Thursday evening, Nov. 5, the McCook Fox Theatre hosts a free performance of “Not Too Far Distant,” a gripping World War II drama by Nebraska playwright Becky Boesen. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. CT, and admission costs nothing, so the whole community is invited to take part in an evening that promises to be as moving as it is memorable.
The play is inspired by real wartime letters between Nebraska Staff Sergeant Clarence Williams and his wife, Gretchen. Williams served as a medic in the 42nd Infantry Division in Europe, and in April 1945, his division liberated the Dachau concentration camp. He recorded what he witnessed in heartfelt letters home and in photographs, and those words and images now form the foundation of the production. In one letter, he wrote that it was almost unbelievable anyone could be hardened to the point of committing such brutality, a reminder that these are the firsthand reflections of a young man trying to make sense of what he had seen.
Boesen is an award-winning playwright whose commissioned works include “Puddin’ and the Grumble” and “What The Wind Taught Me.” Both premiered at the Lied Center for Performing Arts and continue to be produced across the United States. With “Not Too Far Distant,” she turns her storytelling gifts to a true Nebraska story, bringing a piece of history close to home for audiences in McCook and across the region.
The production comes from BLIXT ARTS LAB, a Lincoln-based arts nonprofit dedicated to “arts innovation beyond expectation.” The company co-creates meaningful arts experiences through bold theater, education and community initiatives. Free admission is made possible by generous local support from the McCook Community Foundation Fund, Youth Change Reaction, the Nebraska Community Foundation, the McCook Creative District, Graff Charitable and private donors. The McCook Creative District, which works to build a vibrant community and diverse creative economy through collaborative artistic and cultural opportunities, is the local presenting partner.
For anyone who wants to explore the history further, Williams’s letters and related materials are preserved and available through the online educational portal Nebraska Stories of Humanity: Holocaust Survivors & WWII Veterans. Whether you attend with family, friends or students, “Not Too Far Distant” offers a powerful chance to listen to one soldier’s story and carry it forward. For more information, email the McCook Creative District at mccookcreativity@gmail.com or visit mccookcreativedistrict.com.
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