Auditions/Casting
NextStop Theatre Company
23/24 Season Open Call Auditions
We are so excited to be opening our doors to invite DMV-based performers to our first in-person open call since before the pandemic!
Dates: June 5-7 from 5pm to 10pm (Slots now added for June 8th, due to demand.)
Location:
NextStop Theatre
269 Sunset Park Drive
Herndon, VA 20170
Appointments:
After securing an audition slot, auditioners are asked to submit their basic information, headshot, and resume through this link.
Performers can sign up for an audition slot using the following link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0548A8AA28A4FA7-nextstop
Preparations:
Please prepare 32 bars of a contemporary musical theater song OR 16 bars of a contemporary musical theater song and 1 short monologue OR 2 contrasting short monologues. Auditions may not exceed 3 minutes. An accompanist will be provided during specified times. Please bring two copies of your headshot and resume stapled together.
NextStop Theatre is deeply committed to the never-finished work of making our organization one that is fully rooted in equity, diversity, access, and inclusion. Black, indigenous, people of color, queer, and trans individuals are strongly encouraged to audition. Furthermore, we encourage all performers who feel that they could be successful in any role, regardless of whether they meet any existing or otherwise preconceived concepts around specific roles to apply. We welcome the opportunity to have a discussion with you about how you envision bringing new vision and depth to any role.
Notes:
Individuals who are unable to secure a slot or are unavailable on the given dates may submit virtual auditions by providing a link to a video through this form for submitting headshots and resumes.All auditioners must be at least 18 years of age by August 1, 2023 in order to be considered for main stage productions at this time. NextStop will conduct auditions at a later date for yet-to-be-announced projects that will feature youth performers.
Performers who have worked with NextStop during the past few seasons are welcome to attend the open call. But they may also elect to forgo the call and instead contact casting@nextstoptheatre.org to indicate their interest in being considered for specific projects and submit their most up-to-date headshot and resume.
NextStop Theatre is a small, professional theater company. Most of the performers we work with are non-union. (Equity contracts are used on rare occassions and in special circumstances.) Productions normally rehearse for 4-5 weeks on evenings and weekends, leading up to 4-5 weekends of performances. All roles are understudied.
Please contact us at casting@nextstoptheatre.org with any questions.
Breakdown:
ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S THE 39 STEPS
Adapted by Patrick Barlow
From the novel by John Buchan
From the movie by Alfred Hitchcock
By Arrangement with Fiery Angel Limited
Directed by Evan Hoffmann
|Rehearsals Begin: August 7, 2023 (evenings/weekends)
September 8-October 8, 2023
Spy Thriller Farce
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the beginning of NextStop Theatre, we will remount the first production we ever presented! The 39 Steps is an hysterical comedy based on Alfred Hitchcock's first hit film, about an unassuming gentleman who gets swept up in the high stakes world of international espionage. Four actors play dozens of characters, in a story featuring daring escapes, speeding trains, plane crashes, and plenty of mistaken identities!
Hannay: The archetypal leading man. Good looking and suave.
Annabel/Margaret/Pamela: Annabel is a mysterious alluring German spy; Margaret is young, shy, sheltered, British wife of an older country farmer; Pamela is our spunky, independent, and young British heroine.
Clown 1: The clowns will play dozens of characters with accents ranging from High London to country
Clown 2: The clowns will play dozens of characters with accents ranging from High London to country
RIDE THE CYCLONE
Book, Music & Lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell
Directed by Megan Bunn
October 27-November 26, 2023
A Modern Cult Musical
In this hilarious and outlandish story, the lives of six teenagers from a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other — the chance to return to life. This popular musical is a funny, moving look at what makes a life well-lived!
Karnak: The narrator. A mechanical fortune-telling machine.
Ocean: A competitive over-achiever who struggles to put others before herself.
Constance: The secretly self-loathing “nicest girl in town” who allows herself to be used as a doormat.
Jane Doe: A mystery and a bit creepy. A decapitated girl who is unsure of her true identity. The trauma of the accident leaves her discombobulated and removed
Noel: Intellectual with a biting wit who has developed a nihilistic attitude due to the loneliness of being the only gay kid in his small town.
