We sit down with David Armstrong — lifelong theater-maker, educator, and author of Broadway Nation: How Immigrant, Jewish, Queer, and Black Artists Invented the Broadway Musical. David’s 40-year career as a director, producer, choreographer, and writer has been steeped in creative risk, from his 18 years leading Seattle’s Fifth Avenue Theatre (where Hairspray began!) to hosting the Broadway Nation podcast and now teaching Broadway history at the University of Washington. His passion for illuminating the overlooked creators of America’s most iconic art form is both inspiring and overdue.

We talk about the evolution of Broadway through marginalized voices, the political power of art that doesn’t look political, and how risk-taking theaters like the Fifth Avenue became incubators for some of Broadway’s greatest hits. David shares the creative leap that led to Hairspray, how collaboration with an audience shapes a show’s success, and the “legacy chains” connecting generations of musical theater creators — from Otto Harbach to Lin-Manuel Miranda. He also gets candid about failure, what it really feels like when a show “almost” works, and why he still sees risk as essential to the creative process.

🎧 Connect with David Armstrong:
📚 Broadway Nation: How Immigrant, Jewish, Queer, and Black Artists Invented the Broadway Musical — available everywhere books are sold (or through Bloomsbury for a discount!)

🎙️ Listen to Broadway Nation on the Broadway Podcast Network and all major podcast platforms

🌐 Learn more: Broadway Nation Podcast

Connect With Us:

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• ✨ More about Heather at her ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to her Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more⁠⁠

EPISODE TAKEAWAYS

• Art created by outsiders has always shaped the mainstream.


• Theaters that take risks on new work keep Broadway alive.


• “Shows aren’t written — they’re rewritten.”


• Legacy and mentorship sustain creative evolution.


• Risk and failure are inseparable parts of artistic success.

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