Tuesday, November 21, 7:30 p.m.
Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center, 3750 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL
Written and performed by its leading character's real-life grandson, the acclaimed touring production The Accidental Hero finds creator/star Patrick Dewane sharing his grandfather's incredible World War II tale in a one-man multi-media experience at Augustana College.
In this true story of how DeWane's grandfather Matt Konop liberated the Czech villages of his grandparents, Dewane brings archival material to life as an enthralling, humorous, and heartwarming tale of miraculous escapes and astonishing coincidences. When Konop returned from the war, he refused to talk about his service. Yet when he died, as Dewane shares, his basement yielded a treasure trove of typewritten accounts, photos, and rare film footage. The Accidental Hero finds Dewane assuming a dozen different roles as he recounts Konop's journey from Omaha Beach, the Battle of the Bulge, and the end of World War II, at which point the soldier discovered his lost identity and was embraced by family he never previously knew.
In the years since its 2010 debut, The Accidental Hero has been performed in more than 100 venues across the United States, including the New York Czech Center, The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, the George H.W. Bush Museum & Library in College Station, Texas, and the University of Notre Dame, and Minneapolis, MN. Since 2012, Dewane has also made annual visits to the Czech Republic in the first week of May, performing the play with Czech subtitles throughout Prague, Pilsen, Domazlice, Klatovy, and Klenci. The Smithsonian Institute's Daniel Freeman wrote: “Difficult to categorize, but impossible to forget – those are the best words I can find to sum up my reaction to a recent production of Patrick Dewane’s one-man show The Accidental Hero. Whether thought of as a monologue, docudrama, reminiscence – or some other creative designation that does not come readily to mind – its unique mix of narration with multi-media enhancements has more to offer prospective audience members than any could anticipate.”
Admission to The Accidental Hero is free, and more information on the 7:30 p.m. performance, call (309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu.
