“He’d Be Glad this Story Found its Way Out Into the World” – Patrick Dewane talks Homecoming, Heroism and The Accidental Hero
On Thursday, October 22, a tale of global consequence comes back to the place where it started. The Accidental Hero tells of Lt. Col. Matt Konop of tiny Stangelville, WI, whose uncovered World War II diaries detailed his leadership during the liberation of the same Czech villages his family had once immigrated from. Patrick Dewane has shared his grandfather’s story all over the world for more than 20 years, and before the show arrives at your Fox Cities P.A.C., we sat down with him to learn more about the fascinating journey that has led to this hometown performance.
You’ve taken this story all over the world, but you’re also a Wisconsin guy from just down the road in Manitowoc. What does it mean to you, or maybe what makes it special, to bring this story home?
I love bringing the story home. My grandfather was born on a farm 50 miles from here in Kewaunee County, and his story is very much about home. He grew up speaking Czech as his first language in a very poor immigrant farm family, and to be honest, he was almost ashamed of that background early on. He wanted to pursue the American dream and just blend in.
When he was sent to liberate southern Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II because he spoke the language, he ended up in the very towns his grandparents were born in. What he was running away from became his greatest passion and answered that fundamental question of “Who am I?”
For me, I moved to New York as a younger man, thinking nothing interesting happens in Wisconsin. I know now how wrong I was. It’s a place of incredible people with a wonderful heritage. And so coming back here to tell his story – truly, in my own backyard – is deeply personal and very humbling.
This is a story that’s over 80 years old now, but it’s still fresh and relevant to audiences today. Why do you think that is?
History can often feel like dates, maps, long-dead presidents. But when you watch a character walk through a journey and you identify with them, history comes alive. It triggers a natural curiosity. A good story is a doorway into wanting to learn more about where we come from and how we got here. And I think that’s true of a good story from any era.
There’s a subtle theme throughout The Accidental Hero about the importance of storytelling and passing these histories down from person to person. Yours is a story where, if not for finding the WWII journals and materials, it might have been lost. Tell me about your feelings on generational storytelling in the big picture.
Most combat veterans don’t talk about their experiences. My grandfather was no different; when I’d ask as a kid, he’d just say, “Oh, you don’t want to hear about that.”
When I was given his writings as a Christmas gift years after he passed, I was completely hooked. I was obsessed like a kid with a new toy. I realized he wrote it down because he knew what he lived through was extraordinary, even if he was too humble to brag about it. Every family has an epic origin story or journey somewhere in their lineage. Uncovering and sharing those personal histories is how we keep that connective tissue alive between generations.
You have your friends in Copper Box providing musical accompaniment before the show. How does the music bring out the vibrancy of the story?
The members of Copper Box come from five generations of polka musicians – they know every corner of this state and its heritage. Having them play beforehand gets the audience into a specific, high-energy vibe that arcs back and forth between the stage and the crowd.
There’s a Czech saying that “every Czech is a musician,” which is why I originally brought live music into the production. Copper Box brings an authentic energy that sends a little jolt through the whole theater before I even step out.
You’ve now been performing this show for about 20 years, and the world has changed quite a bit in that time. How has the show changed with the world around it, and how has your relationship to the show evolved?
When I started, WWII veterans would sit in the front row. They’ve almost all passed on now. Those men were stand-ins for my grandfather, and getting to hear their stories after the performances shaped how I deliver the show today.
In today’s world, where things can feel very divided, this show acts as a uniter. It highlights a moment in history where people came together for a greater good, and that message feels even more essential now than it did 20 years ago.
Imagine your grandfather was in the audience during a performance. What do you think he would say to you afterward?
He was a very humble guy who didn’t like the word “hero.” He’d probably be embarrassed by the fuss. When he liberated Domažlice, they put up banners with his name saying, “We are liberated by one of our own” – he immediately told his driver to take them down because it made him uncomfortable, and he wouldn’t tell his English-speaking buddies what the signs said.
So he’d be a little embarrassed, but deep down, I think he’d be proud. He didn’t write his journals for them to be thrown in the trash; he wrote them to be remembered. And I think he’d be glad this story found its way out into the world and onto the stage.
You can still get tickets for The Accidental Hero, coming to your Fox Cities P.A.C. on Thursday, October 22.