With a title like The Second-Best School Shooting, I was unsure what I was stepping into. And after reading a short intro blurb about the play’s massive success at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I decided to go in blind and with an open mind. But I don’t know that anything could have prepared me for how this deeply dark, yet humorous piece of art would make me feel.
NextStop Theatre brings this U.S. premiere of playwright Alice Stanley Jr.’s dark comedy about the aftermath of tragedy, social media’s glorification of grief, and the humanity lost along the way with a stunning technical production, only to be outdone by the movingly real and raw performances of the show’s stars.
The story centers around two high school girls who are recent survivors of a school shooting — or a near shooting, as is argued by Parker, played by Alexandra López, to classmate and best friend Ava, portrayed by Sadie Koopman. School is canceled for the next three days for repairs and protocols, so Ava hangs out at Parker’s house because her mother doesn’t want her home alone.
Koopman’s Ava is full of energy, super smart, and outgoing, while López’s Parker is more subdued, thoughtful, and cautious. And at first, it appears that, to Ava, the real tragedy is that another shooting, claiming the lives of 15 students on the same day at another school, has completely overshadowed the horror the young friends have endured themselves. Ava is downright jealous over the “like” count and support of a social media post by one of the other school’s survivors. Meanwhile, Parker minimizes the event and distracts herself with studying so as not to fall behind during the break. However, the friends slowly discover that a trauma cannot be laughed away or ignored into oblivion. And another’s pain, however horrible, does not cancel out your own.
Koopman and López are completely transformed, and the teenage angst, ride-or-die connection, and sister-like spats are palpable as the two struggle to process what has happened to them and how their lives have been forever changed. Many high moments of giggles and gaiety remind the audience of the youth and innocence that remain, despite the seriousness of the material. But more often were heartfelt scenes of confliction, utter despair, and compassion. I am often moved by beauty, but never have I felt such a strong compulsion to hug two strangers as I did during that curtain call.
The show’s technical elements were crucial to its mood and energy. A rectangular stage was set in the middle of the theater, with chairs on all sides. Scenic designer Shartoya Jn.Baptiste has created an incredible bedroom set that director Heather Lanza uses magnificently, with intense transitions between the days as flashbacks of the event, accentuated by lighting designer Hailey LaRoe. Sound designer Mo Oslejsek fills blackouts with muffled recordings of the chatter from the event that become more distinct and revealing as time progresses, and hanging lights resembling fluorescents in a school building briefly light up, creating an eerie illumination as Ava and Parker replay the event over and over.
NextStop’s production of The Second-Best School Shooting made me incredibly uncomfortable at times. I found myself judging Ava’s obsession with attention and agreeing with Parker that the situation could have been so much worse, and shouldn’t Ava be grateful for that? Only to be disgusted to discover that I was so desensitized to gun violence that I could accept any act of violence as something to be appreciated.
I also felt very seen by Ava’s character, who uses dark humor to cope with her pain and masks her misery in laughter. I also related to Parker’s need to bury herself in work and study to push out the noise of fear and suffering. Playwright Stanley has created an experience that fires up the brain and not only makes you reflect on and analyze the theater, but also turns that contemplation inward to self-evaluate and perhaps even discover something new or worth reexamining.
I was fortunate to have attended on a day that included a talkback after the show with playwright Stanley and director Lanza, facilitated by dramaturg Ynika Yuag; over the course of the discussion, Stanley asked the audience for personal examples of using dark comedy as a means of self-soothing, and I found myself sharing a memory from high school that I had not thought of in decades. Stanley ended the gathering by having everyone shout “I am here,” a strikingly simple sentence that shifts from acceptance to resilience and resounding strength in a beautiful moment of resolution in the play. I left feeling lighter, hopeful, driven even. I went to see some theater but walked away with the benefit of a therapy session, a sense of unity, and a renewed hope in humanity.
The Second-Best School Shooting at NextStop is a profound production that is a must-see for multiple reasons: The creative team has crafted a fantastic production; the acting is perfect in such a way that no other words are worthy of use to describe it; and Stanley’s writing is simultaneously a wake-up call and battle cry to end the gun violence that threatens the lives of our children every moment of every day. We should not accept it. It does not have to be this way. But it will not change without acknowledgment and action.
Running Time: Approximately 75 minutes, with no intermission.
The Second-Best School Shooting plays through October 11, 2026, at NextStop Theatre, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, VA. Purchase tickets ($48) online or by calling 703-481-5930 x1.
The program is online here.
Advisories: This show contains strong language, conversations about gun violence, and the sound of gunshots. No gun violence is depicted onstage.
CAST
Ava: Sadie Koopman; Parker: Alexandra López; Ava Understudy: Hope Blahusch; Parker Understudy: Megan Kempton
CREATIVE TEAM
Playwright: Alice Stanley Jr.; Director: Heather Lanza; Honorary Executive Producer: Adam McKay; Dramaturg: Ynika Yuag; Production Stage Manager: Sophia Menconi; Assistant Stage Manager: Melanie Kurtz; Scenic Designer: Shartoya Jn.Baptiste; Costume Designer: Imari Pyles; Lighting Designer: Hailey LaRoe; Sound Designer: Mo Oslejsek; Props Designer/Assistant Scenic Designer: Bridgette Tran; Assistant Director/Rehearsal Stage Manager: Dianna Garten; Rigger: Caleb McMurty; Scenic Painter: Sarah Usary; Scenic Carpenters: Juwan Jones, Caleb McMurty, Alex Parish, and Alan Pierce
