Ahead of the release of the Hamilton film on Disney+ tomorrow (this is pretty much why I’m subscribing), this week’s episode is about Hamilton, not only why it’s a modern masterpiece but the work that went into it behind the scenes to make it as iconic and representative OFFstage as well as onstage. 

 

But first…

As you may know if you’ve been reading the site for some time and listening to this podcast, Lin-Manuel Miranda is basically Santa Claus for Duana. She’s never met him. She’s been in the same building as him, and maybe even an elevator away, but she’s never talked to him, she’s never engaged with him. The reason she describes him as Santa is because in her mind, when he’s around, magical things happen. I love LMM and Hamilton too, but Duana loved Hamilton first. Duana is the reason I love Hamilton. 

And then I got to interview Lin-Manuel Miranda last week for etalk. I had a moment with him. Even if I could script it I wouldn’t have been able to imagine a better interview scenario, especially with what happened. Duana is hearing the story for the first time when you are on this episode. That’s how we begin. 

After that, we talk about the letter. The letter was written before Hamilton became what we know of as Hamilton, sent in August 2015 from the ensemble to the show’s producer, Jeffrey Seller, about profit-sharing. You can read the letter here.

And you can read more in this Bloomberg article from September 2016 about “How Hamilton’s Cast Got Broadway’s Best Deal”. On this episode, we unpack the risk that went into this work. And what this work means to so many people.

 

So if you’ve never seen Hamilton before, and you’re about to this weekend (be ready to be transformed!), listen to our podcast as a primer to understand how these performers showed their work in so many ways before the public even saw their work. 

Hamilton means different things to different people. Hamilton is an immigrant story, it’s an outsider’s story, it’s the role of women in telling the story, it’s also a story about WORK. There’s a takeaway for everyone. There are ten takeaways for everyone. Which is why it’s the energy we always need, but especially now more than ever. Have a GREAT Hamilton weekend!

And thanks so much for continuing to listen to and support our work on Show Your Work! We have a homework request for you at the end of this episode. Send us your assignments at [email protected] and [email protected]!