Frankenstein

Lily Burka is a DC-based actor and is thrilled to be working on her first production at NextStop. Select previous credits include: Keegan Theatre: Shakespeare in Love. American University: Into the Woods, The Winter's Tale, and The Birds. MC Summer Dinner Theatre: A Grand Night for Singing, and Sweet Charity. Lily recently assistant directed The Sins of Sor Juana (American University) and was the dramaturg for The Winter's Tale (American University). Lily recently graduated from American University with a double major in Psychology and Musical Theatre. www.lilyburka.com

Magdalen (Maggie, Gigi) is a recent Georgetown University alumna who majored in psychology and minored in theatre & performance studies and theology & religious studies. Though she appeared in many of Georgetown’s department shows (Georgetown University Department of Performing Arts: Speech & Debate; The Rover; Cabaret), she is grateful to be sharing her first professional theatre experience with NextStop. Magdalen would like to thank the cast and crew of Frankenstein for welcoming her with open hearts.

Alonzo (an award-winning actor & model by nature & trait, & decorated Soldier by trade) is becoming the multifaceted artist he’s destined to be. Zo is working his way to the top; starting as an extra & stand-in, in studio movie productions for Tyler Perry Studios and Paramount Pictures. With acting classes at the famous Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, GA, and formal training from Stanford University's Drama department; Zo booked prominent roles in musical and stage plays with high regards; one production being the highly acclaimed Alcatraz: Art Behind Bars performed on Alcatraz Island; and lead in the touring stage play, Lord Why Can't I Do Right?. Zo also starred in an array of independent short films—all official sections & award-winning in over twenty major film festivals combined! Zo's progressing fame also led him to numerous print and runway modeling from coast to coast; currently marked as brand ambassador for Oxford Way Tailoring and Ghostfit fitness apparel; & frequently hosting high-profile interviews & production events. This is Zo's first production at NextStop Theatre. Keep abreast on Alonzo's journey on Instagram & Twitter with the handle @Royal_Zo

Jared is a DMV based performer, educator, and producer. Jared holds an MFA in Physical Theatre from the Accademia dell’ Arte in Arezzo, Italy and a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Memphis. He is the Director of Education for the Keegan Theatre PLAY-RAH-KA program, a company member with 4615 Theatre, and has appeared on several other local stages. Previous credits in the DMV area include Keegan Theatre: N, An Irish Carol (Dec ’22); 4615 Theatre: Macbeth, Dinner, Betrayal; PG County’s Shakespeare in the Park: Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing; Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet; Olney Theatre Center/ National Players Tour 69: Othello, The Great Gatsby, Alice in Wonderland; Brave Spirits: As You Like It, The Changeling, The Duchess of Malfi; Rainbow Theatre Project: Blue Camp; Spooky Action: The Lady from the Village of Falling Flowers; Adventure: Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas (u/s); Constellation: The Master and Margarita (u/s).

Miles Hoffmann is excited to be back on stage at NextStop! He has previously appeared in numerous NextStop family and educational productions, including 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, A Christmas Carol (virtual), The Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Willy Wonka, and the Chocolate Factory, and his much lauded debut (at 18 months old) as Woodstock in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Miles would like to thank his brother (Felix) and his sister (Penny) for taking care of things around the house while he was at rehearsal. He would also like to thank Vicki for the rides home and the great (albeit brief) conversations! You can catch Miles next in Freaky Friday at NextStop this December.

Eric is thrilled to make their NextStop debut! Favorite roles include: The British Players: Noises Off (Frederick/Philip). Being Revived Theatre Company: Reefer Madness (Jack/Jesus). The Coil Project: Fiveplay (Sawyer); Fredericktowne Players: Pippin (Fastrada); Kensington Arts Theatre: Violet (Monty), Sunday in the Park with George (Soldier/Alex), Rooms: A Rock Romance (Ian - WATCH Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor), Parade (Judge Roan); Maryland Ensemble Theatre: A Clockwork Orange (Minister of the Interior/Ensemble), The Eight: Reindeer Monologues (Donner), I Am My Own Wife (Charlotte/Doug/et. al), Twelfth Night (Toby Belch), The Rocky Horror Show (Frank-N-Furter), The Legend of Georgia McBride (Rexy/Jason); Old Opera House: City of Angels (Stine); Other Voice Theatre: Driving Miss Daisy (Boolie), Avenue Q (Princeton), The Secret Garden (Dr. Craven), Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus); Rockville Musical Theatre: Dogfight (Eddie Birdlace); Silver Spring Stage: The Little Dog Laughed (Mitchell). Proud MET Company Member. They'd like to thank Evan, Stephanie, and everyone at NextStop for this opportunity, the cast and crew for a wonderful experience, and YOU for supporting live theatre! Upcoming - Maryland Ensemble Theatre: Angels in America (Louis)

