Tanner Schut moved to New York with a decent cushion in his savings account, figuring he’d land a wedding band gig or two within a few weeks to keep the bills covered while he found his footing. That’s not what happened. Those gigs take months to break into, not weeks, and nobody tells you that part until you’re already living it. His savings drained a lot faster than he expected, and there was a real stretch where going back to the cruise ships looked like the only way to stay afloat.

Tanner’s on the Book of Mormon tour now. This clip is about the part before that, the part where the city doesn’t care how good you are and rent still shows up every month whether the gigs do or not.

Full conversation with Tanner coming soon to the Broadway Drumming 101 podcast.

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Clayton Craddock was most recently the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

Drummer Joel “Jay-Ray” Anderson went from his brother’s lap at six years old to the drum chair on The Wiz national tour, and he says it all comes down to one thing: networking.

Joel “Jay-Ray” Anderson is a drummer who was recently touring with The Wiz. I caught up with him mid-tour for this episode of Broadway Drumming 101. We talked about growing up in a musical family in Fort Lauderdale, learning drums from YouTube and his oldest brother, coming up through the Dillard High School drumline, studying music at Broward College and Florida Memorial University, landing his first tour (Pretty Woman) the week after graduation, and transitioning to The Wiz through a network built one relationship at a time.

In this episode:

• Growing up in a house full of musicians in Fort Lauderdale

• Teaching himself drums on YouTube starting at age six

• Coming up through the Dillard Center for the Arts drumline

• Gospel drumming history and the lineage behind his influences

• Studying at Broward College and Florida Memorial University

• Landing his first national tour (Pretty Woman) a week after graduation

• Running click tracks and Ableton on the road

• A month spent touring Japan

• The relationships that led to landing The Wiz

• Why networking, not just chops, is what actually opens doors

INSTAGRAM: (https://www.instagram.com/jay.ray04/)

Email: joel.r.anderson04@gmail.com

RESOURCES Free: How to Land a Broadway Gig Roadmap. Subscribe to Broadway Drumming 101 (free or paid) and grab it at broadwayboundbook.com/roadmap

The Broadway Sub Playbook ($7.99), available at signaturebrandworks.com

Broadway Drumming 101 merch (backpacks, tees, hats, mugs, and more) at signaturebrandworks.com

WANT THE FULL ROADMAP? If this episode has you thinking about your own path to a career in theater, my book has the full breakdown. Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career is out now at broadwayboundbook.com.

It’s everything I wish someone had handed me when I was starting out, how the industry actually works, how to build relationships that lead to real work, and how to make the leap from student to working musician.

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Clayton Craddock was most recently the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

Growing up, Jay-Ray watched other touring drummers from the outside and assumed the job came with a drum tech, someone else to handle the setup and breakdown. It wasn’t until he was living the touring life himself that he realized how much of it falls squarely on him.

On the latest episode of Broadway Drumming 101, Jay-Ray Anderson, drummer for the latest touring production of The Wiz, pulls back the curtain on exactly that, and on what it really takes to bring a show to life night after night.

“That was something that I didn’t understand at first,” he says. “Like, oh, I’m going to have to set up my drums. I’m going to have to break down and still get on the bus and go to the hotel and get on like a three-hour flight the next day and make soundcheck the next day.”

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It’s a reminder that the unglamorous parts of touring, the packing, the breakdown, the redeye flights, are the price of admission for the moments that actually matter: the ones shared with an audience.

More from Jay-Ray Anderson is on the way. His new podcast episode is coming soon. Subscribe below so you’ll be notified of when it is released.

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

I can speak about Adam from firsthand experience too. He was my only sub on Cats: The Jellicle Ball for a long stretch, until I eventually brought in someone else, a great young drummer who I helped get his first ever Broadway show subbing gig. I was about to start bringing in more subs as the show went on, but we are closing today.

That’s a story for another time.

The point is, that kind of trust doesn’t happen by accident. I even heard him play the show himself on Monday, and he’s fantastic! I’m genuinely glad to know him and even more glad I get to call him a colleague.

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In this episode, we get into what it really takes to sub a Broadway show, the times he had weeks to prepare and drilled every bar until he was almost tired of the show before opening night, and the times he got the call with barely any notice and had to cram a stack of fast, dense charts while still working.

Make sure you subscribe so you’re notified the moment this episode drops. And if you know a drummer who needs to hear this, send it their way.

