Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist Book Event with Live Music!
Benefit for Artists Repertory Theatre
Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 7:30pm
Hamilton lovers, to the front! Artists Repertory Theatre proudly presents an evening of songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s legendary repertoire and behind-the-scenes conversation with author Daniel Pollack-Pelzner.
An intimate and captivating exploration of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s artistic journey, revealing how the creator of the Broadway musicals Hamilton and In the Heights found his unique voice through bold collaborations, redefining the world of musical theater.
The presentation will last ~90 minutes followed by a reception.
Tickets
Sat, Nov 1, 2025 at 7:30pm
At Artists Rep
$125 (includes autographed copy of the book)
$100 w/o book
$50 community tickets
All proceeds go toward supporting Artists Rep’s 2025/26 season.
About the book Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist:
How did Lin-Manuel Miranda, the sweet, sensitive son of Puerto Rican parents from an immigrant neighborhood in Manhattan, rise to become the preeminent musical storyteller of the 21st century? Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist is his incredible story as never told before, tracing Miranda’s path from an often isolated child to the winner of multiple Tonys and Grammys for his Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights; a global chart-topping sensation for his songs in Disney’s Moana and Encanto; and the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Genius Grant.
Miranda’s journey is a testament to the power of creativity, collaboration, and cultural synthesis. He was not a musical prodigy, but an insatiable drive to create art and learn from those around him propelled him to fuse his Latino heritage with pop, hip-hop, and the musical styles of Broadway. His was a new way of telling American stories, and of speaking to new audiences.
Drawing on interviews with Miranda’s family, friends, and mentors—and many conversations with Miranda himself—Daniel Pollack-Pelzner delves into the formative experiences that shaped Miranda as an artist, from his early musicals in high school and college to the creation of his Broadway and Hollywood triumphs. With full access to Miranda’s inner circle, this behind-the-scenes origin story is sure to captivate his legions of fans and beyond.
About author Daniel Pollack-Pelzner:
Daniel Pollack-Pelzner has written about theater and contemporary culture for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. Born and raised in Oregon, he teaches theater history at Portland State University and is the scholar-in-residence at the Portland Shakespeare Project. He lives in Portland with his wife, whom he met in a fifth-grade production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and their two children.
Quesa D’Mondays / Alec Lugo
Host
Quesa D’Mondays / Alec Lugo (she/they) is a full-time, live-singing Portland-based drag performer, producer, host, visual artist and personality. A theatre queen at heart, she made her drag debut in Bag&Baggage Productions’ hit show Who’s Holiday, and since then has taken the drag scene by storm. She produces a variety of events across the city, from her live musical Qabaret Quesa series, to bingos and brunches, and also makes special guest appearances with local bands, queer organizations, affinity groups, organizing drives, and more. She was runner-up in Season 2 of Portland’s Baby Qween competition, she was runner-up Mis Gay Pride Portland 2025, and she has already performed coast to coast in her year-and-a-half long career. Outside of drag, she is a musical theatre performer and actor, with credits from Portland Center Stage, Profile Theatre, Broadway Rose Theatre Company, Northwest Children’s Theatre, Portland Playhouse, and more, and television credits on IFC, PBS, and OPB. She recently closed a sold-out run of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins with Fuse Theatre Ensemble, being the first drag queen ever to have performed in a production of this particular musical.
Madeleine Tran
Performer
Madeleine Tran is a Vietnamese-American soprano, actor, fight choreographer, and occasional street and festival performer. She studies voice under Dr. Nicole Hanig and studies and teaches stage combat under the mentorship of Kristen Mun. She has performed locally with many companies, including Artists Repertory Theatre, Profile Theater, Third Rail Repertory, Portland Center Stage, Shaking The Tree, Portland Opera, and Renegade Opera.