Bess (she/they) is an actor and fight director in the DC region and is returning to NextStop after playing Mother and The Chief Elder in The Giver. Regional credits: Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: Merry Wives of Windsor, several Macbeths, Henry V, and Fight Director for Romeo and Juliet; Prince Goerge's Shakespeare in the Parks: Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth; Faction of Fools: Don Juan; 1st Stage: One Man, Two Guvnors. Bess holds an MFA from The Shakespeare Theater and George Washington University and teaches stage combat there with SAFD Fight Master Robb Hunter. You can see Bess' current shenanigans at thebesskayescenario.com.

Stephen Kime is excited to return for his second show at NextStop. Previous credits: NextStop Theatre: A Midsummer Night's Dream. Keegan Theatre: Shakespeare in Love. Frederick Shakespeare Festival: Romeo and Juliet, Comedy of Errors. Mosaic Theater Co.: Inherit the Windbag. Grassroots Shakespeare DC: Hamlet. Classic Theatre of Maryland: Hamlet, A Christmas Carol, Macbeth, The Secret Garden. Strand Theater Co.: Blood Countess. stephenkime.com

Maks is excited to be making his professional theater debut in Frankenstein! Maks has enjoyed theater camp at NextStop, and in Summer 2022, Maks played Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians. Maks is a 5th Grader at Oak Hill Elementary School and in his spare time, he enjoys ornithology and cooking.

Ron Ward is very excited to make his NextStop debut! Ron has performed in Maryland, DC, Virginia, Chicago, Dallas, and Ireland! Recent productions include Noises Off!, Sweat, Radium Girls, Rapture Blister Burn, The Canterbury Tales, Dr, Faustus, and The Hamilton Murders. Ron has been fortunate enough to work at Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Other Voices, Frederick Classical Theatre, Silver Spring Stage, Constellation Theatre, The Bailiwick, Jefferson Street Players, and the Folger.

Megan is a director and intimacy choreographer based in Washington, DC. Other intimacy choreography credits include: East of Eden (NextStop Theatre); Dracula (Rorschach Theatre); Smart People (George Washington University); Carrie (Catholic University); Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, Henry V, and As You Like It (Brave Spirits Theatre). Next up: directing 46 Plays for America's First Ladies at NextStop this winter. Learn more: www.megan-behm.com

Maria V. Bissex is an independent designer and owner of MVB Costumes based in McLean, VA.

NST: Puffs, Godspell, Willy Wonka, City of Angels. 2018 WATCH nominee for The Crucible (SSS) and Baskerville (GAC). DC: Midsummer Night’s Dream (Folger—stitcher); Theatre Lab summer youth programs, Clothes for a Summer Hotel (RTP), L’Enfance du Christ, Viva VERDI (IN Series); Wig Out (Studio Theatre—Wardrobe Supervisor); Crazy Mary Lincoln (PTC). Regional: Ragtime (GCT); 12 Angry Men, Macbeth (THS); The Little Mermaid, Freaky Friday (SHS), She Kills Monsters, Into the Woods, Twelfth Night (HHS), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (SP—Writer/Director). mvbcostumes.com

Stephanie (xie/hir/she/her) is a performer, activist and educator living and working on Nacotchtank/Piscataway/Manahoac land. An actress and dancer for over 20 years, Stephanie has progressively expanded her repertoire to include management, choreography, dramaturgy, design, intimacy direction, and education across the DMV. After seven years behind the bar as a House Manager at NextStop, xie is thrilled to finally be making her creative commencement with the theater, and hir directorial debut as well! Many thanks to Evan for taking a chance on a theory nerd, to Eric and Nox for their love and support, to the entire cast, crew, and production team at NextStop for their hard work and brilliance, and to her industrious prop shop team!

