When Lightning Strikes!

Eugene Pack is an Emmy nominated writer and winner of the Drama Desk award for creating the hit international comedy Celebrity Autobiography. The beloved show where stars act out other celebrity memoirs live on stage, has run on on and off Broadway. Eugene’s short original comedies are now featured on a unique podcast, called The Pack Podcast, https://www.thepackpodcast.org Just a few of the stars who have performed on the podcast have included Sarah Jessica Parker, Blair Underwood, Matthew Broderick, Stockard Channing, Marisa Tomei Annette Bening, Brian Stokes Mitchell,Martin short. Renée Fleming, Dick Cavett and many more. “A compelling work of art” says Variety about the plays which is listened to in 100 countries. The Pack Podcast also raises money for The Entertainment Community Fund, https://entertainmentcommunity.org (Formerly called, The Actors Fund). As acting legend Eva Marie Saint who has performed in three of his plays says “Eugene’s work is so honest. I’ve lived long enough to know what’s honest and what isn’t and Eugene’s plays are."

This episode was recorded on January 21, 2022

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Sharon Wheatley is an original cast member in the the hit Broadway musical, Come From Away. She has the distinction of being the only actress to appear in Cats, Les Miserables and the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. When the pandemic shut down Come From Away, Wheatley and her family hit the road in 30-foot RV. A gifted writer, she chronicles her adventures in her riveting new book, "Drive: Stories from Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere."

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Miriam Pultro is an actor, singer, composer, lyricist musician, director, filmmaker and theater artist who wrote and stars in Glass Town which played at the Tank in New York City. The rock musical spotlights the Brontë-siblings as rock band.

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Actor-musicians Van Hughes and Nick Blaemire wrote and are performing in “Space Dogs” at MCC theater. The new musical tells the heartbreaking, mind-blowing true story of the first living beings to go into outer space, even before humans. The musical centers on a stray dog named Laika and the top-secret Russian scientist who sent this pup and other dogs to space during the Cold War. “Space Dogs” is now playing at MCC until March 20th.

Nick and I talked about birthing “Space Dogs” from Van’s Bushwick basement studio, what it was like to play Jonathan Larson in the off Broadway musical “Tick, Tick… Boom!” and more.

Learn more about Space Dogs at https://mcctheater.org/tix/space-dogs/.

This episode was recorded on March 8, 2022.

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Clare Barron is a prolific writer who has written the plays “Baby Screams Miracle,” “Dirty Crusty,” “I’ll Never Love Again,” “You Got Older” and the Pulitzer-nominated “Dance Nation." Her gripping play “Shhhh,” which has been called “illuminating” and "raw" recently had a very successful run at the Atlantic Theater Company. Not only did Clare write Shhhh she also directed and starred in the play. Clare is working on an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” for New York Theatre Workshop’s (NYTW) 2022/2023 season. Directed by Sam Gold the cast includes Greta Gerwig, Oscar Isaac, Steve Buscemi, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Emily Davis, Chris Messina, Lola Kirke, John Christopher Jones, Michael Benjamin Hernandez, Anthony Michael Lopez, Matthew Maher, Chris Messina, Aaron Clifton Moten, Ben Sinclair and Virginia Wing.

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Jeannette Bayardelle is a Grammy-nominated performer who has traveled to more than 50 countries to share her exceptional gifts. Most recently she starred on Broadway as Mrs. Nielsen in Girl From The North Country featuring the songs of Bob Dylan. Her additional credits include Hair, The Color Purple, Rock of Ages, Deaf West’s Big River and she wrote the book, music, lyrics and stared in her own musical Shida. Jeannette created the online class, Broadway To Wall Street - https://broadwaytowallstreet.com/. The course is a fun introduction to the stock market and includes music and animation.

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Alex Edelman is a comedian and writer whose Orthodox Jewish upbringing has informed his critically and commercially acclaimed work for the stage and screen. He is known for both his TV writing and his solo stage shows, all three of which have been award-winning, sell-out hits in London’s West End and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His current solo show, Just For Us, is playing at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City from January 24th to February 19, 2022. Visit, https://www.justforusshow.com/.

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When Lightning Strikes! goes to the opening Night and Broadway premiere of Alice Childress’ play Trouble in Mind. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, the cast includes LaChanze, Michael Zegen, Chuck Cooper, Danielle Campbell, Jessica Frances Dukes, Brandon Micheal Hall, Simon Jones, Alex Mickiewicz and Don Stephenson.

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Jacquelene Acevedo is a Grammy award winning percussionist and dancer who stars in David Byrne's American Utopia currently on Broadway at the St James Theatre. She has recorded or toured with Jeremy Pelt, Alicia Hall Moran and her mentor/father, Memo Acevedo. Jacquelene also recorded on the In The Heights movie soundtrack.

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Martyna Majok is a playwright who won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cost of Living. Her newest play, Sanctuary City from New York Theatre Workshop is now playing at The Lucille Lortel Theatre. Her plays, including Queens and Ironbound, have been performed throughout the United States and abroad. She studied playwriting at the Yale School of Drama and Juilliard School. She is currently writing two musical librettos and developing an original series and film for HBO. Martyna is also adapting The Great Gatsby for the Broadway stage with Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett writing music.

This episode was recorded on September 24, 2021.

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