The Second Best School Shooting
The Second Best School Shooting is a U.S. premiere dark comedy by Alice Stanley Jr. about grief, friendship, and the unsettling way one tragedy can be overshadowed by another. Two best friends attempt to understand what it means to survive a school shooting while confronting the painful, absurd question of how to grieve when the wider world has already moved on.
Directed by Heather Lanza, the production features Sadie Koopman and Alexandra López, with Hope Blahusch and Megan Kempton as understudies. Adam McKay serves as honorary executive producer.
When: September 17–October 11, 2026
Venue: NextStop Theatre in Herndon, Virginia
Showtimes: The page identifies a 2 p.m. performance for the September 20 and October 4 special events but does not provide a complete performance schedule.
Tickets: Price not available. NextStop Theatre states that tickets are sold exclusively through its Ovationtix ticketing platform and should not be purchased through another service.
Playwright: Alice Stanley Jr., whose previous writing includes Moxie, Busy Tonight, The GLAAD Awards, and numerous animated Barbie episodes. The play previously had a sold-out world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe. Stanley also performs with the improvised musical Baby Wants Candy and has worked as a public school teacher, disability resource advocate, and member of The Second City.
Director: Heather Lanza, the Producing Artistic Director of NextStop Theatre. Her work centers on new-play development and original devised theater, with productions and workshops presented at venues and companies including Juilliard, HERE Arts Center, Epic Theater Ensemble, Keen Company, Waterwell, and the New York International Fringe Festival. She co-founded Making it Happen Productions and holds degrees in directing and applied theater.
Cast: Sadie Koopman plays Ava. Her credits include DreamHou$e at NextStop, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at Olney Theatre Center, and Romeo and Juliet and The Rover with the Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy.
Alexandra López plays Parker. Her regional and Washington-area work includes Honey in the Rock and Shrek at Theatre West Virginia, Next to Normal at Iron Crow Theatre, I & You: The Musical at Olney Theatre Center, and NextStop productions of Footloose, Reefer Madness, and In the Heights.
Understudies: Hope Blahusch understudies Ava. She has appeared in Guys and Dolls, The Donna Summer Musical, White Christmas, Heartbreak Hotel, Cabaret, and Kinky Boots, and is a graduate of The Catholic University of America’s musical-theater program.
Megan Kempton understudies Parker and previously participated in NextStop’s NextDraft workshop of The Second Best School Shooting. Her credits include Evil Dead the Musical, Dance Nation, Legally Blonde, and several directing and choreography projects.
Audience advisories: The production includes discussions of gun violence and self-harm, strong adult language, and shotgun sound effects.
Special events: An artist talkback with playwright Alice Stanley Jr. and director Heather Lanza follows the 2 p.m. performance on Sunday, September 20. Dramaturg Ynika Yuag facilitates the discussion.
The Sunday, September 27 matinee requires masks. Audience members should bring a mask; one will be provided if needed.
A $30 Under 40 Happy Hour begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 2. The event includes a complimentary drink.
A topical talkback follows the 2 p.m. performance on Sunday, October 4, featuring Delegates Garrett McGuire and Irene Shin, Senator Jennifer Boysko, and Payton Ziegler, Associate Director of Advocacy and Partnerships for March for Our Lives. Ynika Yuag moderates.
Run time: Not provided.
Age guidance: No specific age recommendation is provided; the production contains adult language, discussions of gun violence and self-harm, and shotgun sound effects.
Accessibility and logistics: The September 27 matinee is a mask-required performance. Additional accessibility information is not provided.