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When Lightning Strikes!

Broadway Podcast Network

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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September 9 · 35 min
#110 - Jonathan Judge-Russo
Jonathan Judge-Russo is a prolific actor and producer. He is currently starring in the Off-Broadway musical Music City at St. Luke's Theatre. A true multi-hyphenate, as a producer he is also developing a plethora of film and television projects. As the founding artistic director of Animus Theatre Company, he has produced more than 50 plays, musicals, festivals, and readings since its launch in 2011. This episode was recorded August 26, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 6 · 25 min
#109 - Max Clayton
Max Clayton stars in the hit musical Schmigadoon!, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Clayton, plays dashing Danny Bailey in the show. He was honored with the Chita Rivera Award along with Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for his riveting and showstopping performance. His other stage credits include Chicago, The Music Man, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Hello, Dolly!, Pretty Woman, Bandstand, Something Rotten!, On the Town, Gigi, A Chorus Line and more. On screen, he can be seen in Kiss of the Spider Woman, White Noise, and Dear Edward. Schmigadoon's original cast recording will be released on August 21 in partnership with Joy Machine Records and will include the entire Tony Award-winning score and orchestrations. This episode was recorded on July 22, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 3 · 33 min
#108 - Neyla Pekarek
Neyla Pekarek is a two-time Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter, cellist, and former member of The Lumineers. Currently she is channeling her gift for storytelling into original stage musicals, including "Rattlesnake Kate" and her newest work, "The Queen of Magic." Now on Joy Machine records, "The Queen of Magic" album is inspired by the remarkable life of pioneering magician Adelaide Herrmann. A contemporary of Harry Houdini, Adelaide transformed the world of magic by reinventing the traditional 19th-century magic show into the dazzling theatrical spectacle audiences know today. In August 2026, Neyla celebrates "The Queen of Magic" with a special “Vaudevillian Extravaganza,” featuring curiosities and amusements from special guests, in New York at The Green Room 42 on Thursday, August 13 and at The Cat’s Crawl Los Angeles on Thursday, August 27. Neyla will also perform a solo concert at Theatre SilCo in Silverthorne, Colorado on Sunday, August 23. Learn more at neylapekarek.com. This episode was recorded on July 16, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 23 · 34 min
#107 - Maryann Plunkett
Maryann Plunkett can currently be seen in Erica Murray’s The Loved Ones at Irish Repertory Theatre. A Tony Award winner for Me and My Girl, she earned a second Tony nomination for her performance in The Notebook. Over her four-decade career, she has delivered acclaimed performances in countless productions, including Agnes of God, Sunday in the Park with George, The Seagull, Saint Joan, Richard Nelson's Rhinebeck Panorama, and many others. Her film and television work includes Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Manifest, and Dr. Death. She and her equally brilliant husband Jay O. Sanders were jointly awarded a Special Citation for Lifetime Achievement by the New York Drama Critics Circle. This episode was recorded July 20, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 27 · 34 min
#106 - Adrienne Campbell-Holt
Adrienne Campbell-Holt is an director, choreographer, and the founding artistic director of Colt Coeur. Known to champion bold new plays and innovative artists, her newest production, Camping, by Victoria Lynne Barclay is currently playing at HERE Arts Center. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 27 · 29 min
#105 - Todd Almond
Todd Almond is an actor, songwriter, and playwright currently performing his riveting show I'm Almost There at BAM Fisher. His many credits include the Bob Dylan musical Girl from the North Country and the HBO series Gossip Girl. He also wrote three Public Works musicals for the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, is currently the orchestrator and music supervisor on Girl Interrupted and has collaborated with countless artists, including Martyna Majok, Aimee Mann, Laura Benanti, Sarah Ruhl, Courtney Love, Judy Kuhn, Kelli O'Hara, and Andrew Rannells. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 19 · 16 min
#104 - Eisa Davis
Eisa Davis is playwright, actress, and singer-songwriter. A Pulitizer Prize finalist, she is the co-creator of the "Warriors" concept album with Lin-Manuel Miranda. And her previous works include the plays Bulrusher and Angela's Mixtape. Her newest play Girls Chance Music, made its world premiere at the Vineyard Theatre and is playing there until June 21. On the first day of rehearsal, Eisa sat down to talk about the production, which was inspired by the music school she attended in Berkeley, and how that experience helped shape her in seismic ways. This episode was recorded April 29, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 10 · 27 min
#103 - Michael Schelp and Dr. Alan Younkin
Filmmakers and spouses Michael Schelp and Dr. Alan Younkin created the documentary Iowa Vet: Dogs, Cats, Corn, & Murder, which chronicles Dr. Younkin’s journey from his childhood on his family’s historic Iowa farm to building a successful animal hospital, while navigating the twists and challenges that helped shape his life. The film is currently playing at Cinema Village in Manhattan, with screenings running through June 18. Visit www.IowaVet.net for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 2 · 30 min
#102 - Tim Jackson
Tim Jackson is a prolific Tony-nominated director and choreographer whose work includes Broadway, the West End, film and television. He developed, directed, and choreographed Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York), now playing on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre. The show has been nominated for eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction for Tim. His credits also include Dylan Mulvaney’s The Least Problematic Woman In The World, the Tony–winning revival of Merrily We Roll Along, and Something Rotten which opens at the Manchester Opera House on June 16th. This interview was recorded on June 1, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 29 · 29 min
