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.

Erik Gernand’s play The Beautiful Dark premiered to rave reviews in 2013 at Premiere Stages. The production was nominated for an American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award and the play was subsequently produced in New York and published.

The cast includes Premiere favorites Kathy McCafferty (The Wake, 2019) and Kate Kearney-Patch (Foster Mom, 2017). New to the company is Kevin Loreque, most recently seen in Godfather of Harlem with Vincent D’Onofrio and on Pose opposite Billy Porter; Kaitlyn Lunardi, whose credits include The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and In the Heights; and Eric Phelps, who played the title character in Off-Broadway’s Pip’s Island.