Isaac Lamb
Performer
Isaac Lamb is an award-winning actor, director, and educator. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and a proud company member of Third Rail Repertory Theatre. Select Local credits: A Case for the Existence of God, The Aliens, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Noises Off, Belleville, The Flick (Third Rail); Every Brilliant Thing, The 25th Annual…Spelling Bee, A Small Fire, Great Expectations, Twist Your Dickens, Miss Bennet, Gem of the Ocean, Sweeney Todd (PCS); The Storyteller, Assassins, Playboy of the Western World (ART); Sound of Music, The Addams Family, Ripper (Broadway Rose); Mr. Burns: a post electric play, Peter and the Starcatcher, Scarlet (Portland Playhouse); The Three Sisters (PETE); How to Make an American Son (Profile). Broadway National Tour: Defending the Caveman. Select Regional: Timeless: Barbara Streisand(Staples Center), Sweet Charity (Red Mountain), One Sunday in Mississippi (Bannister). Film: Lean on Pete(Film4), North Starr (Sundance). TV: The Rehearsal (HBO), American Vandal (Netflix), Portlandia (IFC). Proud member AEA, SAG/AFTRA. isaaclamb.com
Negasi Brown
Performer
Negasi (they/them) is an actor, singer, director, organizer and educator based in Portland. Their work centers radical imagination and community connection, with a particular focus in supporting QTBIPOC youth. Recently, they performed in
“Everybody’s Eyes Are On The First” at FUSE theater and “I Think of You” with Lewis & Clark College and Portland Center Stage. They are also a teaching artist with Rogue Pack, and a member of this year’s PATHWAYS cohort with ART. They are currently the director of the 2025 Trans Voices Cabaret Portland. Negasi’s goal is to build resilience and safety through the arts, ensuring everyone has access to uninhibited creativity.
Mak Kastelic
Pianist
Mak Kastelic (He/They), Piano, has made a home in the Portland theater scene primarily as a musical director, but also as a vocal coach, performer, and collaborator for over a decade. Recent productions include Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Funhouse Lounge, and Assassins with Fuse Ensemble. Instagram @makonkeys
“This insightful biography of the most life enhancing musical theatre figure of his generation is essential reading, and not just for theatre nuts. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Andrew Lloyd Webber
“I would hear about this little boy who displayed immense passion and curiosity about our animated musicals, along with every other interesting and creative thing that crossed his path. And decades later, I watched him become the unstoppable force behind a new generation of classics as a composer, lyricist, actor, director and producer; and as one of our most brilliant and important artistic voices. It’s a pleasure to see Lin’s journey reflected in this deeply researched book.”
—Alan Menken
“‘Genius’ is not a word I use lightly or frequently, but it is the only way I can describe Lin-Manuel Miranda. His combination of creativity and craft is astonishing, and this book, which gives fascinating insights into how he got there, is invaluable to anyone who cares about the art of musical theatre.”
—Stephen Schwartz, Grammy and Oscar Award-winning lyricist and composer of “Wicked”
“I witnessed Lin-Manuel’s brilliance performing opposite him in Hamilton every night, and I always wondered where his genius came from. This book reveals his fascinating origin story. It’s more than a gripping biography; it’s a creative handbook for anyone who wants to innovate, to collaborate, to synthesize their influences into something new.”
—Leslie Odom, Jr., Tony and Grammy Award winner
“It’s a revelatory tell-all! But there is so much gold here, I had to put down the popcorn and start taking notes. At one point, I was crying reading the part I thought I knew, because there was so much to learn. The life lessons here demystify more than how to make a masterpiece; they teach us how to live. May the origin story of all our heroes be told in this way!”
—Renée Elise Goldsberry, Tony and Grammy Award winner
“Everyone knows Lin-Manuel Miranda the icon. This book introduces you to Lin the kid, the collaborator, the relentless tinkerer who never stopped learning. It’s a reminder that great art doesn’t come fully formed. It’s messy. It’s joyful. It’s made in basements and buses and borrowed pianos. If you’ve ever been inspired by his work, you owe it to yourself to read the story behind it. This is the mixtape of how it all began.”
—Jon M. Chu, director, Wicked and Crazy Rich Asians