Meet Tomoko Azuma, Director of Development

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NextStop Insider recently caught up with our Director of Development, Tomoko Azuma, who joined our staff this past October. Get the inside scoop on Tomoko’s work, passion, and unexpected talent for steel drumming!

How did you hear about NextStop and what attracted you to working here?

I have been a Town of Herndon resident for over a decade and first heard about NextStop when it was still the Elden Street Players (prior to 2013). I was working with an arts education organization at the time and was so happy to come across such a hidden gem within my own community!

It’s hard not to notice NextStop – it has such a stellar reputation in the arts community as one of the leading professional theatre companies in our region. When I saw that there was an opportunity to work here, I grew very excited! It’s not often that you get to support such a fantastic group right here in your own community, let alone one that does such meaningful and impactful work. I can’t wait to help NextStop gain the recognition and support I feel it deserves.

What are you passionate about?

I am especially passionate about giving children and youth opportunities for deep and meaningful experiences in the arts. There is so much to gain from participating in a performing arts discipline and I truly believe that all children should have access to in-depth, creative experiences throughout their lives. It is a truly wonderful way to practice and gain important life skills: creativity, resilience, perseverance, empathy for others, and keeping an open mind to myriad voices and diverse perspectives.

What is wonderful about NextStop’s theatre education programming is that it not only teaches these great skills to students, but it does so in an engaging and fun way! I can’t wait to get my own children involved in NextStop’s Summer Theatre camp programs, although I’m not sure our teaching artists are quite prepared to handle them... :)

What have you enjoyed the most about your position to date?

Coming as I did from a classical music background, I didn’t know much about the process of creating a theatrical production (except through my experience as a pit musician for musicals). What I have found most fascinating is the behind-the-scenes process of bringing great theatre to life. So many decisions

and details are discussed and worked out in the rehearsals prior to every production that is staged here at NextStop. The finished product that the audience sees is, in my opinion, just the tip of the iceberg. All the creation that happens before the performance is what I find so interesting since that is where the art gets created and shaped!

It takes so many people to make great theatre come to life. I’ve enjoyed meeting all those people that are such critical parts of the equation – from the actors and artists themselves, our supporters and funders who help make our work possible, our audience members (without whom, we would have no art), and the young people we’ve impacted through our education programs. Everyone plays such a crucial role in the work we do!

What is something unique about you that most people don’t know?

When I was in college, I was part of a steel drum band that gigged at parties and special events! We played everything from soca (soul calypso), reggae, Jimmy Buffett, you name it! It was a ton of fun and a great way to make extra cash! I no longer play the steel drums but I do have two marimbas (which sadly get under-played these days), a piano, and a basement with a drum set and enough guitars to outfit a twelve-piece guitar ensemble. (My husband is an avid rock musician). I have performed as a percussionist throughout Israel, Austria, Germany, and Japan. I’m also a pretty extraordinary swim team volunteer (my kids love summer swim team – Go Herndon Hammerheads!) and I spend a lot of time in the summer pool-side working as a volunteer at swim meets.

To reach Tomoko, please email tomoko.azuma@nextstoptheatre.org.