[Capdist-announce] Neil Brookshire Shares A Combat Medic’s Tale in “Bent Compass”

[Steven Patterson]

Attention, area Veterans (and fans of great theatre in general)! “Bent
Compass”, a one-man show which explores the transformation of a young man
from a raw Army recruit to a seasoned combat Medic to a civilian attempting
to re-adjust to life back in the world, is coming to Catskill’s Bridge
Street Theatre March 7-9 as the opening salvo in BST’s SoloFest 2025.

“One of the most successful and popular shows we’ve ever brought to our
theatre was Logan Black’s ‘BOND: The Story of a Soldier and His Dog’, which
was performed in our little cabaret space way back in 2015,” says Bridge
Street’s Artistic Director John Sowle. “The second we learned about Neil
and Colin’s ‘Bent Compass’, we knew we had to bring it here if we could.
I’m sure it’ll be a huge hit with audiences here and will resonate deeply
with so many veterans and their families living in our area.”

The play was created by actor Neil Brookshire and combat medic Colin Sesek,
who met originally while both were working for the Idaho Shakespeare
Festival in 2004, the summer before Sesek enlisted in the Army. They stayed
in touch during Sesek's deployments to Iraq in ‘06-‘07 and later in
Afghanistan. But it wasn't until 2013, again through their mutual
connection to the works of Shakespeare, that the idea of collaborating on a
new play entered their minds. Brookshire says, " At the time, I was
fleshing out the background of Claudio in Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About
Nothing”. This was a character who, at the start of the play, was returning
directly from combat. What challenges did this character face in his
reacquaintance with civilian life? I thought, who better to talk to than
Colin? He was incredibly generous and forthcoming with information and
insight. Hearing his stories and perspective helped me anchor my
performance, and it inspired me to continue exploring his story, his
journey. And the more we talked, the more we wanted to explore creating a
project based solely on his experiences.

Sesek and Brookshire, who live in Idaho and Wisconsin respectively, agreed
to record weekly phone conversations resulting in over six hours of
stories. Brookshire then began the slow process of transcribing the
material, and gradually, the form of the project revealed itself: a solo
play exploring how war shifts a person's concept of what’s normal. Sesek
says, "We wanted it to be as honest as possible, to get at what it's really
like." To achieve accuracy, Brookshire and Sesek used the transcriptions as
the text, editing only for flow. "The words in the play are Colin's, so
audiences are hearing his stories in the same way I initially heard them,"
says Brookshire. They focused the story on Sesek's journey from being a
fresh recruit to a seasoned veteran and how combat shaped his thinking and
perspective of the world and his life since. The play has since toured
widely throughout the U.S. and Canada, earning critical praise and wildly
enthusiastic audience response.

“Bent Compass” will be presented for three performances only – Friday March
7 and Saturday March 8 at 7:30pm, and Sunday March 9 at 2:00pm – on Bridge
Street Theatre’s intimate “Priscilla” Mainstage, located at 44 West Bridge
Street in Catskill, NY. For more details and ticketing information, visit
bridgest.org/solofest-2025/. While there, in addition to individual tickets
for “Bent Compass” and each of the other three shows in this year’s
SoloFest, you’ll also find information on the availability of a Four-Show
SoloFest Pass as well as a SuperValue Pass good for admission to all four
SoloFest shows plus all five of the Mainstage plays in Bridge Street
Theatre’s 2025 Season.

Non-judgmental, reflective, humorous, raw, and candid, “Bent Compass” is
guaranteed to change the way audiences see the world as it honors a man
whose unique perspective speaks to both veterans and non-combat civilians
alike.


Bridge Street Theatre presents
SoloFest 2025 Show #1

*BENT COMPASS *Written by Neil Brookshire and Colin Sesek
Performed by Neil Brookshire
Originally directed by Phil Darius Wallace
Three Performances Only!
Friday March 7 and Saturday March 8 at 7:30pm
Sunday March 9 at 2:00pm
Bridge Street Theatre’s “Priscilla” Mainstage
44 West Bridge Street, Catskill, NY


* Tickets: *Online in advance: $27
At the door: $29
Ages 18 and under: $15
Four-Show SoloFest Pass: $90
2025 Season Super Value Pass: $200
https://bridgest.org/solofest-2025/


*Bios: *
*Neil Brookshire *is an actor, writer, and visual artist. He earned a BA
from Boise State University and an MFA in Acting from Northern Illinois
University. He has worked extensively in regional theater and independent
film. He lives in northern Wisconsin, where he is also a licensed Emergency
Medical Technician.

* Colin Sesek *is an educator and Special Forces Army Medic. He has
deployed to multiple locations in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. He
currently teaches Emergency Medicine to high school students, volunteers
for Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue, and continues to serve in the
National Guard. He lives in Boise.


*Events at Bridge Street Theatre are supported in part by the New York
State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor of New York and
the New York State Legislature and by Public Funds from the Greene County
Legislature. Bridge Street Theatre’s entire 2025 Season is dedicated to the
memory of Mary E. Barrett and sponsored by generous donations from Mary E.
Barrett and Edwina Thorn.*
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