Lafayette, center stage

Stepping out to speak with President Nicole Hurd, Lin-Manuel Miranda presented the Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Visiting Lecture to an energized audience inside Kamine Gym on Feb. 12.

Miranda, best known as the creator and star of the award-winning Broadway musicals Hamilton and In the Heights, as well as composer for Disney’s Moana and Encanto, has been creating art from a young age. This driving force to put his voice into the world has, in a little more than a decade, cemented him as one of the most impactful artists of a generation.

Miranda introduced the Marquis de Lafayette to a new generation by giving him a crucial and beloved role in Hamilton, which, in turn, forever shaped Miranda’s own career. “Thank you for what your namesake has done for me,” Miranda told the College crowd. “I knew I would be here someday. I’m very glad I’m here today—and happy birthday!”

During the hour, Miranda shared encouragement for anyone trying to find their own creative voice, and emphasized the impact of mentors. With his unique style and storytelling about immigrants and first-generation students, his discussion was grounded in striving for greatness.

Punctuated by cheers from the excited audience for everything from arts funding to Puerto Rico represented on the global stage, he closed out the lecture with a rendition of “Immigrants, we get the job done,” a popular exchange between the Marquis and Alexander Hamilton.

To Hurd, Miranda was an ideal candidate to discuss democracy and dialogue, upholding excellence, and bringing opportunity to the world: “When you allow other people to see themselves in spaces they haven’t seen themselves in before, that’s an act of love.”

1.

Miranda made his directorial debut adapting Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick … Boom!, a musical about creative struggle that begs the question: Is making art without the promise of success worth it? “It was clarifying for me,” said Miranda. “I remember thinking ‘Yeah, I’m cool with that.’”

2.

A graduate of Wesleyan College, Miranda was drawn to the passionate dialogue pervasive in liberal arts: “I wanted to be where people are so excited about what they’re learning that class runs over and no one even blinks.”

4.

Miranda built a meaningful relationship with one of his creative heroes, composer Stephen Sondheim, who delivered the Jones Visiting Lecture at Lafayette in 2011. Sondheim encouraged Miranda to take the risk of writing Hamilton and provided essential notes on the process.

5.

“Rewriting is writing,” Miranda said. He advised that “no lightning of inspiration strikes perfectly.” Instead, an artist’s job is to fall in love with making the work better—even if that means multiple drafts.