Freaky Friday

KJ Moran Velz is a New England-grown playwright, performer, director, and educator now based in Alexandria, VA with her wife, dog, and cats. Her work has been performed at the Kennedy Center, Imagination Stage, Flying V, Rorschach Theatre, Adventure Theatre MTC, and Theater Alliance. In addition to her work as a teaching artist at Young Playwrights’ Theater and Imagination Stage, she serves as Director of After School Programming at Educational Theatre Company, an organization that offers process-driven theatre arts programming for students ages 3-103 in Northern Virginia. She studied Spanish and Theater and Performance Studies at Georgetown University, and she aspires to continue cultivating a playwriting and educating practice steeped in empathy, compassion, and connection for kids and adults alike. She would like to dedicate this piece to her mother, Andrea Moran - for all the times I would “fight and fuss when my joy was all she was after.” Thanks for everything, Mom. I love you!

Sally Imbriano is a DC based actor, teacher and composer. You’ve seen her in Lucky Stiff and Matilda (Nextstop Theatre Company); Always…Patsy Cline, Disenchanted (Creative Cauldron); Heartland (Pipeline Playwrights); among other projects with The Kennedy Center, Adventure Theatre MTC, Imagination Stage and Keegan Theatre. She loves workshopping new musicals and is currently writing a new score, Me Myself and I(magination) with her writing partner, Michelle Lynch. Up next is a solo show: Songs for a Winter’s Night at Creative Cauldron, Dec 21. MA Musical Theatre (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama), Bachelor of Music/Science (The University of New South Wales Australia). Sallyimbriano.com / @sallyimbriano

Carolyn Burke is excited to be returning to NextStop to choreograph Freaky Friday! Past dir./choreo. credits: Guys and Dolls, Legally Blonde, Bye Bye Birdie, The Boyfriend, High School Musical (to name a few). Acting credits: NextStop Theatre, VA: Singin' in the Rain, Catch Me if You Can, Lucky Stiff, Shrek. Wedding Singer, City of Angels. Creative Cauldron, VA: And the World Goes 'Round. CT: Ivoryton Playhouse, Connecticut Repertory Theater, Playhouse on Park. Training: Stella Adler Studio of Acting, NYC, University of Connecticut, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. carolynburkeactor.com IG:@carolynburke21

Katie is excited to be designing for Next stop again, having designed Pride and Prejudice and Puffs previously. Katie has designed for Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (company member), Peabody Opera Theatre, Rorschach Theatre (company member), Word Dance, Taffety Punk, The Welders, Loyola University, Catholic University of America, and Keegan Theatre, among others. Katie is Director of Development and Curriculum Development and a proud Teaching Artist for Educational Theatre Company and a recipient of the “40 Under 40” award from Arlington Leadership Center for Excellence.

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

Jessica Utz is a DC based Costume Designer and this is her second production at NextStop. THEATRE- (NextStop) Lucky Stiff: (Ally Theatre) Rasheeda Speaking, Welcome to Sis's, Dhana and the Rosebuds: FILM- Buriel (2020 Short Film).

Janelle is a recent college graduate from Radford University who studied theatre and American Sign Language. She is originally from Manassas and is excited to be a part of theatre in the Northern Virginia area once again. She has worked as a designer in Sound (The Drowsy Chaperone, the Kushner Plays) Scenic (Recent Tragic Events) and Media (The Liar). She also has been a scenic artist (Georgia Mae James Unplugs America), audio engineer (When She had Wings) and a props master (Gruesome Playground Injuries, Gidion's Knot) She wishes to thank the director, the cast, and the crew for their dedication as well as her family, and friends for their support.

Sofia (she/they) is honored to be back working with NextStop, this time as SM! She is one of a few William & Mary Theatre alums in the NextStop community, and most recently was the Properties Designer for NextStop's spring production of Lucky Stiff. When they aren't working in the DMV theatre scene, Sofia spends most of their time working in cosmetics/pursuing makeup artistry.