The Day I Accidentally Went to War is a hilarious yet moving solo performance that vividly explores the intricacies of military life and identity. I had the pleasure of speaking with Bill Posley about the inspiration behind his show, the power of storytelling, and how he uses humor to connect audiences with his personal journey as a veteran.
What inspired you to create this solo show and tell your story?
I haven't really seen a lot of comedy brought to the Veteran experience and I wanted to do
that. I also wanted to humanize veterans and change people's narratives about them.
And lastly, I wanted to create a show that had an actual call to action for what to do
about how to support veterans and deal with the current state of the country I fought
for.
Your show masterfully blends humor with deeply personal and emotional stories
about your experiences as a veteran and your life. How do you navigate the balance
between comedy and vulnerability in your storytelling?
I think Comedy is the way that you deal with emotional stories. I think finding the
comedy in it is how you get people who may not understand it to relate, especially when
such a low percentage of our population has military experience. A lot of what I talk
about may seem foreign to them, which is why I use Comedy as a way to unify, both
mine, and the audience's experience.
From your time in the military to your journey as a performer and storyteller, what
lessons have shaped you the most, and how do they influence the way you create and
share your art today?
Work ethic and not dwelling on failure. The military taught me so much about putting
your head down and getting the job done. You're gonna fail and fail a lot, but you do not
have time to dwell on it. You cannot let it paralyze you. You have to shake it off and
keep writing, keep performing. The other thing that the military taught me is nothing is
more important than the larger mission - in this case the show! As I build a show, I
collaborate with people and if they have an idea that's better than mine, I use it. No ego.
Whether it's friends, my director or family, I consider my solo shows a team effort.
In the show, you mention wanting to tell your own story as a veteran because you
hadn't seen it represented. What do you hope audiences take away from your
performance?
First and foremost, I hope that people are entertained. Next, the thing that I've been
saying since the start of this show is, I want people who were against the military to
move a little closer in and see some of the good and I want people who were gung-ho
about the military to take a step back and question some of the bad. And lastly, no
matter which side you're on I wanted people to respect veterans in their service. And be
more educated on how poorly our government deals with veterans.
Many people default to saying, "Thank you for your service"; when addressing
veterans. Do you have some suggestions for better phrases/ways to show
appreciation?
I think "thank you for your service" is a great way to show your appreciation, but to take it a step further, please help hold politicians' feet to the fire when they claim to wanna
help veterans and don't do it when they get in office. If something comes up you can vote for, please do. Another way to help is to support Veteran businesses; there's a website
called Veteran Owned Business.com (https://www.veteranownedbusiness.com) where
you could hire veterans in your area to do things whether that helps you move, fix your
car, graphic design, etc. Even a veteran doing a one-man-show!
Thank you, Bill, for taking the time to chat with us. We wish you a wonderful run!
"The Day I Accidentally Went to War"
Written and Performed by Bill Posley
Directed by Bente Engelstoft
January 15-26, 2025
SoHo Playhouse 2025 International Fringe Encore Theater Series
SoHo Playhouse (15 Vandam St, NYC)
Yani Perez, M.F.A., is a poet, playwright, translator, and educator. Her plays have been presented in various theaters in the United States, such as La Mama and Yale University, as well as internationally in Bogotá, Colombia. She works at IATI Theater, one of the oldest Latinx theaters in NYC. She is currently working on translations of Latinx artists in hopes of introducing them to English-speaking audiences.
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