about
High-school track star Alison Bennett (Kaci Walfall, CW's Naomi) had met every expectation — until it all fell apart. After her first semester of college, Alison returns home for the holidays and reconnects with her former teammate Haley (Emily Carey, HBO's House of the Dragon). As old feelings resurface, they must confront the choices that ended their running careers and reshaped their lives. Sharp, funny, and poignant, Before This New Year is a powerful exploration of love, loss, identity, and coming-of-age in today’s relentlessly high-pressured world.
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cast
kaci walfall
as alison
KACI WALFALL
Kaci is best known for her starring role in Ava Duvernay's NAOMI for DC Comics and The CW. In the can, she has Ridley Scott and Peter Craig's highly anticipated Apple TV+ series, DOPE THIEF, starring opposite Brian Tyree Henry. Additional credits include roles on BRILLIANT MINDS, Amazon's hit anthology series, MODERN LOVE, QUEEN SUGAR, and THE EQUALIZER on CBS. Kaci got her start as "Young Nala" on Broadway. She originated the role of “Lavender” in the first National Tour of Matilda the Musical. She is a graduate of the Shakespeare program at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).
emily carey
as haley
EMILY CAREY Emily Carey originated the iconic role of “Alicent Hightower” in HBO’s HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, the record-smashing GAME OF THRONES prequel series. They currently star in GEEK GIRL, the Netflix adaptation of the best-selling Holly Smale novels, which spent several weeks in the Netflix Top 10, and has a 100% Certified Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In the can, they have DEEP FAKE, an ACE Entertainment thriller opposite Mimi Keene.
Feature credits include THE LOST GIRLS opposite Vanessa Redgrave; “Young Lara Croft” in the TOMB RAIDER reboot starring Alicia Vikander; and “Young Diana” in the WB box office smash WONDER WOMAN, directed by Patty Jenkins. Additional television credits include the hit BBC/Netflix series GET EVEN, which had over one million downloads on BBC iPlayer in its first two weeks of being released, as well as a semi-regular in the BBC’s CASUALTY.
melanie nicholls-king
as mom
MELANIE NICHOLLS-KING
Melanie Nicholls-King is a Canadian/American actress with Trini roots best known for playing Cheryl in the HBO series, The Wire; Officer Noelle Williams in the Global series/ABC, Rookie Blue; and Hazel LaCroix, in the beloved CBC/Netflix series, Anne with an E. She can also be seen in Orphan Black on CTV/BBC America, The Week Of with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock on Netflix, Star Trek: Discovery on CBS, Little Fires Everywhere with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington on Amazon Prime, Your Honor with Bryan Cranston on Showtime, Black Bird with Taron Edgerton and Paul Walter Hauser on Apple TV+, The Gilded Age with Audra McDonald and Cynthia Nixon on HBO and FBI: Most Wanted on CBS, to name a few. On stage, she was thrilled to be a part of the Playwright Horizons’ production of “Familiar” written by Danai Gurira, directed by Tony award-winning director, Rebecca Taichman and featuring an ensemble of actors that included the incredible Tamara Tunie. In the audio world, she can be heard on Melissa Valentine’s searing memoir, The Names of All the Flowers, Christina Sharpe’s In the Wake: On Blackness and Being, the Audie nominated sci-fi book, Sylvain Neuvel’s No Kindness Too Soon, Colin Kaepernick’s Change the Game and Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For. Upcoming: Apple TV+ feature film, Echo Valley starring Julianne Moore and Fiona Shaw.
pete simpson
as coach
PETE SIMPSONBroadway: “Is This A Room” (as Justin Garrick, a role he originated in prior productions Off-Broadway, including the Vineyard Theatre). Off Broadway: "The Wind & The Rain" (En Garde Arts/Vineyard); Annie Baker’s Infinite “Life” at the Atlantic Theatre and London’s National Theatre. As a 14-year member of Elevator Repair Service, Pete appeared most recently as Tom Buchanan in the multiple-award winning “Gatz” at The Public in NYC and on international tours. Additional NYC theatre: “The Seagull” (ERS), Angelo in “Measure for Measure” (Public Theater/ ERS); Drew in "Straight White Men" (Public Theater); Mike Campbell in “The Select/The Sun Also Rises” (New York Theater Workshop); "North Atlantic” Wooster Group,(opposite Willem Dafoe); Lunch in “Tincat Shoes” and Dad in “California” (Clubbed Thumb); Edmund in “Lear” (Soho Rep). Pete is a vet of over 5,000 performances with Blue Man Group (Off Broadway and international tours including writing/training/directing contributions). REGIONAL: Denver Center, Williamstown, Westport Country Playhouse, NY Stage and Film. SCREEN: Marriage Story; Morning Glory; Lincoln in the Bardo; Gotham, Law and Order. 2017 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence.
ella stiller
as jen
ELLA STILLER
Ella Stiller is a New York based actor with a passion for telling the stories of young women. Select credits include And Just Like That… (Max), Hubie Halloween (Netflix), Escape at Dannemora (Showtime), SLUT the Play (Tour, The Greene Space), and various staged readings at Classic Stage Company, NYTW, Berkshire Theater Festival, and the Samuel French OOB Festival. Ella recently graduated from the Juilliard School.
arjun biju
as brandon
ARJUN BIJUArjun Biju is thrilled to be making his Off-Broadway debut in Before This New Year. Additional credits include: White Bitches in Delhi (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Berlindia (The Workshop Theater), The Regulars (Fault Line Theater), and Indeed, Friend! (Clubbed Thumb). TV/Film: There She Goes (FOX Entertainment). Arjun is also the voice of Toby in the new season of Totally Spies airing on Cartoon Network and streaming on Max. Originally from San Jose, California, Arjun graduated with a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and currently resides in Brooklyn.