In honor of the 64th anniversary of V-E Day, Bohemian NationAl Hall will present one performance of Patrick Dewane's solo show The Mushroom Picker.
Dewane will perform his show about forgotten World War II hero Matt Konop May 8 at 8 PM at the East 73rd Street venue
This one man show tells the extraordinary WWII story of a Midwestern farm boy who liberated the Czech towns where his grandparents had once lived as peasants. In the piece, Patrick Dewane tells the story of his grandfather, Matt Konop, a man whose seemingly-goofy CB handle during the 1970s - 'The Mushroom Picker' - was really a clue to his incredible story as a WWII Czech-American soldier fighting in the forests of his family's ancient homeland.
Whenever young Patrick would beg for stories about the war, his grandfather would change the subject or make a joke but never talk about it, typical of the generation who remained silent. Then years after his grandfather's death, Dewane was handed a pile of type-written pages that a family member had discovered in a box in a basement.
As a lieutenant colonel, Konop saw quite a bit of combat duty in Europe. Near the end of the war, his division led the liberation of Czechoslovakia from Nazi occupation. Konop played an integral role because of his Czech background and fluency in the language. The play, The Mushroom Picker, recounts Konop's experiences during that time.
Czech scholar Daniel Freeman said in a statement, "It is easy to image The Mushroom Picker as being tailored primarily to audiences of veterans, World War II buffs, and Czech Americans, but it has an appeal that extends far beyond those interest groups. At the most basic level, anyone intrigued by family history will find it fascinating. Without sermonizing, it also offers poignant testimony about ways that individuals coped under extreme conditions that few modern American ever need face."
Patrick Dewane has spent 24 years in the performing arts, involved with over 50 new works. He is currently the Vice President for Advancement at the Minnesota Opera.
Bohemian NationAl Hall has been an important center for Czech and Slovak culture in New York City for more than one hundred years. It was built in the 1890s with funds raised by New York Czechs, including the great Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. The building was restored and reopened in 2008 with significant funds from the Czech Republic government.
Tickets are $15 and will be available at the door. The Bohemian NationAl Hall is located at 321 73rd Street (between 2nd & 1st Avenue). For information, call (212) 988-1733.
