Lightning Rod Special

Philadelphia-based theater company Lightning Rod Special (creators of SPEECH, The Appointment, and Underground Railroad Game) explodes complex questions with precision and play to make live performance from the ground up. They specialize in raucous and contemplative theater works that scramble theatrical conventions and intellectual assumptions. Their work has won an Obie Award and been listed as Best Theater of the Year by “The New Yorker, ” “Vulture, ” “Time Out New York,” “The Washington Post, ” and “The New York Times.” LRS was awarded the Wolfson Award for Evolving Theater Company and their shows have toured to 15 cities in 5 countries. Click HERE to learn more!

About the Creators

LEE MINORA is a writer, performer, and theater-maker living in Philadelphia. Her 4th-wall-smashing solo shows, Cheeks and White Feminist, have been presented at Ars Nova, The Wilma Theater, Edinburgh Fringe, London’s Sick of the Fringe, Philly Fringe, Z-Space, Good Good Comedy and UMS’s No Safety Net. As a creator/performer she has worked with The Berserker Residents in It’s So Learning, Applied Mechanics in Vainglorious, Theater in Quarantine in Blood Meal (New York Times Critic’s Pick) and Lightning Rod Special in The Appointment (Best of Theater 2019: New York Times, Time Out New York and New York Magazine). As an actor she’s been seen in over 20 productions. She is a Barrymore nominee, a Haas Finalist and the two time recipient of The Jilline Ringle Performance Grant.    

SCOTT R. SHEPPARD is an Obie award-winning theater artist and a Co-Artistic Director of theater company Lightning Rod Special. He was the co-creator and performer of Underground Railroad Game (Ars Nova) earning an Edinburgh Fringe First Award, Edinburgh Stage Award, and named by “The New York Times” as one of the 25 Best Plays of the past 25 Years. Lead writer of SPEECH in the 2022 curated Fringe, writer of Blood Meal (“New York Times” Critic’s Pick) with Theater in Quarantine, and he was a lead writer and performer in Lightning Rod Special’s The Appointment (Best of 2023 in “The New Yorker” and Best of 2019 in “Time Out NY,” “Vulture,” and “New York Times”). Other credits: writer of Topside with Theater in Quarantine; Pig Iron Theatre Company: Period of Animate Existence, 99 Breakups (deviser/performer), and Gentlemen Volunteers (performer); George & Co.’s Holden (co-creator/performer). Proud graduate of Pig Iron School. Scott was a member of the Interstate-73 Writer’s Group, and a former Independence Foundation Fellow. www.scottrsheppard.com

NELL BANG-JENSEN has been directing and creating theater in Philadelphia for the past ten years. She has created five original works, in addition to producing and directing for Philadelphia’s major theater institutions including FringeArts, People’s Light, Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Wilma, Pig Iron, and the Painted Bride. Nell has served as the Artistic Director of Theatre Horizon since 2019. She  is passionate about helping arts organizations align with community-held values and creating plays with people who do not identify as professional artists. Recent productions include Christmas Carol (People’s Light), Empathitrax (Philadelphia Theatre Company), and Town (Theatre Horizon). Nell is the recipient of a 2019 Map Fund grant, a Next Stage Director’s Fellowship from the Drama League (2019), and a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship (2011). In 2016, Nell was a participant in Theatre Communication Group’s Leadership U: One-on-One program; a national fellowship given to eight individuals who TCG believes are the core and future of theater. Nell is also an Educator and has taught Directing and Civic Practice for colleges and universities including the University of the Arts, the Pig Iron Graduate School for Advanced Performance training, Swarthmore College and Carleton College, among others.

MATTEO SCAMMELL is a Barrymore award-winning actor, musician and theater maker based in Philadelphia. He is a member of two theater companies: Obie Award-winning experimental theater co. New Paradise Laboratories – contributing to 7 original works; and Tony Award-winning ensemble theater The Wilma – appearing in 7 productions and 3 world premiers. As an actor, Matteo has performed in over 45 theatrical productions. For many years, Matteo was co-writer, vocalist, and guitar player with Red 40 & The Last Groovement. Other Credits: Pig Iron Theatre Company: Gentlemen Volunteers (performer); George & Co.’s Holden (co-creator/performer); Arden Theatre, Philadelphia Theater Co., Walnut St., Theatre Exile, Theatre Horizon, EgoPo. Matteo is thrilled to be working with such an incredible group of people on NOSEJOB.