Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Catalyst
Ideas with a spark, energy, range and the ability to start things.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is a celebrated composer and actor known for his groundbreaking musical Hamilton. This interview reveals his ability to inspire and connect with diverse audiences, emphasizing the importance of storytelling and collaboration in driving social change.
“No, it really is. I mean, you know, Hamilton has a lot of politics in it because it's about the birth of politics. You know, in the heights has politics inherent in it because it's about a group of people living in a neighborhood that is changing against their will.”
“He doesn't know when to stop. His strength is also his flaw. His talents are so useful when he's fighting a war, and we all have a common enemy. But when we don't anymore, they turn inward and they turn towards his fellow founders. And that creates our two-party system.”
“I started writing musicals in high school. We had a student written theater group named Brick Prison, named after our building. If you ever see Hunter's building, it's a converted armory. There are no windows. And so by the time I was in ninth grade, I was trying to write plays that would be performed.”
“Yeah, you know, every day I am even more grateful that I went to a public elementary school that had art and music next to math and science, and they were just equal in the eyes of all. I went to Hunter Elementary School, 94th and Park. We had an amazing music teacher named Miss Ames.”
The Axe Files with David Axelrod — Best of The Axe Files: Lin-Manuel Miranda
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