Photo Flash: HAMILTON's Renee Elise Goldsberry Speaks at Broadway Artists Alliance

On July 21st, the students of Broadway Artists Alliance of NYC were tearfully overjoyed by a surprise visit from Hamilton star Renee Elise Goldsberry. Recently winning a Tony Award and Grammy for her role as Angelica Schuyler, Goldsberry spoke about the incredible journey that Hamilton has taken from workshopping a concept, to performing at The Public and moving to the Richard Rodgers Theatre, to earning 16 Tony nominations and winning a Pulitzer Prize. Goldsberry captivated the students of Broadway Artists Alliance during a lively Q&A where she offered generous advice. Scroll down for photos from her appearance!

Goldsberry revealed how when she first auditioned for Hamilton she knew it would be big but she had no idea the acclaim would reach celebrities like Beyonce and the President of the United States. Speaking of her Hamilton family, Goldsberry revealed the importance theatre has had on creating community in her life. She inspired the students to follow their dreams and branch out of their comfort zones.

Bitten by the theatre bug at age 8, she began performing in regional theatre and operas with her brother. A Carnegie Mellon graduate, Goldsberry recalled the importance her training had on her personal journey to Broadway, though she emphasized that every actor's educational journey is different. Currently making history as Angelica Schuyler in the Tony Award winning musical Hamilton, Goldsberry made her Broadway debut as Nala in The Lion King, and has also appeared as Mimi in the final Broadway cast of Rent, Nettie in the Color Purple, Kate in Good People, and Sylvie in Shakespeare in the Park's Two Gentlemen of Verona. She has been nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards for her part as Evangeline Williamson in One Life to Live. No stranger to the screen, Goldsberry has appeared on The Good Wife, The Following, Law and Order: SVU, Younger, and will be starring as the protagonist in the upcoming Netflix series Altered Carbon. Goldsberry spoke of how empowering it is to play such strong female characters both onscreen and onstage.

Broadway Artists Alliance, founded with the goal of providing professional-level training to talented young artists, enlists the expertise of Broadway performers, Tony Award winners, and top industry professionals. Students enjoy a wide range of classes including vocal training, song interpretation, scene study, on camera technique, and various types of dance. BAA offers four Summer Intensive Sessions and one Winter Workshop for students ages 10-21, BAA Junior for students ages 6-10, and a College Audition Workshop for high school Juniors and Seniors who will be auditioning for Musical Theatre and Acting degree programs.

Broadway Artists Alliance's roster of master class instructors and guest speakers includes Skylar Astin, Laura Benanti, Susan Blackwell, Stephanie J. Block, Sierra Boggess, Christian Borle, Alex Brightman, Jason Robert Brown, Andrea Burns, Norbert Leo Butz, Carolee Carmello, Matt Cavenaugh, Michael Cerveris, Adam Chanler-Berat, Jenn Colella, Gabriel Ebert, Eden Espinosa, Michelle Federer, Katie Finneran, Sutton Foster, John Gallagher Jr., Alexander Gemignani, Jonathan Groff, Lena Hall, Douglas Hodge, Bill Irwin, Christopher Jackson, Nikki M. James, Gregory Jbara, Adam Kantor, Judy Kaye, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Beth Leavel, Norm Lewis, Andrea Martin, Lindsay Mendez, Lea Michele, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jessie Mueller, Bebe Neuwirth, Karen Olivo, Laura Osnes, Billy Porter, Alice Ripley, Lea Salonga, Stephen Schwartz, Duncan Sheik, Will Swenson, Marc Shaiman, Aaron Tveit, Noah Weisberg, LiLlias White, Scott Wittman, John Lloyd Young, and many more.

For more information or to register, visit www.broadwayartistsalliance.org.

Photos by Laura McBride