Lin-Manuel Miranda Says He is Hopeful About Theatre's Return

In a conversation with Variety, "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda spoke about the pandemic, the return of theatre, and the ways art has been revolutionized by multimedia presentation.

"The loss to the theater community is already incalculable. It's shown people who go into this way of life how fragile it is, how dependent we are on each other, and when the ability to gather is taken away, how long it can take," Miranda said. "I've written rec letters for fellow actors who are going into other lines of work. That's a real hole, and I don't know who is going to come back on the other side of it."

He also spoke to the adaptability of actors. Miranda himself worked as a Bar Mitzvah dancer, a substitute teacher, and a jingle writer to make ends meet while he worked hard to make it in theatre.

"The things we don't talk about are the seamstresses and the front-of-house staff and the ushers and the restaurants around the theater district," he continued. "I just wrapped shooting my first film, 'Tick, Tick ... Boom!' It's not just actors; it's an entire ecosystem that exists around the theater business."

Miranda goes on to discuss the hunger that still exists for theatre - in the form of "Hamilton" on Disney Plus, or across the board as theaters have made their seasons work virtually.

"The 'Rent' movie came I think nine years into 'Rent's' run, and I think it bought it another three years on Broadway because people were reminded of how much they loved that show," he explained.

"So I hope 'Hamilton' has forever demolished that. Showing the world what you're making in the live theater space, while it's not the same as live theater and nothing can be the same as being in the space with people, it can also be an enormous asset."

A Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Emmy, Tony Award-winning composer, lyricist, and actor, Lin-Manuel is the creator and original star of Broadway's Hamilton and In the Heights, and the recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award and 2018 Kennedy Center Honors. He has been an active supporter of relief efforts in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria. He lives with his family in NYC.

Read the whole conversation with Variety here.