Herndon’s only professional theater company is preparing for a change in leadership.
NextStop Theatre announced yesterday (Monday) that Evan Hoffmann will step down in early July after 12 years as its producing artistic director. Hoffmann’s departure will prompt a nationwide search for his successor.
Though his last official, full-time day will be July 5, Hoffmann will continue to serve as artistic director in a part-time capacity until a replacement is appointed by NextStop’s board. The theater hopes to be able to announce a new artistic director early this fall.
He will also stay involved as director of the company’s upcoming “The Shawshank Redemption” adaptation, which will take the stage at 269 Sunset Park Drive in November.
“Evan was offered a position leading another non-profit organization,” NextStop said by email. “He felt that it was an exciting new opportunity and challenge for him and that NextStop could benefit from a new [artistic director] with fresh ideas and perspective, to lead the organization into its next phase.”
A graduate of Herndon High School, Hoffmann was appointed as NextStop’s artistic director on Jan. 1, 2013, when it was still an all-volunteer community theater group known as the Elden Street Players. With him on board, the organization adopted its current name and morphed into a professional, regional company.
More from NextStop on Hoffmann’s work:
During Evan’s tenure, NextStop produced nearly eighty full-scale productions, running the gamut from musicals to Shakespeare, children’s theater to world premiere dramas. In just over a decade, Evan employed over 1,000 artists, technicians, designers, directors, teaching artists, artisans, and arts administrators through NextStop projects and with their help reached nearly 100,000 patrons. The company has received 27 Helen Hayes nominations and has been the recipient of five awards.
Evan oversaw the creation of the company’s education initiatives, which have served thousands of Fairfax and Loudoun County students through summer camps, workshops, touring productions, completely free by-kids-for-kids productions, and master classes. His artistic vision, unwavering dedication, and leadership have been instrumental in NextStop’s growth and success.
Hoffmann, who also acts and directs, says being involved with NextStop for over 30 years has been a “dream and one of the greatest honors of my life.” Before becoming artistic director, he acted in Elden Street Players productions as a kid.
“It is still almost incomprehensible to me to imagine not coming to the theater every day. But just as I was bolstered in the beginning of this journey by the knowledge that I stood on the shoulders of so many incredible artists that first created the Elden Street Players,” he said in a press release. “I am inspired today by the knowledge that I leave the company in the capable hands of a board, colleagues, and artists who understand and share my belief that what we do is vital, is worth fighting for everyday, and is destined for even greater heights than I could have ever imagined.”
Though NextStop’s season has ended, it’s currently hosting summer classes for students, and there are a couple of events on its schedule, including an all-teen production of “Grease” in August.
The 2024-2025 season will kick off in September with “POTUS, or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive,” which will run from Sept. 26 to Oct. 20. “The Shawshank Redemption” will follow on Nov. 14 to Dec. 8, and the season will be rounded out next year by “Native Gardens” and “Chicken and Biscuits.”
The Herndon Town Council approved an extension of NextStop’s lease for storage and rehearsal space at 397 Herndon Parkway during its June 11 meeting. The nonprofit is now guaranteed access to the space until June 30, 2025.
