"One Empire, Under God" Available for Pre-Order at Next Stage Press

Anthony J. Piccione's controversial dystopian epic will be published in February 2023 after premiering last year at The Tank

This coming February, One Empire, Under God - the controversial full-length drama by Anthony J. Piccione - will be published and available for production licensing at Next Stage Press. Pre-orders are now available at www.nextstagepress.com/one-empire-under-god/

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.

The live premiere of One Empire, Under God was presented November 11- 21, 2021, at The Tank - located at 312 W 36th Street, New York, NY - and was directed by Andrés Gallardo Bustillo, after premiering virtually on Zoom in July 2021. The live production 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. Additional 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)

The play received six nominations at the 2021 BroadwayWorld Off/Off-OffBroadway Awards, with J.J. Miller winning in the category for Best Performance in a Streaming Play, and the recording of the original live-streamed recording of the November 2021 production was showcased throughout 2022 as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Calgary Fringe Festival & the Rochester Fringe Festival.