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Clayton Craddock was most recently the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

Spencer Inch is one of those musicians who makes you realize how wide this career can actually be. We talked about his path from Wilton, Connecticut to the national touring circuit, and I kept thinking: this is exactly what Broadway Bound and Beyond is about.

Here’s what we got into:

• Spencer started on drums at age six when his parents bought him a CB700 from a neighbor — he still talks about that kit like it was a Stradivarius

• He studied classical percussion at Penn State, then pivoted to jazz drum set at the University of Miami’s Frost School — going from big fish to small pond overnight, and what he did about it

• He did multiple contracts on cruise ships right out of grad school, playing everything from waltzes to Glenn Miller to German polka with no internet and no time to prepare — and why he says he learned more there than in six years of school

• He toured the country opening for the Counting Crows with singer-songwriter Seán Barna — playing to amphitheater crowds of 3,000 to 7,000 people, and the moment the Counting Crows’ drummer handed him the sticks to close out a show

• He spent a year and a half on the Come From Away national tour playing bodhran — on stage, in the action, 467 shows — after saying yes to an instrument he’d never played before

• He’s now on the Water for Elephants national tour, a gig that came directly through the music director he built a relationship with on Come From Away

The throughline in Spencer’s story isn’t talent. It’s relationships, saying yes, and taking every single gig seriously — no matter what it is. The polka gig. The Les Mis at a children’s theater. All of it.

Watch the full episode above!

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

Earlier this week I brought back the audio of one of my favorite conversations from the vault. Today, the full video version is here.

If you missed the audio episode, here’s the short version: in 2018, Mariana Ramirez became the first female Mexican percussionist to ever perform on a Broadway show, subbing Once On This Island. A year later she held the percussion chair on that show’s national tour. Then came sub work on Head Over Heels (drumset book) and Ain’t Too Proud, plus Off-Broadway runs of Merrily We Roll Along and Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish.

Today she holds the percussion chair at the hit Broadway show SIX.

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But watch this interview and you’ll see the chair is just one piece of a much bigger career.

Mariana began her studies at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City, where she won the percussion position at the Carlos Chávez Youth Orchestra, then earned her Bachelor of Music at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, picking up the Percussive Arts Society Thomas Siwe Scholarship along the way.

She founded Percussion Quartet Excelsis — the first multinational all-female percussion quartet in the U.S. — which Jonathan Haas, head of the NYU Percussion Department, called one of the most innovative and exciting ensembles of this era of chamber music. Excelsis has performed twice on NPR’s From the Top, at the Zeltsman Marimba Festival, Tippet Rise in Montana, and the Newport Classical Music Festival, and in 2024 the group received Chamber Music America’s highest grant.

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Her recording credits include Platinum Girls and Song of Solomon on Broadway Records, and a concerto for bandoneon and violin with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She has performed with the National Symphony of Mexico, the first all-women orchestra of Mexico, and premiered new works at Alice Tully Hall. She’s appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and in Mozart in the Jungle. She won the FONCA grant for Mexican artists twice in a row, touring an original percussion-and-dance project across five Mexican cities. She teaches. She’s endorsed by Sabian, Pearl, and Innovative Percussion.

Traditional Mexican music. Symphony halls. Chamber ensembles. Television. Education. And eight shows a week on Broadway.

Nobody builds a career like that by waiting for the phone to ring. Watch the conversation and you’ll understand exactly how she did it — starting with a Santana concert in Mexico City when she was 11 years old, watching three percussionists light up a stadium and deciding, right there, what her life was going to be.

Watch the full interview above.

The audio version is available now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify if you’d rather listen on the go.

And coming up next on the podcast: Spencer Inch. Stay tuned — that one’s going to be worth the wait.

For the complete roadmap to building a career in theater, grab Broadway Bound and Beyond at broadwayboundbook.com.

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

Mackenna Tolfa grew up in Green Bay with a blue sparkle drum kit called “The Rock Star.” Decades later, she’s touring North America as the first featured female Rockstar character in Blue Man Group’s history. The name on the kit was foreshadowing nobody knew about until recently — including the Blue Man marketing team.

In this episode, we dig into the full journey: from a family tradition built around an uncle with an accordion, to classical percussion study, to pit playing Broadway shows, to landing one of the most unique drumming roles in live entertainment.

