VALENTINE, Neb. - A regional theater production is bringing history to life through the real letters of a Nebraska Staff Sergeant from World War II. “Not Too Far Distant” is touring Nebraska over the next few months. 

“It’s not like they’re watching history from afar, but they’re living it and in it,” said Petra Wahlqvist, Executive Producer and Co-founder of BLIXT Arts Lab, which produced the play.

The performance is based on more than 200 letters Staff Sergeant Clarence Williams sent home during the war, detailing his experiences, including helping to liberate Dachau, the longest-operating Nazi concentration camp.

“It helps you see the humanity of war and events that you don’t always get to see in history class. You hear about large-scale events, world leaders, countries, battles, and things like that, but you don’t really see personal stories like people falling asleep or trying to fall asleep,” said actor Ryan J. Furlong.

The performance follows Williams as he prepares for war, serves his country, and even watches a friend die.

“I think this really put me in the shoes of someone in that time, and it helped me really understand that no matter what year it is, everyone is human, and we all go through things in day-to-day life, and we try to protect the people we care about,” said Furlong.

After the performance, audience members can ask the cast questions and share their own military stories—stories that may never have been told before.

“When we have this shared experience, we’re sitting down together, and we’re learning about Clarence, I think people also think they can share their story. If we know each other better, we’re going to be more unified as a community,” said Wahlqvist.

“I think treating each other with compassion and knowing that we’re all people and we all have our own stories is really important. We should go out into the world and think about that when we talk to someone for the first time,” said Furlong.

“Not Too Far Distant’s” next performance is Nov. 22 in Nebraska City.