When Lightning Strikes!

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

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 collab...

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 do...

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 screen...

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 Dyl...

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 thea...

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 Yo...

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. Lea...

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...

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 La...

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 ar...

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/adc...

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 Ed...

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...

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 seri...

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

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....

Kit Buchan and Jim Barne wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the New York Times Critic’s Pick musical Two 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 ab...

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, choreographe...

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

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...

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.' T...

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 Ex...

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

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 d...