When he was 10 years old, Jeremy Lentz wrote Broadway legend Audra McDonald a letter.
Lentz was inspired to write one after seeing her perform in the revival of Carousel, a performance for which she later won a Tony in the Best Featured Actress category. He wrote about his aspirations to become involved in the Broadway biz, as Broadway was quickly becoming an “escape” from the world for Lentz. Against the odds, Audra, to Jeremy’s surprise, wrote back, saying she believed in his goals and that she’d see him on the stage one day. And against even more odds, their paths did cross again in person.
In 2022, Lentz would go on to assist in producing the debut Broadway production of Ohio State Murders — joining forces with his friend and producing partner Sheryl Lee Ralph, which starred … Audra McDonald.
Nearly 30 years later, when meeting the cast for the first time, he showed the letter to McDonald in person; his dream he wrote about as a child had become fully realized.
The world is small, we know that. But such a small world can only be opened up to those who work tirelessly to make their aspirations a reality. Lentz shows no signs of stopping any of his many projects as a multi-hyphenate and McDonald’s currently commanding the stage in the new revival of Gypsy at the Majestic. Maybe this is patterning we should take notice of.
Anyway, back to the letter: where does his story continue after sending it? How does a 10-year-old boy grow up to become such a lauded pillar of his communities?
Lentz grew up in New York and loved Broadway. At a young age, he became a volunteer at the Roundabout Theatre Co., still consuming theater when he could. Lentz saw himself represented in shows like Kiss of the Spider Woman. He later went on to attend McGill University in Montreal, where his spark for social change was ignited when he became social coordinator for Queer McGill.
Right after the new millennium he moved in with his partner in Teaneck. He said that at the time it felt like they were the first couple moving to the town. Lentz loves the diverse history entrenched into Teaneck’s roots: It was one of the first townships in our country that voted to end segregation in schools during the Civil Rights Movement.
Teaneck has, however, had a fair bit of struggle with LGBTQ rights. Aware of this, Lentz knew that he had to take initiative and use his experience to get involved on the local level. In 2019, the municipal government refused to raise the Pride flag publicly and Lentz saw it as his duty to refuse the erasure of a symbol that’s become so important to the LGBTQ community. He became a “key activist” in the fight. It led to a resolution that allowed the flag to be raised in October of that year. Although this was an important victory that led to further change for similar issues in Dumont, it should not go unnoticed that the flag was still not allowed to fly during Pride Month and it took four months of hard work for the benefits of the protest to be reaped.
When asked about the current political climate Lentz said, “It’s time to organize. It’s not a little issue. We all see what’s going on at the federal level with this new council that’s been emboldened by the current administration who think they can do whatever they wish with communities who already have histories of inclusivity. It’s not okay. These are battles we have to fight but so much of it is about engaging our community so that we know how to activate and organize. We must be vocal.”
In our current time, it can be overwhelming with the amount of options younger, everyday citizens have to fight back against complex systems of oppression. How does Lentz believe the new generation should be involved to make a difference? The solution is to start local.
“Gen Z should be volunteering for organizations and getting to know our neighbors. It’s not just about TikTok. Start by having conversations with people who don’t look like you or align with you. Many people feel helpless but I think what’s most important is that we are being engaged on local levels. We have to be present with our straight allies. We have to be vocal in stating what we need and what we expect from our community so that we can foster positive relationships.”
Since the beginning of his activism journey, Lentz has strived to conjoin serving the underrepresented with his extensive knowledge of cultural arts. He acts as the director of special projects for The Puffin Foundation, organizing huge fundraising events that support a multitude of causes, along with serving as executive director of the Teaneck International Film Festival (a project of Puffin). More specifically, Lentz assists Puffin’s Cultural Forum with launching projects and events outside their normal programming. Their achievements include a drag show, which he planned. It raised over $100,000.
The Teaneck International Film Festival features activist content at a staunch level. Lentz describes this as a “powerful niche,” maintaining a platform for stories to be shared and appreciated. He said, “Unlike most film festivals, the unique thing is that it’s a festival by, about, and for the community. In our society, we learn from the arts.” The festival has also routinely featured outdoor communal screenings and specially curated screenings for Pride. One of Lentz’s favorite projects to be screened at the festival as of late is Layla (2024, Directed by Amrou Al-Kadhi), a British film chronicling a Palestinian drag queen.
Back to where we started, full circle: Lentz has been working on Broadway since his work with the film festival was discovered by another producer, who invited him to help produce the 2016 revival of Dangerous Liaisons. Along with Ohio State Murders, he’s also been heavily involved with Tina: The Tina Turner Musical since it was conceptualized. Tina is currently touring nationwide.
With his endurance and hard work, the sky’s been the limit for Lentz. His story reminds all of us that during some of the darkest times we’ve faced, anything is possible if we dream and put our goals out into the universe. But while manifesting is a big part of it, Lentz would have not accomplished what he has without his incredible sense of persistence.
“The work never ends,” he said. “Now more than ever, we are being confronted with so many battles on so many levels. But I’m still very blessed to have the opportunity to work with my community to create change.”
