"One Empire, Under God" Available for Streaming 4/8-4/17
Now accepting free RSVPs and donations for OnDemand streaming of one of the most controversial theatrical productions of the past year
This April, One Empire, Under God - the controversial dystopian drama by Anthony J. Piccione - will be available to the public for OnDemand screening from Friday, April 8th until Easter Sunday, April 17th. The recording of the original live production directed by Andrés Gallardo Bustillo, which was presented in November 2021 at The Tank, located at 312 W 36th Street, New York, NY, will be the first entry into the all-new Piccione Arts Streaming Series, which aims to promote the works of independent artists to audiences across the world via live stream and OnDemand streaming, with more details to be announced on April 8th.
For this special April screening, free reservations & donations for OnDemand access are available now at www.eventbrite.com/e/246698982297, with donations being accepted. For this screening, Piccione Arts will send 80% of any donations received back to the cast and production staff of the original live production, with 20% being donated to Refuse Fascism, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting non-violent direct action against fascism in the United States.
Plans are being finalized for upcoming screenings at worldwide fringe festivals in 2022 and 2023 as part of their online programming, with any profits/donations made to be donated back to the artists and to Refuse Fascism (U.S. based screenings) and to the International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund, (non-U.S. based screenings) Tickets will be announced on June 14th at www.linktr.ee/oneempireundergod and on Facebook and Instagram @oneempireundergod.
Upper left - Marc Verzatt (Reverend Ian MacDougal) & Trey Shields (Damian Cunningham); upper right - Gian Caro (Josh Garcia) & Sarah Spagnuolo (Jessa Barclay); lower left - Marcus R. Smith (General River Kalvin) & Gian Caro (Josh Garcia); lower right - Sarah Spagnuolo (Jessa Barclay) & J.J. Miller (Darren Cunningham)
Set in the far distant future, One Empire, Under God is a cautionary tale in two acts that tells the story of how an emotionally disturbed young man - with the help of virtual media technology - is able to rise to political power by inciting an uprising against America's openly atheist president, subverting democratic and military rule throughout Western civilization and paving the way for him and his descendants to rule for generations. Every step toward a more perfect union is followed by an enormous reactionary backlash. That historical trend remains very much alive in the future, as seen in this provocative indictment of nationalism, imperialism, and religious extremism.
Prior to the live production, the play had premiered virtually on Zoom in July 2021 and recently received six nominations at the 2021 BroadwayWorld Off/Off-Off-Broadway Awards, with J.J. Miller winning in the category for Best Performance in a Streaming Play.
The live production at The Tank starred Trey Shields as Damian Cunningham, Marc Verzatt as Reverend Ian MacDougal, Sarah Spagnuolo as Jessa Barclay, Gian Caro as Josh Garcia, J.J. Miller as Darren Cunningham & Joshua Cunningham, Marcus R. Smith as General River Kalvin, Mary Miles as President Armani Bakali & Senator Jane Harvey, Clara Tan as Vice President Zaine Thompson, featuring Sabrina Lopez, Sarah Nowik, Michael Paone and Demonte Thompson. In addition to Mr. Piccione and Mr. Gallardo Bustillo, the production staff included Harrison H. Harper, (Stage Manager) Ella Rose, (Assistant Director) Valeriya Nedviga, (Set Designer) Nicole Sliwinski, (Lighting Design) Lissy Gold (Sound Design/Original Score) & Dimitri Saari. (Master Carpenter)