HAMILTON Relocates Venue For Puerto Rico Run Due to Security Concerns

Hamilton is gearing up to head to Puerto Rico next month, starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, returning to the titular role he created. However, the production has abruptly switched venues, due to a security concern.

Hamilton will now play at the Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center (Bellas Artes) January 11-27, 2019.

"During this year of preparations, HAMILTON could not have had better allies than UPR Rio Piedras Campus' Chancellor Dr. Luis Ferrao and his team. They have made the impossible, possible," said Luis A. Miranda Jr. "While we believed in the safety of the campus, some have expressed the possibility of holding rallies outside the theater to draw attention to their causes. We believe in the right to peacefully assemble and we believe in freedom of speech. But in the case of an unforeseen emergency, our HAMILTON production security alone would not be able to provide security to cast, crew, patrons and the UPR community."

"We will do everything in our power to make this a seamless transition for ticket holders and for everyone in Puerto Rico who has welcomed HAMILTON with open arms," Producer Jeffrey Seller said. "We are deeply appreciative of everyone who has worked so hard to bring HAMILTON to Puerto Rico."

Tickets previously purchased through Ticketpop, Flamboyan Arts Fund, and local tour operators will be accommodated at Bellas Artes. Ticket holders attending performances January 11 to January 27 will be reassigned tickets by Ticket POP for the same day and time of the original order; seats will be reassigned in comparable locations. Beginning December 27 Ticketpop will be contacting ticket holders to the January 8 to January 10 performances. Those ticket buyers will be provided options to attend HAMILTON on a new date and time; those who cannot attend another performance will be issued a refund in the same payment method of the original transaction. Ten thousand tickets will still be sold for $10 each via lottery to residents of Puerto Rico, with 1,000 tickets earmarked for students attending higher education institutions on the island. Additional information is available at www.hamiltonmusical.com/puerto-rico.

Since early in 2017, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Seller, and Luis A. Miranda Jr. have been working on bringing HAMILTON to the historic Teatro UPR at the Rio Piedras campus of the University of Puerto Rico. The urgency of bringing HAMILTON to Puerto Rico was only heightened after the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria. The engagement became a vehicle to spotlight Puerto Rico, its triumphs and its challenges, and to bring more assistance to the island as it continued on its path toward recovery and restoration. Teatro UPR, severely damaged by Hurricane Maria, was selected as a means of highlighting that journey of rebirth. By investing over $1 million in the theater's restoration, HAMILTON has helped build a newly renovated, first-class venue, giving the University of Puerto Rico the ability to welcome productions and patrons from around the world to the campus for years to come. The goal of not only restoring the theater, but also improving it, has been achieved.

"I knew the moment that HAMILTON was a success on Broadway and would have a national tour, that I would to bring the show to Puerto Rico," said creator and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda. "I was incredibly excited to walk the boards of UPR's newly-renovated stage. It's my father's alma mater, and he has worked hard for over a year with so many to present the show there. I am sad that won't happen on this tour, but I am grateful to return to Bellas Artes, where I had a truly remarkable experience performing IN THE HEIGHTS in 2011."

In collaboration with HAMILTON and the Flamboyan Foundation, the Miranda Family also created the Flamboyan Arts Fund, seeking to raise $15 million for arts and culture organizations in Puerto Rico to be distributed over a three to five year period. This effort will remain unaffected by the production's relocation to Bellas Artes. Tickets benefitting the Flamboyan Arts Fund are still available for select performances.

Located in the Santurce section of San Juan, the Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center (Bellas Artes) is a complex of five world-class, state-of-the-art performance spaces that include three theaters - Antonio Paoli Hall (Actor's Equity certified, nearly 2,000 seats), René Marques Hall (nearly 800 seats) and Carlos Marichal Hall (arena-style venue that seats approximately 210 spectators), the Pablo Casals Symphony Hall (which houses the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra), and a cabaret venue named Punto Fijo.

Bellas Artes, located within minutes of San Juan's International Airport, is Puerto Rico's premiere performance complex housing big-scale productions such as operas, ballets, concerts and commercial theater performances. The current home of the world-renowned Casals Festival, previous tenants include the touring production of In The Heights (starring Lin-Manuel Miranda), the legendary Spanish-language Madrid touring production of Evita (starring Paloma San Basilio) and local productions of Broadway favorites Hairspray, Rent, La Cage Aux Folles, Nine, Guys & Dolls, Little Shop of Horrors, Mary Poppins, Man of La Mancha, The King and I, M. Butterfly andAugust: Osage County, among many others. Most recently, the complex housed the San Juan production of Mamma Mia! (starring Ednita Nazario, of Broadway's The Capeman) and this month, a Spanish-language production of Disney's Beauty & The Beast.