WASHINGTON — Luis A. Miranda Jr. was honored Saturday at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company's 2022 gala in D.C.
Attending the gala at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, was his son, the creator of the Broadway musical Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Though his son has become a phenomenon with hit Disney movies like "Enchanto," the Puerto Rican born Luis Miranda Jr. is a force in his own right. He is an activist, a founding partner of the MirRam Group, a board chair for the Latino Victory Fund board chair and a founding president of the Hispanic Federation.
As a fighter for social justice, he is involved in politics, advocating for women and candidates of color. He managed Tish James' campaign to become attorney general of New York and was also a key contributor for Hillary Clinton's run for U.S. Senate.
Luis Miranda Jr. was not only honored for his activism at the gala, but also for his contributions to the Miranda Family Fellow Program which launched in spring 2021.
The fellowship is described as providing "talented candidates from historically excluded communities, especially Black, Indigenous, Latiné, and People of Color, with the resources and training necessary to build their careers as theatre makers."
Both Lin-Manuel and Luis Miranda were at the gala to honor recipients of the fellowship. WUSA9 spoke exclusively to the father-son duo about their involvement in the program and why it is so important to empower underrepresented groups in the theater.
Luis Miranda said he hopes that the fellowship can start to change how theater looks in the country by reflecting "people who represent all walks of life in America."
Lin-Manuel Miranda hopes the fellowship can also expand opportunities for underrepresented groups when it comes to backstage work.
"The fact that Lin-Manuel has been able to open doors for so many people of color throughout the country, and if we could replicate some of that at Woolly Mammoth, we want to continue to do that," Luis Miranda said.
Woolly Mammoth received more than 300 applications for the fellowship, which lasts from this June through June 2023.