Williams has needed him for -- from helping with auditions to working on script with individuals to working with the technical crew and more.

“It’s a moral support, a physical support. He’s got the motivation to make something here at Cannon that didn’t exist before. He’s got the experience and the skill; he’s got everything he needs. He just needs the motivation, and if that’s how I’m going to help, I’ll do what I can,” said Reynolds, referring to his role as “assistant extraordinaire.”

“Right now, it’s booming,” Reynolds said. “If it’s something we can build upon, we’re going to do it. Seeing that smile on his (Williams’) face and helping push him towards his goal, that’s satisfying enough for me.”

Counting Reynolds and Williams, the theater group has 11 members.

“It was one part feeler (putting out feelers) and one part if you build it, they will come,” Williams said. “A lot of people like to express themselves creatively. If you create an environment where that expression can come out, they’ll find you if you can’t find them.”

Williams and Reynolds said they are working on a script written by Williams called “Gunruck,” which is the story of a hitman taking care of a young girl he found while “doing a job,” and how he tries to isolate her from the world he is a part of as she tries to build some type of relationship or connection with him.

“Every time we meet, there was more to the story. They got to see the end for the first time Saturday, and the reaction in the room was awesome,” Williams said. “Seeing their reaction and feeling their reaction, you could see them buy in and have that mentality that ‘we need to do this story.’”

Williams said the enthusiasm and passion from the members of the CAFB Theatre Group has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

“We meet, and I get in my car to drive home, and I’m all smiles. It’s a great high,” Williams said. “You have a large mix of people when you get this kind of project together, but the people who have showed up at Cannon, they are invested. They are passionate about theater. I’m grateful to my crew.”

Williams said he is also grateful the Air Force is always supportive of creating “fertile ground” and letting base communities find their own “vibe” by being supportive of projects like a base theater group.

He said when the pandemic winds down and things become safer, he would love to take the theater group and their performances out into civilian communities.

“Stories are meant to be told. I’ll go wherever the audience is. I would love to take these guys to Lubbock, get a couple of mini vans and hit the road,” Williams said. “What Sgt. Reynolds and I are doing, we are thieves. We are stealing moments of life. We are stealing that moment of fear or adventure and giving it back to the audience, and that connection, that’s just where it’s at for me.”