I always had an eye toward the stage for the story of Hamilton's life, but I began with the idea of a concept album, the way Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Evita' and 'Jesus Christ Superstar' were albums before they were musicals.
Lin-Manuel MirandaRead
In 'Hamilton,' we're telling the stories of old, dead white men, but we're using actors of color, and that makes the story more immediate and more accessible to a contemporary audience.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the importance of diversity in storytelling and how it makes historical narratives more relevant today.
Lin-Manuel Miranda emphasizes that by casting actors of color in the roles of historical figures, we can connect modern audiences to the stories of the past. This approach not only revitalizes the narratives but also allows for a broader representation, enhancing the relatability and impact of the storytelling for diverse viewers.
Themes
DiversityStorytellingRepresentationTheaterHistory
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on modern theater, one could use this quote to illustrate the importance of diverse casting.
More from Lin-Manuel Miranda
All quotes →You know what's a great way of tricking people into thinking you're a genius? Write a show about geniuses!
Lin-Manuel MirandaRead
I think I'm always subconsciously trying to write the ideal school play. Lots of parts for everybody, great parts for women - don't forget, more girls try out than boys in the school play; everyone gets to be in the school play.
Lin-Manuel MirandaRead
Anytime you write something, you go through so many phases. You go through the 'I'm a Fraud' phase. You go through the 'I'll Never Finish' phase. And every once in a while you think, 'What if I actually have created what I set out to create, and it's received as such?'
Lin-Manuel MirandaRead
Everything we know about Hamilton, we knew when he was alive, because he told us.
Lin-Manuel MirandaRead
In the best works of fiction, there's no mustache-twirling villain. I try to write shows where even the bad guy's got his reasons.
Lin-Manuel MirandaRead
Similar quotes
Architecture arouses sentiments in man. The architect's task therefore, is to make those sentiments more precise.
Adolf LoosRead
My metaphor for translation has always been that translation is really a performance art. You take the original and try to perform it, really, in a different medium. Part of that is about interpretation and what you think the author's voice really is.
Ken LiuRead
Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by compositional logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything but which must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception. How many colors are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of ‘Green?’ How many rainbows can light create for the untutored eye?
Stan BrakhageRead
Painting doesn't freeze time. It circulates and recycles time like a wheel that turns. Those who were first might well be last. Painting is a very slow art. It doesn't travel with the speed of light. That's why dead painters shine so bright.
Marlene DumasRead
Casting sometimes is fate and destiny more than skill and talent, from a director's point of view.
Steven SpielbergRead
I would like to paint the way a bird sings.
Claude MonetRead