#101 - Marianna Gailus
Marianna Gailus currently stars in New Born opposite Hugh Jackman and Sepideh Moafi at Minetta Lane Theatre. Directed by Ian Rickson, the play is presented by Audible Theater and TOGETHER, the theatrical partnership led by Sonia Friedman and Hugh Jackman. The company is devoted to creating affordable, intimate, actor-driven storytelling. A graduate of Yale University and Juilliard, Marianna’s theater credits include Hedda Gabler, Sylvia, Sylvia, Sylvia, and Vanya, in which she understudied Andrew Scott. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 21 · 34 min
#100 - Kathryn Grody
Kathryn Grody is an actor, writer, and producer whose work spans Broadway, Off Broadway, film, and television. Her solo shows blend humor, vulnerability, sharp cultural observation, and deeply personal storytelling. Kathryn’s current play, The Unexpected 3rd: A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive, directed by Timothy Near, is part of the In The Bricks Festival at New York Theatre Workshop. The repertory series features original solo performances by a wide range of artists including Liza Jessie Peterson (The Peculiar Patriot), Leslie Ayvazian (Mention My Beauty), Chris Grace (Sardines (A Comedy About Death)), and Alaa Shehada (The Horse of Jenin). This episode was recorded on May 20, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 13 · 27 min
#99 - Sam Tutty
Sam Tutty stars with Christiani Pitts in the hit Broadway musical Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). This romantic comedy was nominated for eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Leading Actor for Sam, who makes his Broadway debut in the show. His other credits include Dear Evan Hansen on the West End, which earned him an Olivier Award for his performance as Evan Hansen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 5 · 31 min
#98 - Geraldine Hughes
Geraldine Hughes currently stars opposite Matthew Broderick and Max Baker in David Ireland's play Ulster American at Irish Repertory Theatre. Her theater credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Jerusalem, Cyrano de Bergerac, Molly Sweeney, and Translations. Geraldine also received multiple awards for writing and performing her solo play Belfast Blues. On screen, her work includes Tokyo Vice, Your Honor, The Blacklist, and Gran Torino. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 30 · 35 min
#97 - Maria-Christina Oliveras
Maria-Christina Oliveras is currently starring on Broadway in Manhattan Theatre Club’s The Balusters at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. A versatile performer and Drama Desk nominee, her theater credits include Between Riverside and Crazy, Amélie, Machinal, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Hadestown, Cymbeline, Here Lies Love, and more. On screen, she has appeared in Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, and Law & Order: SVU, and she will soon be seen in the upcoming film Vivien & the Florist and Mindy Kaling’s next television series, Not Suitable for Work. This episode was recorded on April 28, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 27 · 27 min
#96 - Zora Howard
Zora Howard is a playwright, performer, and director whose work has established her as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary theater. Her plays include Stew, (a Pulitzer Prize finalist), Hang Time, Bust, The Masters' Tools, Your Adaptation Of Antigone, and The Motions. She was recently honored with the 2025 Steinberg Playwright Award, which recognizes her outstanding achievement and artistic excellence in illuminating American theater. This episode was recorded on April 16, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 24 · 29 min
#95 - Hannah Cruz
Hannah Cruz currently stars opposite Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele, and Nicholas Christopher in Chess on Broadway, directed by Michael Mayer. Her other credits include her Broadway debut in Suffs, standout roles in Only Gold and The Connector, the Peacock TV series The Copenhagen Test, and Richard Linklater's upcoming film, Merrily We Roll Along. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 20 · 25 min
#94 - Nicole Travolta
Nicole Travolta is an actor and writer whose TV credits include recurring roles on Anger Management, Two and a Half Men, and,The Middle. She wrote and stars in her solo show Nicole Travolta Is Doing Alright, where she shares her Hollywood dreams—alongside her struggles with compulsive shopping, credit card debt, and the pressure of having a famous last name. After runs in Los Angeles and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Nicole Travolta Is Doing Alright is now playing Off-Broadway at SoHo Playhouse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 19 · 29 min
#93 - Rebecca De Mornay
Rebecca De Mornay stars in John Patrick Shanley's play The Pushover at The Chain Theatre. The play is directed by Kirk Gostkowski and also stars Di Zhu, Christina Toth, and Christopher Sutton. De Mornay first gained widespread recognition with her screen debut in Risky Business and went on to deliver memorable performances in films including The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Runaway Train, along with an extensive body of television work. In addition to her prolific performing career, De Mornay is also a writer, director, and producer. This episode was recorded on April 17, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 18 · 34 min
#92 - Irene Sofia Lucio
Irene Sofía Lucio recently starred on Broadway in Bess Wohl's play Liberation, directed by Whitney White. After a successful run Off-Broadway, Lucio reprised her acclaimed role as Isadora—an Italian immigrant navigating identity, love, and citizenship—with fire and vulnerability. Lucio is also known for her work in Slave Play and is the creator of the award-winning Spanish-language children’s series SúperEllas. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Lucio trained at Princeton and Yale, and is committed to telling stories that expand representation in the arts. This episode was recorded on April 17, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 5 · 23 min
#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

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