Misha: Adopted from Ukraine as a teenager, he has a thick Ukrainian dialect and a lot of rage.
Ricky: A cat-lover born with a degenerative disease that left him speechless and mostly immobile who developed a rich fantasy life to retreat into.
NUNSENSE A-MEN!
By Dan Goggin
Directed by Andrew Regiec
January 12-February 18, 2024
A Heavenly Musical Comedy
Five misfit nuns from the Little Sisters of Hoboken convent are trying to put on a variety show to raise money to bury sisters accidentally poisoned by the convent cook. The show is filled with zany characters, outrageous costumes, and plenty of laughs. In this version of the show, all five nuns are portrayed by drag performers, because sometimes we need to be reminded that gender is a construct and drag is an art form!
Mother Superior: A feisty Sophie Tucker-type who can’t resist the spotlight.
Sister Mary Hubert: The second in command; always competing with Mother Superior.
Sister Mary Robert Ann: A streetwise tough character from Brooklyn; a consistent source of aggravation for Mother Superior.
Sister Mary Amnesia: This nun lost her memory after a crucifix fell on her head; is very sweet.
Sister Mary Leo: The novice who has entered the convent with the firm desire to become the first nun ballerina.
SCHOOL GIRLS; OR THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY
By Jocelyn Bioh
Directed by Rikki Howie
March 8-31, 2024
A Modern Comedy
Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Global Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter—and Paulina’s hive-minded friends. This buoyant and biting comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe.
Paulina: The classic mean teen queen of the school.
Ama: The sensible, smart one of the popular group. She’s grounded, highly intelligent and mature for her age.
Gifty: Loves being part of the popular group and will do anything to be considered cool.
Erika: A new transfer student from America who is smart, kind, beautiful and instantly popular.
Nana: Sensitive, insecure, and easily manipulated. The simple pseudo dumb one of Paulina’s pack.
Mercury: The witty sidekick to Gifty who will do and say anything to stay a member of the popular group.
Headmistress Francis: Highly intelligent, patient and thoughtful. A good educator that wants what’s best for her students.
Eloise Amponsah: Extremely poised and well-mannered. The former Miss Ghana 1976, now a recruiter for the Miss Ghana Pageant
REEFER MADNESS
Book by Kevin Murphy & Dan Studney
Music by Dan Studney
Lyrics by Kevin Murphy
Directed by Robert Mintz
May 3-June 2, 2024
A Musical Satire
A musical comedy based on the 1936 film of the same name. It tells the story of a wholesome group of all-American teenagers who fall victim to the dangers of the drug menace...MARIJUANA!!!, and their parents' efforts to save them. The musical features a catchy yet tongue-in-cheek score that reflects the campy nature of the film.
The Lecturer: An authority figure who warns parents of the dangers of "Reefer Madness." An accomplished liar; appealing and approachable in demeanor, with a hidden perversion.
Jimmy Harper: An upstanding American boy, until he falls victim to the demon weed. Naïve, sweet and a little thick.
Mary Lane: A wholesome high-schooler, until the Demon Weed comes between her and her reefer-addled sweetheart. Steadfastly devoted and innocent until her first puff of reefer unleashes a dangerous sexuality.
Jack: A menace in a sexy package. A flashy, charismatic pusher of reefer on unsuspecting teenagers.
Mae: A fallen woman, the mistress of the Reefer Den. She has a hidden morality underneath a seemingly hardened exterior.
Ralph: A junkie who will do anything to get his next fix.
Sally: Lives her life looking for her next fix and is very free with her sexuality and morality.
Placard Girl: Throughout the play she reinforces the warnings of the Lecturer by holding large signs that clearly state the moral of what we've just seen.
Ensemble: Mixed gender group to represent Reefer Zombies, Kids at the Five-and-Dime, Jungle Orgy dancers, Angels, and patriotic background chorus in the Star-Spangled finale.
NextStop accepts unsolicited headshots and resumes throughout the year at casting@nextstoptheatre.org.