When Lightning Strikes! - podcast cover

When Lightning Strikes!

Broadway Podcast Networkbroadwaypodcastnetwork.com
Broadway’s top talents reveal their lightning bolt moments that set them on the course of their dreams. When Lightning Strikes! Is hosted by Forbes.com and Parade.com contributor Jeryl Brunner. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” - Mark Twain We’ve all had it. Eureka! Your proverbial lightbulb goes off. The heavens open. The seas part. That wondrous, heart thumping, tingly, glorious mic drop moment when you realized what you were meant to do. No matter what it took. Lightning has struck! And from then on nothing is ever, ever the same. Host Jeryl Brunner presents candid, sometimes soul-baring, often funny chats with actors, writers, producers, directors and creatives as they lay down their THIS IS IT! discoveries about why they do what they do and what led them into theater. Learn more about Jeryl at @jeryl_brunner or www.jerylbrunner.com." When Lightning Strikes" theme song by Tom McGovern. Producer and talent booker: Anna Strout. Part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Episodes

#91 - Carey Renee Sharpe

Carey Renee Sharpe stars in Blood/Love , a vampire pop opera she also wrote. Now playing Off-Broadway at Theater 555, Blood/Love was co-written by Dru DeCaro, features choreography by Natalie Malotke, and Dancing with the Stars pros Jonathan and Oksana Platero, and was directed by Hunter Bird. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 05, 202623 min

#90 - Society Theatre Company Founders And 'Entangled' Playwrights Mona Mansour and Emily Zemba

Prolific playwrights Mona Mansour and Emily Zemba recently debuted Entangled: 12 Scenes in a Circle K off the I-40 in New Mexico . The play, which was directed by Scott Ilingworth, premiered at HERE Arts Center and is presented by SOCIETY Theatre Company. SOCIETY is a collective of theatre makers creating new research-driven, radically collaborative works. This episode was recorded March 23, 2026. Read the New York Times piece about quantum entanglement, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/10/scienc...

Mar 25, 202638 min

#89 - Kit Buchan and Jim Barne, writers of Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York

Kit Buchan and Jim Barne wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the New York Times Critic’s Pick musical T wo Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) , currently running on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre. The longtime collaborators are known for their witty, contemporary storytelling and catchy, character-driven scores, that bring a fresh, modern voice to musical theater. Audiences will soon be able to experience their music beyond the theater when the show’s cast album is released on March 20...

Mar 21, 202632 min

#88 - The Monsters cast and creative team

Writer/director Ngozi Anyanwu says that her play The Monsters is “a love letter to strong bodies, soft hearts.” Now playing at Manhattan Theatre Club, this intimate production is also a riveting sibling love story about what it takes to reconnect, forgive, and truly confront your inner demons. The Monsters cast members Okieriete “Oak” Onaodowan and Aigner Mizzelle, along with Anyanwu, choreographer Rickey Tripp, and MMA consultant Sijara Eubanks, share insights about the show’s mixed martial art...

Mar 10, 202625 min

#87 - Andréa Burns

Andréa Burns is a beloved Broadway star whose many credits include In the Heights, The Notebook, On Your Feet!, Dear World, The Light in the Piazza, Songs for a New World , West Side Story , and more. She is currently starring as Diane in Come from Away at Paper Mill Playhouse . This episode was recorded February 20, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Feb 21, 202626 min

#86 - Heather Christie

Heather Christie created and hosts LoveNotes! The storytelling event also inspired Heather's popular book of the same name. LoveNotes! mines all kinds of love stories, including first love, last love and all the messy love in-between. This Valentine's Day, on February 14th, LoveNotes! returns to New York and will be performed for three special shows at Symphony Space. LoveNotes! has also been seen in in cities across the country and is currently expanding to other markets. This episode was recor...

Feb 12, 202623 min

#85 - Linus Karp and Joseph Martin

Linus Karp and Joseph Martin are actors, writers, and theater makers. They created Awkward Productions to bring ridiculous genre-mixing comedy, niche pop culture references, audience participation, and queer joy to the stage. Their shows include Gwyneth Goes Skiing, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story , The Fit Prince , and How to Live a Jellicle Life: Life Lessons from the 2019 Hit Musical 'Cats.' These shows have all been performed for sold-out audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe. As they say, "A...

Jan 14, 202634 min

#84 - Samuel D. Hunter

Samuel D. Hunter is a playwright and screenwriter whose work includes the critically acclaimed play The Whale and its Oscar-winning film adaptation. This past fall he made his West End debut with Clarkston, and he is currently making his Broadway debut with Little Bear Ridge Road at the Booth Theatre. Drawing deeply from his upbringing in Idaho, Samuel's work, including the plays A Case for the Existence of God , A Bright New Boise , and Greater Clements , is celebrated for its humanity, humor, ...

