JCCSF to Welcome HAMILTON's Daveed Diggs in Conversation with Chinaka Hodge

The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF) welcomes Daveed Diggs, the breakout star and breakneck rapper who took home the 2016 Tony Award for his portrayals of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the Broadway blockbuster Hamilton, on Saturday, September 10 at 7 p.m.

Diggs will be in conversation with poet, educator, playwright and screenwriter Chinaka Hodge at the Marcia and John Goldman Lecture at the JCCSF (3200 California Street, San Francisco), and he will get real about getting his shot on Broadway, his love for the performing arts and spoken word and how his Oakland upbringing influences his artistic path.

The event is sold out, but fans can watch the live stream at jccsf.org/ondemand.

On Saturday, August 27, in celebration of Diggs' visit, the JCCSF and Youth Speaks held a teen poetry slam to select three poets to open for the September 10 event. With applicants from around the Bay Area, 11 participants were invited to compete and high school seniors Megan Bartschat and Maxine Flasher-Duzgunes of Mill Valley and Tova Ricardo of Oakland were selected by judges Jason Bayani of Kearny Street Workshop, Poet Hadas Goshen, Khafre Jay of Hip Hop for Change Inc., and Beverly Mislang and Tassiana Willis of Youth Speaks, to perform on the main stage before Diggs' appearance. The poetry slam was made possible by the generous gift of Daniel Handler and Lisa Brown.

In anticipation of the evening's event, the JCCSF is hosting Hamiltunes SF at 2 p.m., the all-ages sing-a-long of the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton. At the sold out event, participants will be able to sing or rap to the musical's hit songs.

Though the events are sold out, the JCCSF is opening the celebration to the public with a pre-show event in the Pottruck Family atrium, starting at 6 p.m.. The free event will feature a bar, food from Venga Empanadas and Churn Urban Creamery and live music from DJ 3rd Degree.

The JCCSF has been serving the Bay Area since 1877 with programs that help individuals and the community to flourish. A second home for San Franciscans of all backgrounds and beliefs, the JCCSF welcomes more than 5,000 guests each day to world-class cultural events, a state-of-the-art fitness center, outstanding preschools and after-school enrichment, and hundreds of inspiring educational, recreational, social and wellness programs for all ages. The JCCSF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose programs are made possible through the generous support of the community.

The JCCSF is located at 3200 California Street. For more information, visit www.jccsf.org.

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