HERKIMER! To Have World Premiere At Bridge Street Theatre

Ned Averill-Snell's solo play explores the 1777 Battle of Oriskany and his family's immigrant history.

Mar. 10, 2026 at 12:06am

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Bridge Street Theatre will present the world premiere of HERKIMER!, a solo play written and performed by Ned Averill-Snell, as part of its ongoing SoloFest series. The production will run March 13–15, 2026 in Catskill, New York. Blending family history, Revolutionary War storytelling, and contemporary reflection, HERKIMER! explores the 1777 Battle of Oriskany and the immigrant farmers, Iroquois warriors, Hessian soldiers, and military leaders caught in the conflict.

Why it matters

The solo show draws on the performer's own family history to examine ideas about immigration and the evolving promises of the American experience, providing a counterargument to recent nationalist rhetoric about the strength of one's claim to America being tied to the length of their family's residency.

The details

Through humor and personal narrative, Averill-Snell connects the little-known Battle of Oriskany to events that helped shape the outcome of the American Revolution. The performance also includes a few humorous references to the Broadway musical Hamilton.

  • The production will run March 13–15, 2026 at Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, New York.

The players

Ned Averill-Snell

A veteran of the Florida theatre community for more than 25 years, Averill-Snell has appeared in productions of plays such as The Iceman Cometh, A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and Twelve Angry Men. He recently relocated from Florida to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and most recently appeared as the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol at Berkshire Theatre Group.

Timothy Dunn

The director of HERKIMER!

Bridge Street Theatre

A theatre in Catskill, New York that is presenting the world premiere of HERKIMER! as part of its ongoing SoloFest series.

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What they’re saying

“I was hearing all this blood-and-soil patriotism coming from Vice President JD Vance and other nationalists. They think the longer your family has been here, the stronger your claim to America. I figured the counterargument should come from someone whose roots in this country go even deeper than JD's.”

— Ned Averill-Snell, Playwright and Performer

What’s next

Bridge Street Theatre's SoloFest 2026 series will conclude later this spring with ARCHIE PARISH'S PARTING WORDS, written, directed, and performed by Ernest Thompson, the Academy Award-winning writer of On Golden Pond, adapted from his Broadway play of the same name.

The takeaway

HERKIMER! provides a personal and humorous perspective on the immigrant experience in America, challenging recent nationalist rhetoric by connecting the performer's own family history to pivotal events of the American Revolution.