Dec 17, 202530 min

#83 - Crystal Skillman

Crystal Skillman is an award-winning dramatist. Her play Open , which was awarded a New York Times Critics’ Pick, has been running Off-Broadway at WP Theater through July. Her next play, The Rocket Men , is about to receive a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere across the country. This episode was recorded on July 25, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Jul 26, 202531 min

#82 - Jak Malone

Jak Malone co-stars in the hit new musical, Operation Mincemeat , which is nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Musical and a nomination for Jak. He also received Oliver, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for his show-stopping performance as Hester Leggatt and other characters. Operation Mincemeat is based on the unlikely, but completely true, story of how during WW2 the allies deceived the Nazi's by attaching fake war-plan documents to a corpse and washing him up on the shore...

Jun 02, 202543 min

#81 - Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed and co-stars in A Real Pain . In the film two mismatched cousins embark on a Holocaust tour through Poland to understand the history of their late grandmother who is a Holocaust survivor. It's a beautiful, honest, poetic and hilarious film that is listed as one of the ten best movies of 2024 by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times , and the National Board of Review . As Owen Gleiberman wrote in Variety "Eisenberg has scripted with an ear for the music of ideas an...

Feb 26, 202532 min

#80 - Susan Jaffe

Susan Jaffe is the artistic director of American Ballet Theater. Called “America’s quintessential American ballerina," and “born to dance,” by the New York Times , Susan was a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre. She performed on stages around the world for 22 years. This summer American Ballet Theatre celebrates its 85th anniversary at the Metropolitan Opera House. Their anniversary season also marks 30 years of ABT Studio Company and two decades of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Sc...

Feb 07, 202532 minEp. 80

#79 - Jenny Lyn Bader

Jenny Lyn Bader is a prolific playwright whose stage plays include None of the Above, Equally Divine: The Real Story of the Mona Lisa, In Flight , and The Whole Megillah . She also wrote the audio works Tree Confessions and Communal Table . Jenny Lyn's play, Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library , produced by Luna Stage, is currently presented off-Broadway at the WP Theater . This episode was recorded December 23, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Jan 09, 202535 minEp. 48

#78 - Daniel Roy

Daniel Roy is a magician and mentalist who has headlined at the Hollywood Magic Castle , appeared on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and performed throughout the country. In his latest show, T he Parlour of Deceptions , he intertwines sleight-of-hand, misdirection, and storytelling before an intimate crowd of 50 guests. Using his neuroscience degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Roy provides a peek behind the curtain into how magic tricks the brain. The Parlour of Deceptions is currently playi...

Dec 21, 202435 minEp. 78

#77 - Shanda Sawyer

Shanda Sawyer is a prolific director, choreographer and executive producer. She has directed shows for Marvel, FOX, ABC, Disney, and Comedy Central. Her work has garnered many awards, including two Emmys, a Gracie and a Peabody. Most recently she has been the creative director of the 2024 Big Apple Circus show, Hometown Playground , now playing through January 5, 2025. This episode was recorded December 6, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Dec 11, 202424 minEp. 77

#76 - Rachel Routh and Andrew Lippa

The Dramatists Guild Foundation or DGF is a nonprofit devoted to American theater. For more than six decades they have supported writers at all stages of their careers. DGF offers grants, free spaces to create new works and emergency aid for immediate support. On the show is Rachel Routh is DGF's executive director and DGF's president, writer/composer Andrew Lippa. In 2024, DGF received a 2024 Tony Honors for Excellence in the theater. On October 28 DFG will have its gala , hosted by Amber Ruffi...

Oct 12, 202430 minEp. 76

#75 - April Ortiz

April Ortiz is a prolific actress who has performed on Broadway, off Broadway in film and television. She currently stars in the musical Empire at New World Stages. Just a few of April’s other credits include In the Heights, Cats, Between 2 Knees, Uncoupled, Fosse/Verdon, The Golden Girls, Elementary, Everybody Loves Raymond, Mad About You and on and on. This episode was recorded on August 8, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Aug 21, 202432 minEp. 75

#74 - Matthew August Jeffers

Matthew August Jeffers currently stars in An Enemy of the People now playing at Circle In the Square Theatre. A prolific actor, some of his other credits include Richard III at the Delacorte Theater, the film Unidentified Objects and the TV shows New Amsterdam, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Walking Dead . This episode was recorded on April 5, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

May 06, 202439 minEp. 74

#73 - Bobby Conte

Bobby Conte currently plays Cousin Kevin in The Who’s Tommy on Broadway. Some of his other theater credits include Company, A Bronx Tale, My Fair Lady, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Starting Here, Starting Now and A Comedy of Tenors . This episode was recorded on April 9, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 22, 202440 minEp. 73

#72 - Lee Sunday Evans

A two-time Obie Award-winning director and choreographer, Lee Sunday Evans is the Artistic Director of Waterwell. She recently directed The Poisoner , currently playing at La MaMa. Some of Lee's other credits include Oratorio for Living Things, Dance Nation, the Courtroom, Sunday, In the Green, Miller, Mississippi, Home and Porto . Lee is also directing the Broadway-bound musical adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time . This episode was recorded April 12, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

Apr 18, 202427 minEp. 72

#71 - Brian d'Arcy James

In this episode When Lightning Strikes! goes on location to the theater at Studio 54. Jeryl Brunner talks to Brian d’Arcy James who currently stars in Days of Wine and Roses with Kelli O'Hara. Adapted from the 1962 film and original 1958 teleplay by J.P. Miller, this new musical features a book by Craig Lucas, Adam Guettel's music and lyrics and direction by Michael Greif. In this extensive conversation Brian talks about the epic journey to bring Days of Wine and Roses to the stage and why the s...

