Cultch Historic Theatre to May 10, 2026
Tickets from $35 at 604-251-1363 or www.thecultch.com
Posted May 8, 2026
There was almost as much theatre happening outside the Cultch as inside on the opening night of Soldiers of Tomorrow. Palestinian flags were waved, pamphlets distributed and, if you engaged with them – as I did – there was a lot of anger expressed about the Cultch’s decision to give playwright Itai Erdal a platform for his thoughts on the Israeli/Palestinian war. By attending the play, I was told, I was “supporting genocide”; the assumption was that I was pro-Israel. Ironically, had they attended Soldiers of Tomorrow, they might have seen things differently.
Written by Erdal (with Colleen Murphy) and sensitively directed by Anita Rochon, this solo performance – with music written and performed by Emad Armoush – is Erdal’s highly personal reflection on growing up Jewish in Israel, doing mandatory service in the Israeli military and his decision to leave friends and family behind to move to Canada.
Just as we children of settlers in Canada did not read – until quite recently – in our history books about the displacement of our indigenous people, young Erdal was ill-informed about the massacres and displacement of 700,000 Palestinians by Israelis. “Growing up in Israel I was always told that the Arabs all ran away in 1948 and that’s why we took their homes.” In Canada, we took First Nations’ land and, worse, we took their children. Our history books told us nothing.
The title comes from an incident Erdal’s sister – in Israel – related: her 10-year-old son Ido was sent home from school with a small, empty box that he was supposed to fill with stuff to send to the soldiers on the front line – “like candy and socks”. Inside the lid was the inscription, “To the Soldiers of Today from the Soldiers of Tomorrow”. The implication was, of course, there will always be soldiers. Never ending.
Erdal and his boyhood friend Rafael did not want to become soldiers but Erdal’s mother said it was a responsibility and, besides, if all the leftists refused, the army would be full of right-wing fanatics. If Erdal joined, he could be “kind to people.” And so, at 18, he joined.
And his eyes and heart were opened.
Soldiers of Tomorrow is not a rant – although briefly he goes after Netanyahu. It is a clear look at how the situation in Israel and Palestine got to where it is. Erdal is a kindly man, a gentle man and a loving father. The play is thoughtful, intimate, full of compassion and quiet humour. And it is a sad commentary on our failure to live peacefully side-by-side with those who are ‘other’.
Set design by Brian Ball features a huge, colourful, floor-to-ceiling stylized ‘map’ that overlaps three small steps. Arranged around the periphery are hundreds and hundreds of tiny toy soldiers. Seated at stage right is Emad Armoush, a celebrated Syrian/Canadian multi-instrumentalist. The ‘feel’ is warm and sunny; it makes you want to go there – but not now.
In 2024 Soldiers of Tomorrow had a reading with some people from the Muslim community. When asked if they thought there was harm in presenting the play, one response stood out – “I see harm in not doing it. We must hear from the oppressor at this time.”
And that’s where the protesters outside the theatre get it wrong. Soldiers of Tomorrow is neither pro-Israel nor pro-Palestine. It is a call for a clear, honest look at past injustices – on all sides – and a concerted effort to make things right. Israelis and Palestinians have lived peacefully together for centuries and they can again. It is simply a matter of political will which, at this point, is clearly absent.
Presented by The Elbow Theatre (Vancouver), Soldiers of Tomorrow is highly recommended.