Here’s some of what we covered:

• How growing up watching Neil Peart and Phil Collins shaped her musical identity from the start

• Why she started on classical piano — and what that gave her as a percussionist

• The pivot from Broadway pit playing to the Blue Man Group world tour, and what each world taught her about the other

• The wild audition story — filmed at 115 degrees in a back room in Spain with a rented kit, two hours to record and send it back, and over 100 applicants in the original pool

• Being flown to New York for the final callback and walking in to find the audition was nothing like what she’d spent two months preparing for

• What it means to play a character when the character is essentially just you

• Her time subbing on the Book of Mormon national tour — and what it was like watching audience reactions city to city

• How a fun COVID project learning Ableton ended up being crucial to landing the Blue Man gig

• A Cirque du Soleil invite-only audition in London that came directly from a YouTube video she posted just for fun

• Her upcoming solo project (a band called Lemon) and her work as arranger and orchestrator on the new musical Dust Bowl Radio Hour

• Why she tells every student: don’t wait for the degree to start networking

The advice she gave at the end of this episode is the kind of thing that takes most people years to figure out. Start the relationships now. Know your role. Understand that every gig — pit, stage, session, tour — is drumming, but the approach is completely different.

If this conversation resonated with you, the roadmap for building a career in theater music — the relationships, the mindset, the financial reality — is laid out in my book Broadway Bound and Beyond.

Get your copy at broadwayboundbook.com

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

Dizzy Gillespie didn’t hand his name to just anyone. Karl Latham played in the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars. Then he played in the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience alongside Paquito D’Rivera. Two different bands carrying one legend’s name, and Karl had a chair in both.

We recorded this conversation back in February 2022. It’s been sitting on the Broadway Drumming 101 YouTube channel for a while. Now the audio is finally out everywhere you listen — Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your shows. A lot has changed for Karl since we sat down, including new Broadway credits that weren’t on his resume yet when we hit record.

Karl’s career doesn’t sit in one lane. He’s played with Claudio Roditi, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Jon Faddis, and Cyrus Chestnut. He’s logged time with Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter. He was music director for The Shirelles. He’s worked with Mark Egan’s UNIT1, the Bernie Worrell Orchestra, and a long list of players most drummers only get to study, not stand next to.

His Broadway sub list reads the same way. Hamilton. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Ain’t Too Proud. Bring It On. Two Strangers. Five different shows, five different chairs, all earned the same way every sub gig gets earned: somebody trusted him enough to make the call.

Karl leads his own projects too. He co-leads Big Fun(k) with Don Braden. He co-led Constellations, the group that picked up a nomination for the 2016 BMW Welt Jazz Award. As a leader, he’s released Dancing Spirits, Resonance, and two volumes of Living Standards — the second one bringing in Wolfgang Lackerschmid, Mark Egan, Henry Hey, Mitch Stein, and Roger Squitero.

And he never stopped teaching. Karl is the current Co-Chair of the Percussive Arts Society Education Committee. He’s adjunct faculty at four schools: Drew University, County College of Morris, Raritan Valley Community College, and Blair Academy. Touring, recording, subbing on Broadway, and teaching at four schools. Most people pick one career. Karl runs four in parallel.

Karl is an endorsing artist for Yamaha Drums, Paiste Cymbals, ProMark Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads, Big Fat Snare, AEA Microphones, Radial Engineering, Heil Sound, ProLogix Percussion, and RME.

Press play. And if this episode gives you something, leave us a five-star review wherever you listen. It takes thirty seconds and it means a lot to the show.

If you’re serious about your own path in this industry, pick up Broadway Bound and Beyond at broadwayboundbook.com. Signed copies at signaturebrandworks.com.

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

Jared Shaw has held the drum chair on national tours of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and The Book of Mormon. He’s subbed on Broadway including Tommy, one of the most demanding drum books out there. He’s performed at the Kennedy Center and Ghana’s National Theater, and he plays groove percussion, orchestral, African percussion, and programs electronics.

In this episode, Jared breaks down what it actually took to build a career like that.

We cover:

• How he approached learning difficult drum books

• What touring taught him about preparation and professionalism

• How electronic drumming and programming fit into his toolkit

• Subbing on Broadway and staying ready for the call

• Studying with James Saporito, Shawn Pelton, and Valerie Naranjo

• Building a sustainable career as a working musician in New York City

If you’re serious about Broadway, touring, or becoming a more complete drummer, this conversation is for you.

