A LOVE STORY, A WAR STORY, A SPIRITUAL QUEST MUSICAL Into the most divided nation in human history, India in the 1940’s, comes an American pacifist and idealist. Thomas Anderson became a Red Cross medic so he could be be saving lives, not taking them, but in the horrific jungle war in Burma, Tom betrays his pacifist vow never to kill. Unable to bring himself to return home in shame to the woman he loves, Thomas meets a charismatic Indian doctor and spiritual teacher. Doctor Thakur tries to inspire a reawakening of the compassionate heart that once beat in Thomas by inviting him to join in his humanitarian work of caring for the sick and hungry during the “Great Famine of Bengal” in 1943. To follow Doctor Thakur’s path, Tom will have to leave behind the world he knew. When his fiancé Julia shockingly arrives in India to try to bring him back to The States, they are both challenged to learn great lessons of sacrifice and unconditional love.

The Next Step Theatre Festival began with a simple “what if” conversation.

What if a few writers joined forces to share the costs of mounting a show in NYC? What if we supported each other—not just financially, but creatively too? Would anyone be interested?

The question went out through writers’ groups, theatre chat rooms, and email chains. The response was immediate: Yes, we need this. Yes, let’s do it.

What started as a “what if” quickly grew into something much bigger—a festival fueled by writers supporting writers, each one ready to take the next step together.

And so, the Next Step Theatre Festival was born.

Today, it features 15 writers and 34 performances—a true testament to what happens when artists lift each other up.