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NextStop Theatre will give audiences an early look at two developing plays this spring through NextDraft, a new series built around weeklong workshops, public readings and structured feedback sessions.

The Herndon theater’s inaugural lineup pairs a dark comedy about overlooked survivors of a school shooting with a period dramedy about Black actors confronting a threat from the Ku Klux Klan.

The series begins at 7 p.m. Monday, April 13, 2026, with a public reading of Alice Stanley Jr.’s The Second Best School Shooting.

The play follows two best friends trying to process a school shooting that occurred on the same day as a deadlier attack on the wealthier side of town. Blending humor with grief, the story examines whose suffering receives recognition during a crisis.

Stanley, whose style has been described as “dark bubblegum,” has worked across theater, television, film and podcasts. She wrote and produced for Say More, the Amy Poehler-created production named one of The New York Times’ best podcasts of 2023. Her credits also include Busy Tonight and the film Moxie, along with collaborations involving Mattel, The Goodman Theatre and Chicago Dramatists.

NextDraft’s second public reading, scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, June 22, 2026, will feature Evan Carrington’s Grass Ain’t Greener.

The ensemble period dramedy centers on Black actors making one of the first all-Black talking pictures. Their differences become secondary when the Ku Klux Klan’s looming presence threatens the production, forcing the group to unite.

Carrington is a Baltimore native whose acting and writing career began after he took an improvisation class during his senior year of college. He has since worked in commercials, film, television and theater. His play Save My Black Soul recently completed a sold-out run at Laurel Mill Playhouse.

NextDraft is intended to help playwrights advance works toward production-ready drafts while allowing theatergoers to see how new plays evolve. Audience members will be able to respond to each reading through a guided feedback process.

NextStop Theatre Company is an award-winning professional theater based in Herndon, near Reston Town Center, downtown Herndon, Dulles International Airport and the Herndon Silver Line Metro station. The company presents professional productions, educational programs and work featuring local artists.