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

When I recorded this in February of 2022, Rodney was in his drum room. Blue Pearl kit behind him. Meshell Ndegeocello shirt on — second album, Peace Beyond Passion. We both agreed it's her best record. If you've never heard it, fix that before you do anything else today.

Now he’s the percussionist on The Lost Boys at the Palace Theatre. Twelve Tony nominations. Best Musical on the table. If there was ever a time to bring this one back in full, it’s now.

He came up in a town in North Carolina with no stoplight. His dad couldn’t buy him brushes, so he put mini broomsticks in his hands and showed him what a brush sweep sounds like on a picnic table. That’s the foundation. He started on saxophone. Switched to drums at 17. Moved to New York not thinking about Broadway at all. Jeff Campbell put his name in front of Chris Parker. The rest followed.

The conversation goes deep on what it actually costs to stack your deck in this business. Playing Diana in La Jolla, then jumping on a plane to Japan with Avril Lavigne, then folding Mrs. Doubtfire in because his wife asked one simple question: what’s the worst that can happen?

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

Morgan grew up in a small town in Kansas. No blueprint for this. No obvious path to musical theater. She found her way to NYU, studied West African music under Valerie Naranjo — which rewired the way she hears everything — and started building relationships one sub at a time.

Now she’s 600 shows into the national tour of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. And the way she talks about this industry is the kind of honest I don’t always get on this podcast.

We got into some really cool things:

— What she does at the kit during the show that nobody expects, and why it actually works

— The subbing etiquette mistakes that quietly end reputations before they start

— A blacklist situation she handled with more integrity than most veterans twice her age

— What ego, patience, and sitting with uncertainty actually look like when you’re learning from the people ahead of you

Check out her site: https://www.morganparkernyc.com

This is why I started Broadway Drumming 101. Not to give people a checklist. But to share access with people who figured it out — and let you hear how they actually talk about it.

The video is embedded above. Audio is available on every podcast platform.

If this is your first episode…welcome! Stick around.

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

This episode takes us back to January 2022 with one of the most respected drummers in both Broadway and jazz, Jared Schonig.

Since we recorded this conversation, Jared has moved into the drum chair for Just in Time at Circle in the Square Theatre, but this episode still holds up because Jared drops a lot of real information about what it actually takes to survive in this business.

We talked about:

• How he went from jazz gigs and working at Apple to Broadway

• Subbing on shows like Grease, American Idiot, and Next to Normal

• Building Moulin Rouge from the ground up

• Getting orchestration credit as a drummer

• Broadway pit life, injuries, setups, pressure, and preparation

• Why relationships and reputation matter more than people think

Jared has played with artists including Nicholas Payton, Chris Potter, John Patitucci, Cynthia Erivo, Kristin Chenoweth, and many others. He’s originated seven Broadway drum books and built one of the most versatile careers out there.

One thing I always appreciated about Jared is that he’s honest about the work. The preparation. The pressure. The physical demands. The stuff people don’t always talk about publicly.

It’s still one of my favorite conversations I’ve had on Broadway Drumming 101.

Upcoming performances for Jared include shows at Sultan Room, Birdland, Zinc Bar, The Gin Mill, and dates with Brass Against.

I may go and check out this show! Let me know and we can all connect there:

Check out his site for more info! Click HERE

https://www.jaredschonig.com

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

What does it really take to build a sustainable Broadway drumming career?

In this classic episode of Broadway Drumming 101, Elena Bonomo, drummer for SIX, breaks down the long game behind working in musical theater. Originally recorded in January 2022, this conversation still holds up because the career realities have not changed.

Elena talks about growing up in a musical family, learning to read music early, and why drums always felt like fun instead of work. She shares how school musicals and early pit gigs quietly prepared her for professional theater work long before Broadway was even on the radar.

We also dig into her time at Berklee, why versatility mattered more than picking a single lane, and how touring, low-paying gigs, and cruise ship work all played a role in building real-world skills. Elena is honest about the financial realities, the grind of early career decisions, and how adaptability ultimately opened doors.

If you are a drummer, percussionist, or musician trying to understand how Broadway careers are actually built over time, this episode offers perspective that is still relevant today.

Guest: Elena Bonomo
Originally released: January 14, 2022
Broadway Drumming 101 Classic Episode
January 26, 2026

Learn more about Elena:

https://www.elenabonomo.com

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If you want to go deeper into this world, Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career, is available now on Amazon.com.

