NextStop's Season Concludes with Tony-Winning Musical Once
NextStop Theatre closes its 2025/26 season with the award-winning musical Once, a tender love story performed with all music played live by the cast, directed by Producing Artistic Director Heather Lanza.
This production marks the final chapter in Lanza’s first fully programmed season at NextStop Theatre. Lanza joined the company in fall 2024, and this production brings her inaugural artistic vision to a close with a piece that celebrates connection and collaboration.
Winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, Once is based on the acclaimed film of the same name and features a Grammy-winning score and the Oscar-winning song “Falling Slowly.” It remains the only musical to have music recognized with an Academy Award, Grammy Award, Olivier Award, and Tony Award, an extraordinary sweep that reflects its enduring emotional impact.
Set on the streets of Dublin, Once follows an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant who meet by chance and discover a shared passion for music. Over the course of one life-changing week, their creative partnership deepens into something more, revealing how fleeting moments can reshape an entire future. Performed by a multi-talented ensemble of actor-musicians, the production places instruments directly in the hands of the cast, creating an intimate, immediate theatrical experience.
“This piece feels like the perfect ending to a season about new beginnings,” says Lanza. “It’s about what happens when you take a leap, artistically, emotionally, or otherwise, and trust that something meaningful will meet you on the other side.”
The cast features Carter Crosby as Guy (NextStop’s Ride the Cyclone) and Emily Erickson as Girl (Studio’s People, Places & Things). Rounding out the ensemble is Jeremy Allen Crawford (NextStop’s Footloose), Ricky Drummond (NextStop’s The Wedding Singer), Amber Gibson (NextStop’s Snow White), Sally Imbriano (NextStop’s Lucky Stiff), Jared Kirschenbaum (Imagination Stage’s New Kid), Ari Post (Olney’s Appropriate), Vivian Smith (NextStop’s Under the Tree), Anna Tyrrell (Adventure Theatre’s Willy Wonka), Colin Villacorte (Avant Bard’s Overcoming Orion), Faith Wang (Rockville Musical Theatre’s Urinetown), and David Weinraub (Dominion Stage’s Xanadu). Lucky Marino and Mira Rose Morris support the production as understudies.
The creative team consists of Paige Rammelkamp as musical director, Rex Daugherty and Robert Bowen Smith as co-choreographers, Dianna Garten as assistant director, August Henney as scenic designer, Imari Pyles as costume designer, Hailey LaRoe as lighting and projections designer, Justin Schmitz as sound designer, and Bridgette Tran as props designer. The production is supported by Sam Rollin as stage manager, Jen Rabbitt Ring as dialect coach, Lindsey R. Barr as dramaturg, Andres Jovel as assistant stage manager, and Sean Gotkin as A1 sound mixer.