Jordan Friend (Composer and Sound Designer) is an NYC and DC-based performer, singer-songwriter and director. He previously appeared on NextStop's stage as Isaac in Disgraced and singing in Kosher Cabaret. Jordan is the founder of 4615 Theatre Company (2020 John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre), and has designed sound for companies including 4615, 1st Stage Tysons, Adventure Theatre, Brave Spirits Theatre. During lockdown, he composed an original musical solo show, Old Soul, and performed a virtual tour for global audiences. Jordan holds a BFA from Ithaca College, and was a Cabaret and Performance Fellow at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. He has studied songwriting with Tony-winning composer William Finn, and his music has been featured by world-renowned recording artist Ben Folds. His new single, "Chapter Two", is out now on all major platforms. Learn more at www.yourfriendjordan.com

Helen Garcia-Alton is happy to be back at NextStop after designing the Fall/Winter 2021 productions (A Familiar Melody, Turn of the Screw, Fully Committed, Every Christmas Story Ever Told). After moving back to the DMV with her MFA from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville last Spring, she has continued to forge new relationships with theatre companies and is happily living the dream with her feline familiar by her side (love to Ms. Fowly). Upcoming projects include: Morton Street Dance Company's production of The Nutcracker and How The Light Gets In with 1st Stage. helen.garcia.alton@gmail.com

Sarah Beth Hall is a freelance designer based in the greater DC area. Select design credits include: The Caretaker (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey), God of Carnage (The Cape Playhouse), The Hobbit (Adirondack Theatre Festival), Little Women (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company), Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, Listen for the Light, SuperTrue, The Fisherman’s Wife (Know Theatre), Bonnie & Clyde, Pippin, Mamma Mia! (Summer Rep Theatre Festival), Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare LIVE!), Make Way for Ducklings (Adventure Theatre), Keeper of the Realm (The Carnegie). sarahbethhalldesign.com

Evan Hoffmann is a devoted husband and the proud father of three ridiculously adorable children. In his spare time, he is also a professional actor and director who has worked extensively in the DC area, as well as nationally and internationally. At NextStop he has directed Every Christmas Story Ever Told, Matilda, Singing in the Rain, East of Eden, The Wedding Singer, Boeing Boeing, Catch Me If You Can, City of Angels, Deathtrap, The Secret Garden, Gutenberg! The Musical, Miss Electricity, Into the Woods, The 39 Steps, Caroline, or Change, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Metamorphoses. His other local professional credits include work with Signature Theatre, Ford’s Theater, Roundhouse Theatre, Imagination Stage, Olney Theatre Center, Centerstage in Baltimore, and Toby’s Dinner Theatre. Evan toured with the American Shakespeare Center, in the title role of Henry V. Evan graduated from Herndon High School and was the first recipient of the award for outstanding actor in a musical at the inaugural Washington, DC Area CAPPIE Awards. He received his bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary. In 2009, Evan was named as an International Fellow at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Please contact Evan at evan.hoffmann@nextstoptheatre.org

Casey Kaleba is an award-winning fight director who has staged movement and violence for more than five hundred productions of opera and theatre. He has taught acting, stage combat, and other courses at George Mason University, Catholic University, Shepherd University, and the University of Maryland. As a choreographer he has worked at the Washington National Opera, Spoleto Festival, Guthrie Theatre, Folger Theatre, Signature Theatre, Round House Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Olney Theatre Center; he is a company member and resident fight director with Rorschach Theatre and Brave Spirits Theatre. His work at Keegan Theatre and Constellation Theatre Company has been nominated for Helen Hayes Awards, and he spent two years as an audition choreographer for Marvel Universe Live. Casey is a proud member of the Society of American Fight Directors and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC).

Sarah Usary is happy to be back at NextStop this fall! Previous credits—She Kills Monsters (Maryland Entertainment Group); Assassins, Dracula (Cumberland Theatre); The Mountaintop, The Wolves, East of Eden (NextStop Theatre Company); The Member of the Wedding, Fly By Night, The Farnsworth Invention (ASM), and My Name is Asher Lev (1st Stage); West Side Story (SM), Newsies, Mamma Mia!, Sweeney Todd, Little Shop of Horrors, (ASM, Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre). Education—BFA Theatre Design and Production, Shenandoah University.