You might know Burke Swanson (@burke_swanson) as Young Hopper in Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway — but his path to the Upside Down started long before the Demodogs.
After making his Broadway debut in The Rose Tattoo, Burke has quickly become a performer to watch, blending physicality, poetry, and heart into every role. In this episode of Had to Ask, he shares the surprising, thoughtful, and often hilarious journey that took him from Back to the Future to Hawkins, Indiana — in just ten days. We talk about how he built his version of Hopper (yes, it involved cowboy boots in the woods), what it means to be a performing artist rather than just an actor, and why over 65% of the Stranger Things audience is brand-new to Broadway.
This show isn’t just expanding the world of Hawkins — it’s creating lifelong theatergoers and reminding us that storytelling is a team effort.
Also in this episode: stage combat, our love for stunt performers, zombie apocalypse prep, experimental poetry, cats, and why I might never emotionally recover from Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
Chapters:
11:40 – The IP of Back to the Future and Stranger Things and how they connect with audiences
17:46 – A ten-day turnaround between two massive Broadway shows
22:19 – From watching Stranger Things in 2016 to starring in it on stage
28:37 – Giving yourself permission to celebrate success in this industry
36:32 – Why the Broadway show is irreparably tied to Stranger Things Season 5
41:36 – Why supporting the arts is always worth it
45:27 – Theater beyond Broadway, and art beyond New York
Follow Had to Ask @hadtoaskpod for more bold, unfiltered conversations — hosted by Melanie Sutrathada.
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