Casting Announced for Premiere Stages' YEAR ONE

Premiere Stages at Kean University will present Erik Gernand's Year One September 9-26 in Kean University's Bauer Boucher Theatre Center (Vaughn Eames Hall, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, N.J.). Selected as a finalist from the 2020/21 Premiere Play Festival, Year One will feature actors Kate Kearney-Patch, Kevin Loreque, Kaitlyn Lunardi, Kathy McCafferty and Eric Phelps. John J. Wooten, producing artistic director of Premiere Stages, directs.

In Year One, a populist's rise to power exacerbates mounting political and social divisions. When Anna's brother Max arrives unexpectedly, harboring a dangerous secret, the family matriarch is forced to choose between embracing a radical new country or saving those she loves. Although the play takes place in 1933, it explores some very topical themes and is a poignant reminder that the world must remain vigilant in confronting ignorance and bias.

Erik Gernand's play The Beautiful Dark premiered at Premiere Stages to rave reviews in 2013. The production was nominated for an American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award and the play was subsequently produced in New York by the Barrow Group. Additional plays have been in production and/or development at theaters including Redtwist, American Theater Company, Chicago Dramatists, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. As a filmmaker, Erik's award-winning short films have screened at more than 100 film festivals around the world including SXSW, Chicago International Film Festival, and Cinequest, as well as been broadcast on IFC, PBS, and the Logo Channel. Erik is an Associate Professor of Instruction in Radio-TV-Film at Northwestern University.

"Erik's important and poignant play is the perfect piece to welcome our audience back to Premiere" stated Wooten. "While our outdoor and virtual performances have been both successful and rewarding, there is nothing like sharing the magic of being inside a theatre."

Wooten has been nominated as Best Director multiple times by the Newark Star-Ledger and has staged numerous productions that have been honored by the American Theatre Critics Association. As a playwright, John's widely published work has been produced commercially in New York, internationally and in regional theatres across America. This past January, he was awarded his second fellowship by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

The accomplished cast includes Kate Kearney-Patch, whose numerous television credits include How to Get Away with Murder, Person of Interest and Law Abiding Citizen; Kevin Loreque, most recently seen in Godfather of Harlem with Vincent D'Onofrio and on Pose opposite Billy Porter; Kaitlyn Lunardi, whose film and television credits include The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and In the Heights; Kathy McCafferty, recently seen in the Broadway Tour of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (Carbonell Best Actress Nomination) and Eric Phelps, who played the title character, Pip, in Off-Broadway's Pip's Island.

To ensure the safety of all patrons and staff, Premiere Stages will be implementing specific safety protocols for all indoor performances. All artists and staff will be fully vaccinated. Masks will be required for audiences attending indoor performances, regardless of vaccination status. All seating will be sanitized between performances and hand sanitizing stations will be available throughout the lobby. Touchless ticketing as well as, printed and digital playbills will be available for all patrons. Premiere's safety protocols can be found on www.premierestagesatkean.com/shows/safety-protocols.

Year One runs September 9-26 in the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center on the Kean University main campus in Union, N.J. Performances take place Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Audience members are invited to engage more deeply with Mr. Gernand's thought-provoking play in Premiere's free talkbacks following the Sunday, September 12 and Sunday, September 19 3:00 pm matinees.

Tickets are $35 standard, $20 for senior citizens and Kean alumni and staff, and $15 for students and patrons with disabilities. Significant discounts for groups of ten or more apply. To make reservations or to order a season brochure, please call the box office at 908-737-7469 or visit Premiere Stages online at www.premierestagesatkean.com.

Assistive listening devices and sign-interpretation are available upon request; please call 908-737-4077 at least two weeks prior to your desired performance. For more information, please visit Premiere Stages online at www.premierestagesatkean.com.

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