Lin-Manuel Miranda and TeeRico Launch Line of Moondance Diner Merchandise

Following his film directorial debut with tick, tick...BOOM!, Lin-Manuel Miranda is launching a new TeeRico collection of Moondance Diner wear-the latest philanthropic capsule collection for the award-winning composer, actor and director's merchandize brand that donates a portion of all sales to worthy causes such as artists, charity events, and other programs. For this new Moondance Diner collection, proceeds will go to the New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) in honor of Jonathan Larson.

TeeRico, an online store run by Miranda and his family, touts designs created by artists and designers that have been close to Miranda's life -based on some of his work and motivational messages. The brand prides itself on promoting the values of tolerance, inclusion, respect, peace, and love.

This collection is special to Miranda following the making of tick, tick...BOOM! due to its ties to the movie's inspiration, the late Jonathan Larson. Larson, the creator of tick, tick...BOOM! and RENT, worked as a server at the Moondance Diner for nine-years and his time there was depicted in the film in the seminal scene, "Sunday."

"It's where Jonathan spent so much of his time," said Miranda. "Whether he was waiting tables, catching up with friends, or thinking through his next project, the diner was where he was inspired to write the stories that would go on to inspire generations."

Not only did Larson have ties to the diner, but the New York Theatre Workshop was also a pivotal part of his story. In the fall of 1992, after passing New York Theatre Workshop's East Village Theatre on his bicycle, Larson dropped off a cassette tape and script for his new musical, RENT.

RENT had its first staged reading at NYTW in March 1993 directed by NYTW's then Associate Artistic Director, Chris Grabowski. The following month, Jonathan did two performances of tick, tick...BOOM! as part of NYTW's O Solo Mio Festival. Jonathan and the creative team, continued to develop and refine RENT before public workshops of the piece in the fall of 1994.

The original cast went into rehearsals in December 1995 and in the early morning on January 25, 1996, after RENT's final dress rehearsal at NYTW, Jonathan passed away from an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm. As his collaborators tried to grapple with this unimaginable loss, they gathered for a seated reading of RENT for an invited audience of those close to Jonathan. By the time they reached the joyous "La Vie Boheme," the entire cast was on their feet, finishing the whole show at full force to honor Jonathan and his beautiful work.

With this new line of Moondance Diner merchandise, the Miranda Family and the TeeRico team hope to give back to the workshop that gave Larson the foundation for his legacy.

In addition to philanthropic capsule collections like Moondance Diner and the existing Broadway 10036, which benefits the Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, TeeRico also awards $5,000 grants to small community-based organizations serving underrepresented kids and young adults through programming in the arts and other support services. Recent #TeeRicoGrant recipients include: Girls First in Pennsylvania, Washington Heights Choir School in New York, BandWith Chicago in Illinois and Aliento in Arizona, to name a few.