NextStop Theatre proudly announces its 2026/27 season, Reimagining Resiliency, the second season curated by Producing Artistic Director, Heather Lanza. Following the launch of the company’s “NextPhase” in 2025, which introduced new branding, expanded new work initiatives, and a world premiere production, the upcoming season continues NextStop’s investment in new voices and intimate theatrical experiences for the Northern Virginia and DC area.
In a time when audiences are searching for catharsis and community, NextStop’s 2026/27 season embraces stories about perseverance in all its forms. The productions this season examine grief, identity, ambition, survival, and transformation. At the same time, the lineup is filled with humor, music, spectacle, and panache. From biting satire and outrageous comedy to heartfelt romance and thrilling musical storytelling, Reimagining Resiliency invites audiences to experience joy and togetherness alongside the harder questions these productions ask.
“In a moment when our country and world feel increasingly uncertain, the question of how we build resiliency has never been more urgent,” said Lanza. “This season, our productions ask audiences to sit with resiliency, to interrogate it, and to imagine what it can look like going forward. We hope these productions move audiences. We also hope they show the importance of joy and coming together as part of building resiliency. More than anything, we hope audiences leave with a deeper sense of the resiliency already living inside them.”
Subscription packages and single tickets for the 2026/27 season are on sale now at NextStopTheatre.org.
The 2026/27 season includes:
The Second Best School Shooting
A U.S. Premiere Play by Alice Stanley Jr.
Directed by Heather Lanza
Honorary Executive Producer: Adam McKay
September 17-October 11, 2026
A U.S. premiere dark comedy about grief, friendship, and what happens when one tragedy is eclipsed by another. As two best friends try to make sense of surviving a school shooting, they confront the brutally absurd and deeply human question: how do you grieve when the world has already moved on?
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
By Kristoffer Diaz
In Partnership with Flying V
Directed by Stefan Sittig
November 5-29, 2026
Step into the ring for The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, a Pulitzer-Prize finalist comedy that body-slams the world of pro-wrestling, pop culture, and the performance of identity. Told through the eyes of Macedonio “The Mace” Guerra, a gifted wrestler stuck being paid to lose to a bigger-named star in the ring, this knockout satire takes on cultural stereotypes, media spectacle, and the courage it takes to say no. A bold, tour-de-force comedy that leaves it all on the mat!
Follow You Down
A New ‘90s Jukebox Musical
A World Premiere By Jeremy Desmon
Arrangements & Orchestrations by Jesse Vargas
Directed by Ashley Rodbro
January 28-February 21, 2027
What if you could go back to the moment it all began? J.J. and Susie built a life, a marriage, a history, but somewhere along the way, they’ve lost the thread. When J.J. stumbles back to 1999 through a magical portal, watching his younger self fall head-over-heels for his wife, he decides that the kindest thing he can do for Susie is make sure it never happens at all. Featuring the music of No Doubt, Ricky Martin, Smash Mouth, Gin Blossoms and many more, Follow You Down is a jukebox musical comedy about love, second chances and the songs that live inside us forever.
This Production is in association with Lively McCabe Entertainment & Primary Wave Music.
Topdog/Underdog
By Suzan-Lori Parks
Directed by Dannielle Hutchinson
March 25-April 18, 2027
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer-winning masterpiece is a gripping, darkly comic fable of family identity and the weight of history. Lincoln and Booth, two brothers whose names were given to them as a joke, navigate a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment. Now living together again as adults, the two brothers must wrestle with dangerous temptations and life choices that may shape or shatter their future. A must-see contemporary classic.
Teeth
A Coming of Rage Musical
Book and Music by Anna K. Jacobs
Book and Lyrics by Michael R. Jackson
May 20-June 20, 2027
A fierce and ferociously funny musical where coming of age becomes coming of rage. Based on the cult classic film, Teeth follows Dawn, an evangelical teen whose body bites back when men violate her. Crackling with irrepressible desire and ancient rage, this thrilling new musical takes on purity culture, bodily autonomy, and the power of turning a curse into salvation. When Dawn’s body becomes its own legend, all hell breaks loose!
About NextStop Theatre
NextStop Theatre is an award-winning professional theater company in the heart of Herndon, VA. Located minutes away from Reston Town Center, Historic Downtown Herndon, Dulles Airport, and the Herndon Silver Line Metro Station, the company has established a strong regional reputation for producing critically acclaimed productions and educational programs, while showcasing a wide array of local talent and arts relevant to the community.
