Wesleyan University to Establish Scholarships in Honor of Broadway's Hamilton

Wesleyan University, the alma mater of Tony-winning writer and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail, will establish four scholarships in conjunction with Miranda's acclaimed new musical Hamilton.

The college will host a special benefit performance of the show on October 2 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, which was bought out by Tony-winning producer Carole Shorenstein Hays. Attendees will include Wesleyan alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students, and friends. Through additional sponsorships and the sale of more than 1,200 tickets, the university has raised $1.5 million for financial aid for students.

The evening's proceeds will go toward establishing the Hamilton scholarships, recipients of which will be in attendance at the performance. Proceeds will also enlarge the existing Gilbert Parker '48 Wesleyan Scholarship, named for the university's first theater major and a fabled agent at William Morris who mentored Manuel, Kail, and others. A post-show party will take place at the Edison Ballroom.

Miranda leads the company of the musical as Alexander Hamilton, alongside Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler), Phillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton), Jonathan Groff (King George), Daveed Diggs (Marquis De Lafayette, Thomas Jefferson), Christopher Jackson (George Washington), Anthony Ramos (John Laurens, Phillip Hamilton), Okieriete Onaodowan (Hercules Mulligan, James Madison), and Jasmine Cephas Jones (Peggy Shuyler, Maria Reynolds). Javier Muñoz takes on the role of Alexander Hamilton at one performance per week.

The ensemble, in alphabetical order, includes Carleigh Bettiol, Andrew Chappelle, Ariana DeBose, Alysha Deslorieux, Sydney James Harcourt, Neil Haskell, Sasha Hutchings, Thayne Jasperson, Stephanie Klemons, Morgan Marcell, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Jon Rua, Austin Smith, Seth Stewart, Betsy Struxness, Ephraim Sykes, and Voltaire Wade-Greene.

Directed by Thomas Kail and inspired by Ron Chernow's biography Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton explores the life of the American founding father and first Secretary of the Treasury, as well as his experiences as an orphan of the British West Indies who immigrated to the 13 Colonies and helped shape the United States of America. It began Broadway previews July 13, opening on August 6. Hamilton had its world premiere at the Public Theater.

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