The New York premiere of the solo play Private Peaceful begins performances Off-Broadway August 28 at the TBG Theatre, with an official opening set for September 6. The six-week limited run stars Shane O’Regan, who plays all of the 40 characters in the show centered around two brothers during World War I.

“It's more of an anti-war story, and the story these two brothers go through will really make you think about the cause and the pointlessness of war in general,” he says in the exclusive video above. “It really shows what the bond between two brothers can ultimately be.”

Adapted by Simon Reade, Private Peaceful is based on War Horse author Michael Morpurgo’s young adult novel. “What I think makes Private Peaceful work universally—for young people and older audiences—in the same way that War Horse did, it's simply in the storytelling of it,” says O’Regan. “Michael Morpurgo crafts these stories so brilliantly that they really are a universally human thing that everyone can take something from it. His imagination ignites the childlike wonder you almost forget as you grow up. It makes us remember why we love stories.

O’Regan, who performed the solo show in theatres across Ireland to critical acclaim, keeps one thing in mind throughout the play: “No one character—no matter how small of a part they are within the story—no character can be a caricature. They need to be a fully fleshed out real person for me so the audience can buy them as well.”

Watch the full video above.