HAMILTON Returns To Puerto Rico With A Special Benefit Performance To Strengthen Resiliency Efforts And Support Local Arts, Culture On The Island
For Immediate Release: March 6, 2023
Contact: media@hispanicfederation.org
VIP donor reception to include original Broadway cast reunion with special guests Renée Elise Goldberry, Christopher Jackson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Leslie Odom, Jr.
Proceeds from ticket sales for June 16th performance will go toward recovery efforts led by Hispanic Federation and the Flamboyan Arts Fund.
PUERTO RICO — HAMILTON is returning to Puerto Rico for two weeks in June, with a special benefit performance being held on Friday, June 16, 2023 in support of the Hispanic Federation (HF) and the Flamboyan Arts Fund. The benefit performance of the award winning musical will help strengthen and advance both nonprofit’s efforts to uplift Puerto Rican communities throughout the archipelago. Original cast members, including Renée Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Leslie Odom Jr., will attend the benefit performance and a special VIP donor reception. Tickets for the benefit performance can be purchased here.
Before and after the show, VIP guests will be invited to exclusive receptions to celebrate Hispanic Federation and Flamboyan Arts Fund. VIP guests will have the opportunity to mingle with members from the original Broadway cast. This one-night-only event is the first time this group of original Broadway cast members has made a public appearance together since 2017. Since then, each original Broadway cast member has starred in films and TV shows and have produced and written award-winning content, including Goldsberry's "Girls5Eva," Odom Jr.'s roles in "One Night in Miami" and "Glass Onion," and Jackson's role on the CBS hit show "Bull." After the show, VIP guests will be invited to an afterparty with the tour cast and original Broadway cast.
"I am so proud of the work that both Hispanic Federation and the Flamboyan Arts Fund have done for the Puerto Rican community through their support and funding of grassroots efforts,” said Lin-Manuel Miranda. “By providing support to activists, artists and community groups on the ground, they have changed the ecosystem for the arts and the nonprofit sector. I am excited to reunite in Puerto Rico with some of my fellow original Broadway castmates to cheer on this incredible HAMILTON company in San Juan and raise funds to continue this work. It’s going to be quite the reunion!”
“We’re honored to join the Miranda family and the cast of HAMILTON in Puerto Rico,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation. “We’re bringing together the power of philanthropy, the arts, culture, and entertainment to have the biggest possible, long-term impact in Puerto Rico. We thank Lin-Manuel and the Miranda Family for organizing this special event, and look forward to our continued partnership to build a stronger and more resilient Puerto Rico.”
“We are thrilled and excited to have the musical back in Puerto Rico. The contributions that the Flamboyan Arts Fund has made over the years have made a lasting impact. However, there is still work to be done,” said Carlos Rodríguez-Silvestre, Executive Director of the Flamboyan Foundation in Puerto Rico. “HAMILTON's return is an opportunity to continue supporting and investing in the Puerto Rican artistic and cultural sector.”
When Hurricane Maria made landfall on the island in 2017, more than 3,000 people lost their lives, 200,000 were displaced, the island lost power for almost a year, and health systems were stressed. In total, Hurricane Maria left behind about $90 billion worth of damage and decimated a key sector of the local economy - Puerto Rico’s coffee industry.
Since then, Hispanic Federation and the Flamboyan Arts Fund have been leaders in the archipelago’s recovery through a variety of programs that support equitable economic development and preserve and sustain the arts in Puerto Rico.
HF’s long-term commitment to Puerto Rico began as soon as Hurricane Maria made landfall. HF was a first responder to the crisis and has been a major funder and driver of Puerto Rico’s recovery efforts. In 2023, HF will continue its commitment to Puerto Rico with an additional pledge of approximately $3 million in philanthropic funding and nearly $5 million in federal funding through a new partnership with the USDA. These funds will support grant-making for community-based organizations, the expansion of renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and other long-term recovery initiatives in Puerto Rico. The funds will also aid in promoting equitable community development and support the island’s long-term vision for recovery, resilience, and change. These new commitments are in addition to the more than $51 million in philanthropic investments HF has made over the past five years to advance Puerto Rico’s recovery from natural disasters and the COVID-19 Pandemic. In February 2023, HF hosted Fiesta Benéfica, its first gala in Puerto Rico that raised more than $300,000.
Meanwhile, The Flamboyan Arts Fund began as a partnership between Flamboyan Foundation, Lin-Manuel Miranda, his family, and the Broadway musical HAMILTON to preserve, amplify, and sustain the arts in Puerto Rico. The fund supports all facets of the arts community including music, theater, visual arts, dance, literature, and youth arts education to ensure that the arts and culture continue to flourish during the rebuilding of Puerto Rico. To date, the Flamboyan Arts Fund has disbursed over $10 million to more than 100 arts organizations, and over 600 individual artists. The Flamboyan Arts Fund has provided multi-year, unrestricted grants to these arts and culture organizations providing services around the island. These organizations are pillars of the cultural heritage of Puerto Rico, and these grants have provided the funding and flexibility to ensure that they can continue producing art and connecting with their communities. The Flamboyan Arts Fund has also established more than 10 successful and meaningful partnerships with national foundations and nonprofits to support the island’s cultural ecosystem.
About The Flamboyan Arts Fund:
The Flamboyan Arts Fund is a partnership between Flamboyan Foundation, Lin-Manuel Miranda, his family, and the Broadway musical Hamilton to preserve, amplify, and sustain the arts in Puerto Rico. Since Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017, many artists and arts organizations like museums, theaters, arts education programs, and music venues are at risk of cutting back services or closing. The fund supports all facets of the arts community including music, theater, visual arts, dance, literature, and youth arts education to ensure that the arts and culture continue to flourish during the rebuilding of Puerto Rico.
About HAMILTON:
HAMILTON is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, HAMILTON has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theater—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education.
With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, HAMILTON is based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography. It has won Tony®, Grammy®, and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.
The HAMILTON creative team previously collaborated on the Tony Award®-Winning Best Musical In the Heights.
HAMILTON features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, casting by The Telsey Office, Bethany Knox, CSA, and General Management by Baseline Theatrical.
