Project Description & Goals: 

The Lone Wolf Society is a new psychological horror tragedy by Anthony J. Piccione that follows the story of high school senior Elijah Brooks. During his senior year at Barack Obama High School, Elijah finds himself socially isolated due to severe bullying, toxic parenting & his own increasingly perverted actions. One day, he is recruited by a mysterious organization led by a charismatic male chauvinist known as the Colonel. As his initiation progresses, Elijah’s moral limits are put to the test as he gradually learns the organization’s master plan, in this unsettling portrait of gun violence, the dark web, and toxic masculinity.

Plans are in the works for a 2023 theatrical run to be directed by Andrés Gallardo Bustillo in the spring or summer of 2023, with Piccione Arts currently in discussions with a notable NYC venue to bring a full production there after a staged reading on November 4th at 7pm.

Team:

Anthony J. Piccione is an award-winning writer, producer & teaching artist whose debut full-length play A Therapy Session with Myself premiered in January 2019 at the Hudson Guild Theatre before transferring in May to the Kraine Theater for an extended year-long run, while his sophomore full-length play One Empire, Under God made its live premiere at The Tank in November 2021 after previously premiering via Zoom earlier that year. Additionally, Piccione's eclectic canon of one-acts has previously been presented in NYC at venues such as The Tank, the Hudson Guild Theatre, Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, Midtown International Theatre Festival, and Manhattan Repertory Theatre. His short drama What I Left Behind was named the NYWinterfest’s Best Short Play of 2018, and his short film The Fire That Won’t Stop was named an official selection at the Venice Short Film Awards, the Paris International Short Festival, and the Hollywood International Golden Age Festival. He also works as a scriptwriter-for-hire whose clients range from Sesame Workshop to Peculiar Works Project, among several others. Additionally, he is the founder & Artistic Director of the Talking It Out Virtual Arts Festival and he has taught playwriting classes at EPIC Players and Broadway Weekends.

Andrés Gallardo Bustillo is a Colombian director, choreographer, performer, and educator who currently serves as the Founding Co-Artistic Director at Proscaenium Theatre Company. Prior to Proscaenium, he served as the Co-Artistic Director at The Phoenix Theatre (PA) where he developed Origins Theatre Festival a theatre festival dedicated to celebrating innovation and diversity in the theatre in different cultures. He has worked with theatre companies such as Out of the Box Theatrics, Misi Productions, Teatro SEA, Fuego Celta and Play Nice Theatre Company. He is the founder of Cumbres Musical in Colombia, a preprofessional theatre program. He is also part of the founders of C.R.E.A. Collaborate to Reimagine and Evolve the Arts in New York City. As a director, he has worked on numerous theatrical productions both Off-Broadway and Regionally — including theaters such as the Davenport Theatre, the Kraine Theater, and the American Theatre of Actors, among others. His work as a creator has extended to numerous mediums beyond the theatre, including choreography and film direction. Within his acting career, he has performed in various theatrical productions, film pieces, and dance works. Some career highlights include Indio in West Side Story, Peter Pan in Peter/Wendy, and How The Westons Won — he is also a resident company member at Teatro SEA and Proscaenium Theatre Company. He graduated from Misi School of Musical Theatre and The New York Film Academy’s Musical Theater and Film Professional Conservatory.

The Lone Wolf Society marks the 2nd writer-director collaboration between the two artists, after the world premiere of the dystopian epic One Empire, Under God at The Tank in November 2021 - the recording of which has since been showcased by various fringe festivals with the play set to be published by Next Stage Press in February 2023. We are also assembling a fantastic team of additional guest artists who are committed to their craft & passionate about telling thought-provoking stories.

Expenses: 

For any tax-deductible donations Piccione Arts receives from this production, priority will be given to providing stipends for our lead actors and production staff, rehearsal and/or performance space, and various production materials to deliver the highest possible quality to our audiences next year. For any net profit made from our production, we plan to give share a TBD percentage with all our cast and production staff & an additional percentage will be donated to March for Our Lives, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting the gun violence epidemic in the United States.

We are seeking to raise approximately $5500 in order to achieve our aforementioned goal while being able to give back to our artists and to March for Our Lives without worrying about the costs of producing independent theatre in New York. Fractured Atlas allows us to keep anything to raise in donations. However, the closer to get to reaching our goal, the more likely we will be able to increase stipends, include more elaborate props and set pieces, invest in marketing to reach a wider audience, and more.

Audience: 

While the characters of the story are predominately young, the potential audience could range from left-wing college students to politically moderate Baby Boomers, and anyone in between who is concerned about the rise of violent extremism in our communities, and the role that toxic masculinity and the darkest corners of social media play in perpetuating this extremism.

Depending on the success of our 2023 production, other potential possibilities include a tour of college campuses, a film adaptation, and more. However, above all else, we want this live production in 2023 to be an unforgettable experience that cuts across age & cultural divides to expose the darkest realities of our world, so we can be inspired to leave the theater thinking of ways to avoid tragedies like the one depicted on stage.

Our team believes in the power of live theatre to fuel thoughtful & honest conversations about some of the most urgent and uncomfortable issues facing us today. Stories and characters speak for us when our own words fail, and rather than ignore controversial or disturbing subjects, we want to shine a light on how terrifying they are so that our audience will be shocked into taking further action to avoid tragedies like the one depicted in this play.

Bottom line: With the rise in gun violence, hate crimes & political unrest that we've seen in the past decade, bold & provocative independent theatre is needed now more than ever, and with your help, we can make it happen.

If you cannot donate at this time, we hope you will please consider sharing with any friends, family, acquaintances, etc. who support live theatre & the performing arts who may be willing to contribute. Thanks to our friends at Fractured Atlas, all donations are tax-deductible & and any help we receive will go a long way.

Also, please be sure to follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lonewolfsocietyplay) and Instagram @lonewolfplay to receive updates, and be sure to spread the word by sharing our posts, if you like our content.