Interview with Becky Boesen
On November 1, 2024, Not Too Far Distant, a play based on the life and World War II experiences of Staff Sergeant Clarence O. Williams, will be presented on the Red Cloud Opera House stage. We recently interviewed playwright and director, Becky Boesen, about her inspirations for the play.
Tell us a bit about yourself as a Nebraska playwright/dramatist/actress?
When I was a toddler, my family transplanted to Nebraska from the Ozarks. I remember the stark contrast between the lush Ozark mountains and what at the time felt like a dry Nebraska desert.
I was always a spirited child, but also an introvert. My best friend was imaginary and together we’d write songs and scenes and act them out. In retrospect, I guess I was writing and reading both parts, which probably made the adults a mix of entertained and concerned.
I knew from an early age that I was a dramatist and that my creativity stems from the vastness of the Nebraska plains and skies. I majored in theater performance, and after taking an intro to playwriting class was hooked on that, too. There were no other classes for me to take as an emerging playwright, but at the time, there was a Ph.D. playwriting cohort at UNL. Dr. Tice Miller, our then department chair, offered to allow me to take the class if I’d promise him a completed draft. Always taken by local stories, I wrote a Starkweather play. From then on I was hooked on playwriting and telling lesser known Nebraska stories.
“Your story matters. You can make a difference. You have more power than you know.”
What drew you to Staff Sergeant Clarence Williams’s life and story and/or what is your connection to him?
I was teaching at Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) and had the honor of meeting with Dr. Beth Dotan and a team from the Nebraska Historical Society. Dr. Dotan had created an online portal featuring the stories of Holocaust survivors who had settled in Nebraska, as well as liberators who are from here. Staff Sargeant Williams was featured. At first, there was a conversation that entertained the idea of NWU Theater students reading some of the letters at the launch of the portal. However, his story was so compelling that I pitched the idea of writing an original play about his life. Shortly thereafter I was offered a commission by the Nebraska Historical Society and given access to the assets (letters and photos) that Staff Sergeant Williams had sent home from the war.
What was the most resonant or memorable moment in his story that inspired you to write about him?
Without a doubt, Sergeant Williams’ letter after liberating Dachau is one of a kind.
What moved you the most about his story?
I was most moved by the idea that this young man—a Nebraskan like me and most others who have experienced the play—had endured so much yet continued to paint a picture of safety and security for his beloved wife, Gretchen. This is where my inner storyteller kicked in—exploring what Clarence was saying, versus what he was experiencing. It began to deepen my understanding of the loneliness many service men and women face after returning home after such an experience. Who can you tell these wild, terrible things to? And how does life go on? But Clarence did go on and built an incredible life.
Was his family helpful in your process?
Dr. Tom Williams is Clarence’s son and has been such a gift to this process. He has been supportive, generous, and is an incredible advocate for the production.
As a side note, after our opening night at the Lied Center (in 2023), Dr. Williams joined our production team at a reception that my parents were also attending. He became fast friends with my mother and father, and I love the synergy of that…that I could care for Tom’s dad and that he could build a friendship with my parents. Most playwrights don’t get to experience such magic!
There is now a rapidly dwindling group of World War II veterans among us. Why is it so important to tell their stories?
Their stories are still relevant and there is an ongoing threat to democracy. World War II veterans still understand that threat and what we stand to lose if we lose our democracy. It’s also important, I think, to make space for stories that are difficult to tell. Those experiences are what make us real and human and so deeply connected.
What are important takeaways for today’s younger generations, especially in this war-torn world?
Your story matters. You can make a difference. You have more power than you know.
How have audiences responded to the play and how often has it been performed, and where?
My goodness, I think I’ve lost track over the course of the last year. That sounds silly, but at this point, our production team—the actors and assistants and the producers—are the co-owners of this project and I trust them implicitly to move it forward while I work in other related areas. I’m guessing we’re close to twenty or thirty performances in up to ten locations.
Is there anything else that you'd like to share?
It is so important that we make space for one another’s unique histories and experiences. When I started this process, I wasn’t sure where my entry point would be. It’s challenging to tackle a real person’s story and to ride that balance between fact and fictionalized moments. I couldn’t imagine what Clarence Williams had seen or experienced.
Then my best friend died from complications from COVID. I was on the phone with his colleague when she found his body in his apartment. For the first time I experienced the kind of grief that feels like it might split open your ribcage and suck away your last breath.
I gave myself permission to put that enormous grief into this play, and to also make sure to end it with hope.
That’s what Dan would have wanted, and I think it’s what Clarence wanted, too.