If you’d like a signed copy by Clayton, along with Broadway Drumming 101 merchandise, head to signaturebrandworks.com.

The book lays out the mindset, preparation, relationships, money realities, and long-term thinking behind real theater careers.

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for the upcoming Broadway musical Cats: The Jellicle Ball, opening at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7th. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of the forthcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, along with extensive subbing on shows such as Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards, and has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

I just released the full video conversation with Joe Bergamini, and it’s one of the most honest discussions I’ve had about what it actually takes to make a living as a working drummer.

Joe has subbed on more than 15 Broadway shows, toured nationally, taught for decades, and written many of the drum books players still study today. But this conversation isn’t about credits. It’s about how real music careers are built over time.

We talk about what subbing on Broadway is really like, why learning music note for note early on mattered more than Joe realized, and how teaching, touring, rock bands, club gigs, and saying yes to the right opportunities quietly shaped his career. Joe also shares why preparation, curiosity, and relationships matter far more than chasing hype or shortcuts.

This video is for drummers and musicians who care about longevity and want a clearer picture of how working careers actually function in theater and beyond.

Watch the full episode, and if it’s useful, pass it along to someone trying to figure out their next move.

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Speaking at NAMM – January 24

I’ll be expanding on many of these ideas in person at NAMM:

Building a Career in Theater Music
Saturday, January 24
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Hilton California A

If you’re attending NAMM and curious about Broadway, touring, subbing, networking, contracts, and the real financial side of being a working musician, I hope you’ll stop by.

Broadway Bound and Beyond

My upcoming book, Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career, goes deeper into many of the topics we talk about here—how musicians actually get hired, how careers are sustained, and what no one explains when you’re starting out.

Get on the list at:
www.broadwayboundbook.com

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for the upcoming Broadway musical Cats: The Jellicle Ball, opening at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7th. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of the forthcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, along with extensive subbing on shows such as Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards, and has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

This video is the full video conversation from a classic Broadway Drumming 101 episode with Rich Rosenzweig, originally recorded in December 2021 on the day Company officially opened on Broadway.

We talk honestly about what life on Broadway is actually like. Opening night pressure. The emotional weight of major moments. Why reviews do not always determine a show’s success. And why word of mouth, consistency, and trust often matter far more than hype.

A major part of this conversation focuses on subbing on Broadway. Rich breaks down what chair holders and conductors are really listening for, why preparation goes beyond learning the notes, and why subbing can be more stressful than holding the chair full time. If you want to understand how Broadway drumming actually works, this is required viewing.

They also get into career reality. Getting fired. Losing gigs. Navigating rejection. Understanding when feedback is something to grow from and when it is simply not a fit. These are the conversations musicians usually only hear years into their careers.

Subscribe to the Broadway Drumming 101 YouTube channel for full conversations, real-world insight, and career guidance from working Broadway musicians: Subscribe here to the YouTube Channel

Support the platform and get exclusive content at: https://broadwaydrumming101.com

Get updates on my upcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career: https://broadwayboundbook.com

If this conversation resonates, subscribe, like the video, and share it with another musician who needs to hear it.

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for the upcoming Broadway musical Cats: The Jellicle Ball, opening at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7th. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of the forthcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, along with extensive subbing on shows such as Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards, and has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

I’m bringing back a Classic Broadway Drumming 101 interview today. This conversation with Rich Rosenzweig was recorded in 2021, long before he stepped into his current role as the drummer for Ragtime at Lincoln Center. A lot has changed for him since then, which makes revisiting this talk even more valuable.

Rich talks about how he got started, how he practiced, and how he slowly found his way into the New York music scene. He grew up in a musical home, fell in love with jazz, and spent hours in his parents’ basement trying to match the feel of the records he loved. He walks through his time at UNC Chapel Hill, his early bands, his fascination with film scores, and the moment he realized he needed to take a real shot at becoming a professional musician.

What I’ve always appreciated about this conversation is how honest it is. Rich didn’t jump straight into Broadway. It was years of weddings, club dates, horn bands, rehearsal studios, and learning from every opportunity. He explains how he first connected with Broadway, how subbing under conductor Eric Stern changed his approach, and why watching Ray Marchica play The Will Rogers Follies helped him understand what high-level theater drumming requires. He eventually earned his first chair on State Fair and built from there.

If you are serious about building a career as a musician in theater, this episode gives you a clear look at what the process actually feels like. It’s the mix of preparation, timing, relationships, discipline, and experience that makes the difference.