Mar 06, 202444 minEp. 71

#70 - Patrick Page

A Broadway and off-Broadway veteran who has starred in dozens of productions, Patrick Page is currently performing in the hit play All the Devils Are Here at the DR2 Theatre. Directed by Simon Godwin, this riveting show explores Shakespeare's most fascinating villains. A Tony nominee for his portrayal of Hades in Hadestown , some of Patrick's other credits include Saint Joan, Casa Valentina, A Time to Kill, Spring Awakening, Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, A Man for All Seasons, Julius Caesar, The...

Feb 26, 202429 minEp. 70

#69 - Sheryl Kaller and Sean Daniels

Sean Daniels and Sheryl Kaller are some of the forces behind The White Chip , the hit autobiographical comedy currently playing at MCC Theater . Daniels, who wrote the White Chip, is a prolific theatermaker who leads The Recovery Project for Florida Studio Theatre. The Recovery Project commissions new works that destigmatizes recovery. The White Chip's director, Sheryl Kaller, has directed on and off Broadway. Some of her credits include Next Fall , for which she was nominated for a Tony and Mot...

Feb 22, 202436 minEp. 69

#68 - Warren Carlyle

Warren Carlyle is a Tony winning and Emmy nominated Director and Choreographer. Most recently he directed and choreographed the musical Harmony, now playing on Broadway. Just a few of his other credits include After Midnight, Chaplin, Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway, Finian’s Rainbow, A Tale of Two Cities, Kiss Me Kate, The Music Man, Hello, Dolly!, She Loves Me, On The 20th Century, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood, A Christmas Story, Stephen Sondheim’s Follies and more! This episode was recorded on D...

Dec 18, 202333 minEp. 68

#67 - Marty LaSalle

Marty LaSalle is the CEO of the Big Apple Circus . Their latest show, Journey to the Rainbow , created in collaboration with Circus-Theater Roncalli, is now playing at Lincoln Center through January 1. This episode was recorded on November 21, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 04, 202338 minEp. 67

#66 - Zalmen Mlotek & Avram Mlotek

Zalmen Mlotek is the Artistic Director of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. He and his son, Avram Mlotek are the forces behind Amid Falling Walls: Unveiling Resilience and Hope During the Holocaust . Arranged by Zalmen with a libretto by Avram Mlotek, this Off-Broadway production presents songs created and performed in ghettos, cabarets, concentration camps, and theaters. The musical is currently playing at the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene at The Museum of Jewish Heritage. This epi...

Dec 01, 202331 minEp. 66

#65 - Sade Lythcott

Sade Lythcott is a Tony and Emmy-nominated producer and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Black Theatre. Founded in 1968, by her mother Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, National Black Theatre is the nation’s first revenue-generating Black arts complex. National Black Theatre, also called NBT, is one of the longest-running theaters by a woman of color. Most recently, National Black Theatre co-produced Fat Ham and Purlie Victorious on Broadway and (Pray) off-Broadway. All three shows have been New ...

Nov 20, 202348 minEp. 65

#64 - Leigh Silverman

A prolific director on Broadway and off, some of Leigh Silverman's credits include Violet, Grand Horizons, The Lifespan of a Fact, Chinglish, Well, SUFFS, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Soft Power, Sandra, Hurricane Diane,The Wild Party and Really Rosie . A Tony award nominee, Leigh has directed over 60 world premieres and musicals. Her latest show, Merry Me , is now playing at New York Theatre Workshop. Leigh will soon be reuniting with Billy Crudup directing him in t...

Nov 07, 202331 minEp. 64

#63 - Alex Michaels

Fresh off of their appearance on RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars Season 8 , Alex Michaels, also known as Alexis Michelle, has had a hit cabaret show at Joe’s Pub and appeared at Disney’s Gay Days in Anaheim . An accomplished theater performer, Alex appeared off-Broadway and in tours of Big Apple Circus, Field of Mars, Chapter One, Hair, Little Shop of Horrors and Oklahoma! In addition to their album "Lovefool" on Broadway records, Alex also has a series of music releases including, "If You Want My ...

Oct 23, 202345 minEp. 63

#62 - Andrea Syglowski

Andrea Syglowski is a riveting actress who has thrived on stage in film and TV. Just a few of Andrea's credits include Pass Over, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven, Queens. Lost in Yonkers. Venus in Fur, A Doll’s House and Dear Elizabeth . Andrea currently stars in the hit play Dig by Theresa Rebeck. Presented by Primary Stages, Dig is playing at 59e59 Theaters. This episode was recorded on October 3, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Oct 09, 202336 minEp. 62
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