This is not a drill; the Hamilton production at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, might be starting its preparations at El Teatro UPR sooner than was anticipated. Lin-Manuel Miranda had previously visited the island to help the rebuilding efforts of the Island and its communities during the aftermath hurricane Maria. On one of his many visits, he stopped by the Río Piedras Campus in November 2017 to converse with its students. It had been said that he would proudly take on the role as Alexander Hamilton once more for the island. He called the opportunity “un sueño realizado”. But, will students also be able to take part in the production?
While it had been assured by the dramaturg that a casting would be held for local talent to participate in the musical during the three weeks it will be presented in January, this past week during a conversation with la Junta de Gobierno de la UPR, Lin-Manuel publicly stated that he would like UPR students to take part in the production. What better group to form the company than UPR Drama students? While it is still unclear in what aspects the students will be able to participate, he wants students to have full priority when Hamilton raises its curtains in January 2019. The reconstruction of the UPR Theatre is set to begin in the next few months, which means that the Humanities faculty will be in full motion preparing for this historical event.
Lin-Manuel is no stranger to bringing productions to Puerto Rico. Previously In The Heights had also taken center stage in the island at El Centro de Bellas Artes de Puerto Rico. However, he specified “la IUPI needs this” when asked why he would bring the Hamilton musical to the island and, most importantly, when asked why the UPR?
Lin-Manuel Miranda with Dialogo UPR, accompanied by Jeffrey Seller
Back in November 2017, the predicted dates were announced to be from January 8 to the 27 in 2019 as confirmed by Dialogo UPR. The price estimate is $10 seats for students (a Ham for Ham as Lin-Manuel likes to call it). Over 400 seats are to be reserved at each function for the students of the University. Besides the aforementioned $10 tickets, he would also like to do a show every Wednesday reserved exclusively for UPR students only and the tickets will also be priced at $10. Overall, their mission is for the musical to serve as a fundraiser for the island. Proceeds will be given to different charities that will not just help the island with its reconstruction, but it will also help creative and artistic entities that suffered the hurricane’s aftermath, affirmed Luis Miranda, Lin-Manuel’s father.
Get ready UPR-RP Campus because it seems like the next few months are going to be very exciting. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.