Part Two of this Classic interview will be released next week.

Share Broadway Drumming 101

If you want tools that can help you build your own path, I put together a few resources. My book Broadway Bound and Beyond lays out the full structure of building a long-term career in musical theater. www.broadwayboundbook.com

The Broadway Sub Playbook is available at SignatureBrandWorks.com and breaks down what it takes to sub successfully and get called back.

And if you want a free resource, you can download my “Twenty Questions to Ask Before You Take Any Gig” PDF at
https://www.broadwayboundbook.com/book-launch-checklist

For now, enjoy Part One of my 2021 conversation with Rich Rosenzweig. It still holds up.

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for the upcoming Broadway revival of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, opening at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7th. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of the forthcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, along with extensive subbing on shows such as Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton is currently on tour with The Rock Orchestra and has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards, and has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

In this episode, I sit down with drummer Tom Jorgensen. He’s been playing drums on the Beetlejuice national tour for the last three years. Tom talks about what makes the Beetlejuice drum book one of the most physically demanding on the road and how Shannon Ford’s original approach set the tone for everything that followed.

We dig into:

• The sheer physical challenge of playing Beetlejuice eight times a week and how Tom reworked his setup and grip to survive it.

• The philosophy he learned from jazz legend Michael Carvin — “It’s not about what you’re playing, it’s about what you’re doing” — and how that mindset keeps every performance fresh.

• His time touring with Postmodern Jukebox, cutting his teeth on cruise ships, and what those experiences taught him about endurance, posture, and musical adaptability.

• Lessons from working with Rich Mercurio and Nadia DiGiallonardo on Waitress, and the moment that turned a sub gig into his first big break.

• The balance between consistency and creativity on tour — how to avoid burnout, stay healthy, and keep the show locked in night after night.

• Why gratitude and discipline are non-negotiable for musicians who want longevity on the road.

Tom’s story is a reminder that Broadway drumming isn’t just about chops — it’s about mindset, focus, and knowing how to serve the show every night.

For more:

https://www.tomjorgensensound.com

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe at BroadwayDrumming101.com and pre-order my new book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Careerat BroadwayBoundBook.com.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Beetlejuice National Tour

• Shannon Ford

• Michael Carvin

• Rich Mercurio

• Nadia DiGiallonardo

• Postmodern Jukebox

• Waitress First National Tour

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for the upcoming Broadway revival of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, opening at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7th. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of the forthcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, along with extensive subbing on shows such as Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton is currently on tour with The Rock Orchestra and has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards, and has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

In December of 2021, I had a great conversation with Larry Lelli about his incredible journey through music and Broadway. Larry talked about growing up in the Midwest, studying jazz performance at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, and how those early experiences shaped his approach to drumming. From there, he played with major country artists in Nashville before making the move to New York City.

Once in New York, Larry started out subbing on Broadway shows like Miss Saigon and Les Misérables. Over time, his talent and professionalism led him to land his own chairs on hit productions such as The Producers and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He shared what it takes to build a lasting career on Broadway — from being prepared and versatile to knowing how to connect with the right people.

We also talked about the challenges of managing subs, creating drum parts for dance-heavy shows, and recording for Broadway cast albums and the Tony Awards. Larry’s experiences as both a drummer and producer show just how much dedication and teamwork go into every performance.

If you’re interested in Broadway, drumming, or what it takes to build a real career in music, you’ll get a lot of inspiration and insight from this conversation.

https://www.larrylelli.com

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Clayton Craddock is the drummer for the upcoming Broadway revival of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, opening at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7th. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of the forthcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, along with extensive subbing on shows such as Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards, and has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com

Usually, on Broadway Drumming 101, I chat with drummers or music directors like Nate Patten and Michael Aarons. But this week, I wanted to share a different perspective.

Matthew Friedman has been a good friend of mine for over ten years, and while he’s a multi-instrumentalist who even plays drums, he’s best known as a true “Piano Man.” He starred in the national tour of Movin’ Out, has performed with Billy Joel’s original band (The Lords of 52nd Street), and has played in Broadway productions like Jersey Boys and Smokey Joe’s Café. On top of that, he’s a bandleader who knows what it means to hold things together from the front of the stage.

