ARTCORE presents PATRICK DEWANE: ACCIDENTAL HERO

Overview

The Accidental Hero is a multi-media one-man show about Lieutenant Colonel Matt Konop, a WWII American officer who miraculously liberates the Czech villages of his grandparents. It’s a true story written and performed by his grandson, Patrick Dewane.

Patrick’s grandfather refused to talk about his service in the war. When he died, his basement yielded a treasure trove of typewritten accounts, photos, and rare film footage.

Dewane brings this archival material to glowing life as an enthralling, humorous and heartwarming tale of miraculous escapes and astonishing coincidences. This touching show runs from belly laughs to tears. Dewane takes on a dozen different roles as he powerfully recounts his grandfather’s journey from Omaha Beach, the Battle of the Bulge, and the end of WWII. In the last week of the war, Konop’s story turns away from a soldier’s survival tale to something from mythology. He discovers his lost identity and is embraced by the tribe he never knew in an epic homecoming. As he freed the Czechs, he too, was liberated.

Special CitiWerks Cafe bistro food and drink menu created for ARTCORE attendees to purchase and enjoy.

Co-sponsored by Friends of the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum.

Partial funding is from Natrona County School District No. 1, the Wyoming Community Foundation – Casper Area, the Wyoming Arts Council and Creative West, through the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming State Legislature.