Kicking off DC’s inaugural District Fringe Festival is Caro Dubberly’s A Guide to Modern Possession — a musical that embodies everything a Fringe production should be: it’s raw, unfinished, and really fucking good.
Caro Dubberly may be known around town as an actor and director, but who knew they were also a powerhouse composer, lyricist, and book writer? Well, now we do.
A Guide to Modern Possession is a rock-infused musical packed with catchy tunes, whip-smart lyrics, and a coming-of-age story that flips the script to center characters long left out of the musical theater spotlight.
Oh — and it’s got demons.
The show follows Cody, a nonbinary young adult coping with the trauma of a past sexual assault and a fraught relationship with their religious, cancer-stricken mother. To numb the pain, Cody turns to weed and alcohol. Enter the demons — first as a snarky Greek-chorus-style peanut gallery, later as darker manifestations of Cody’s internal struggle. On their website, Dubberly explains that they and Director/dramaturg Laley Lippard (who’s been developing the show with Dubberly since 2021) are using “demonic imagery as a vehicle for exploring PTSD.”
Audience members should be aware that this is a staged reading of Act One only. That means no costumes and no choreography — but what you do get is the chance to witness a sharp, promising new musical in its early form. And the show already has accolades to back it up: it was a semifinalist for the 2023 Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s National Music Theater Conference and a finalist for Olney Theatre’s Vanguard Arts Fund.
Leading the cast as Cody is Jayson R. Broadnax, a recent Howard University grad with more lighting design credits than acting ones. But hey, DC casting directors, let’s change that. Broadnax is a phenomenal talent. Their rich voice is perfectly suited to Dubberly’s rock-driven score, and they bring a raw emotional honesty to Cody’s vulnerability.
Backing up Broadnax is a strong supporting cast: Sophia Early as Cody’s loyal best friend Anna, Christian Montgomery as Dee and the Demon, and Geocel Batista and Adrian Jesus Iglesias as Cody’s mom and dad. Every one of them delivers with professional polish.
As a staged reading, design elements were sparse, but the uncredited lighting design subtly amped up the tension. Dubberly accompanied much of the score live on keyboard, with prerecorded instrumental tracks strategically layered in to heighten key emotional beats. Stage Manager Willow McFatter kept everything running smoothly.
If A Guide to Modern Possession is how District Fringe is starting its run, it’s poised to become a standout fixture on DC’s theater calendar.
A Guide to Modern Possession
A new musical by Caro Dubberly
Running Time: 75 minutes
Dates and Times:
- Friday, July 11, 7:00p
- Sunday, July 13, 7:45p
- Sunday, July 20, 5:15p
- Thursday, July 24, 7:15p
- Sunday, July 27, 7:00p
Venue: Phoenix – UDC Lecture Hall (44A03)
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: A Guide to Modern Possession
Genre: Musical, Dark Comedy
Content Warnings: Suicide, physical and sexual violence, profanity
Directed by: Laley Lippard
Playwright: Caro Dubberly
Performed by: Jayson R. Broadnax, Sophia Early, Christian Montgomery, Adrian Iglesias, Geocel Batista, Max Burchell, Lila Cooper, Ava Wilson, Luís Córdovez, Nessa Amherst
The complete 2025 District Fringe Festival schedule is online here.
The 2025 District Fringe Festival program is online here.