In our conversation, Matthew shares:

• How he went from being an attorney to playing Billy Joel’s music around the world

• The ups and downs of touring life, from first-class experiences to tough bus-and-truck runs

• Lessons from years on Broadway and beyond

• Stories that connect to past podcast guests like Jon Berger and future ones like Joe Bergamini

I thought it would be important to showcase the voice of a Broadway musician who’s done more than just play one instrument. Matthew’s career shows how versatility, persistence, and leadership can open doors in unexpected ways.

If you enjoy it, make sure to subscribe to the channel, share it with a friend, and subscribe!

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Clayton Craddock founded Broadway Drumming 101, an in-depth online platform offering specialized mentorship and a carefully curated collection of resources tailored for aspiring and professional musicians.

Clayton’s Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and The Gospel at Colonus (featuring Kim Burrell). As a skilled sub, he has contributed his talents to notable productions, including Motown, Evita, Cats, Avenue Q, The Color Purple, Rent, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, and the national tour of Hadestown, among many others. He has also appeared on major shows including The View, Good Morning America, Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards. He has performed with legends like The Stylistics, The Delfonics, Mario Cantone, Laura Benanti, Kristin Chenoweth, Kerry Butler, Christian Borle, Norm Lewis, Deniece Williams, Chuck Berry, and Ben E. King.

Clayton is the author of the forthcoming book Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career, the only guide you’ll need to succeed in the competitive world of musical theater.

Sign up to be the first to know when the book drops: www.BroadwayBoundBook.com

He proudly endorses Ahead Drum Cases, Paiste Cymbals, Innovative Percussion drumsticks, and Empire Ears.

Learn more about Clayton Craddock at www.claytoncraddock.com

In this episode of Broadway Drumming 101, I sit down with Dena Tauriello, the drummer for Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theatre. From her first sparkle kit inspired by Karen Carpenter to a career that’s taken her from rock arenas to Broadway pits, Dena shares a powerful story about perseverance, adaptability, and passion.

Dena spent nearly two decades with the all-female rock band Antigone Rising, logging more than 260 shows a year, signing with Lava/Atlantic Records, and sharing bills with bands like Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, and The Bangles. Along the way, she learned the grind of life on the road, the frustration of being pigeonholed as “girl music,” and the discipline that comes from playing night after night. Those experiences became the foundation for her eventual move to Broadway.

Her first Broadway chair came in Head Over Heels, the Go-Go’s jukebox musical that featured an all-female band. From there, Dena’s career expanded into multiple productions, including Kristin Chenoweth: For the Girls, The Cher Show (as a sub), Magic Mike the Musical (Broadway Lab), and her current run in Little Shop of Horrors. She also subs on Hamilton, Six, and at the origial run of Beetlejuice.

In our conversation, Dena opens up about the realities of the pit:

• Why no two shows are ever the same and why you can never “phone it in”

• The discipline it takes to stay fully present eight times a week

• How playing in Antigone Rising prepared her for the demands of Broadway

• What she looks for when hiring subs and why paying it forward matters

• The role of Ableton, click tracks, and sound cues in modern Broadway drumming

• Her full gear setup: Pearl drums, Zildjian cymbals, Evans heads, Promark sticks, and custom in-ears

• Why she always keeps charts in front of her—even after memorizing the show

Dena also talks about the surreal moment of playing on stage with the Go-Go’s, interviewing Gina Schock for Modern Drummer, and what it feels like to see the Head Over Heels Playbill now preserved in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

This is a conversation filled with honesty, humor, and hard-won lessons for any drummer dreaming of breaking into Broadway—or simply learning how to thrive in the unpredictable world of live performance.

For more about Dena: https://www.denatauriello.com

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Clayton Craddock founded Broadway Drumming 101, an in-depth online platform offering specialized mentorship and a carefully curated collection of resources tailored for aspiring and professional musicians.

Clayton’s Broadway and off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical. As a skilled sub, he’s contributed his talents to Motown, Evita, Cats, Avenue Q, The Color Purple, Rent, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Hadestown (tour), and many more. He has also appeared on major shows, including The View, Good Morning America, Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards, and performed with legends like The Stylistics, The Delfonics, Mario Cantone, Laura Benanti, Kristin Chenoweth, Kerry Butler, Christian Borle, Norm Lewis, Deniece Williams, Chuck Berry, and Ben E. King.

Clayton proudly endorses Ahead Drum Cases, Paiste Cymbals, Innovative Percussion drumsticks, and Empire Ears.

Learn more about Clayton Craddock here: www.claytoncraddock.com