BENT COMPASS by Neil Brookshire and Colin Sesek is Coming to SoloFest 2025

“Bent Compass”, a one-man show which explores the transformation of a young man from raw Army recruit to 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 our audience 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 Super Value 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.

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.

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