Cecilia Aldarondo Signs with United Talent Agency (UTA)

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Cecilia Aldarondo has new representation…

The Puerto Rican director-producer has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA).

Aldarondo’s third feature, You Were My First Boyfriend, premiered in Documentary Feature Competition at the SXSW Film Festival on Friday.

The hybrid documentary written and directed by Aldarondo and Sarah Enid Hagey is billed in SXSW’s official program as an examination of “the power of adolescent fantasy, the subtle violence of cultural assimilation, and the fun house mirror of time’s passage.”

Aldarondo also produced the film heading to HBO later this year, which sees her revisit her 1990s adolescence, a generation after she thought she’d left it all behind.

Aldarondo previously directed and produced the feature docs Memories of a Penitent Heart and Landfall, both of which were co-produced by the award-winning PBS series, POV.

The former title world premiering at Tribeca picks up 25 years after Miguel’s death from AIDS, as his niece cracks open a Pandora’s box of unresolved family drama, by tracking down his estranged lover. The latter, also screening at Tribeca, which examined the fraught relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, won DOC NYC’s Viewfinders Grand Jury Prize, also landing Aldarondo noms at the Cinema Eye Honors Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards.

A former Women at Sundance Fellow who was named to DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40 list Aldarondo has also previously received a Guggenheim Fellowship and an IDA Emerging Filmmaker Award, among other accolades. While continuing to build on her career behind the camera, she teaches filmmaking at Williams College in Williamstown, MA

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Receive Changemaker Award from Greenwich International Film Festival

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is a changemaker… And, now he’ll have the award to prove it.

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer-songwriter, playwright, and film director will receive the 2022 Changemaker Award from the Greenwich International Film Festival, according to festival organizer.

Miranda, the Pulitzer Prize winning creator of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton and the soundtracks to Disney‘s Moana and Encanto, has been selected for the award for his work with the Miranda Family Fund, which supports causes like education, the arts and social justice, and has been particularly focused on rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017.

In particular, GIFF is recognizing the work the fund has done in the last three years to provide more than 80 emerging artists with professional training, support in the business of the arts, access to casting directors, managers, and agents.

Miranda is also receiving the award for his work developing two full-time paid fellowship programs for BIPOC people in the arts world as a way of combating systemic barriers in the industry: a fellowship with acclaimed theater Woolly Mammoth for arts administrators which was announced in December 2020, and a Miranda fellows program at Telsey & Co. Casting Agency, the first class of which will be announced this winter.

The Changemaker Award honors artists who use film to forward social change.

Previous recipients include Eva Longoria Baston, Ashley Judd, Renée Zellweger, Christy Turlington Burns, Freida Pinto, Trudie Styler, Abigail Breslin, Harry Belafonte and Mia Farrow.

“I am especially honored to receive this award from GIFF, a non-profit that ‘bridges the worlds of art and philanthropy’—two areas I care about so deeply,” said Miranda in a statement. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the investment that arts educators have been putting into students for decades, often made possible only by the philanthropy of others. My family and I long ago made a commitment to continue that philanthropy, to open up more avenues for underrepresented artists, to diversify the field and allow far more people to be seen and heard. Thank you to GIFF for helping to continue to make that possible.”

GIFF, an all-female led non-profit organization that aims to use film to support social justice and philanthropic efforts, also announced that, instead of hosting a traditional week-long film festival, this year they will produce “GIFF: Uninterrupted,” a year-long programming format that will allow filmmakers to screen projects around other festival runs, premiere dates and press tours. GIFF will host an exclusive digital streaming platform for circumstances in which in-person events aren’t possible, and will continue to offer its best social impact film award, which includes a $10,000 cash prize. The award will be announced via virtual ceremony on April 27, 2022.

Miranda will be honored at the 2022 Changemaker Gala, which will be held May 25. Jenna Bush-Hager will emcee the event, which will take place at L’Escale in Greenwich, Conn.

Jessica Pimentel to Star in Hulu’s Drama Pilot “Olga Dies Dreaming”

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Jessica Pimentel is livin’ the dream(ing)…

The 38-year-old Dominican American actress will star opposite Aubrey Plaza, Ramón Rodríguez and Wanda De Jesús in Olga Dies Dreaming, Hulu’s one-hour drama pilot based on the novel by Xochitl Gonzalez.

The pilot for Olga Dies Dreaming, written by Gonzalez and to be directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, tells the story of a Nuyorican brother (Rodríguez) and sister (Plaza) from a gentrifying Sunset Park in Brooklyn who are reckoning with their absent, politically radical mother (De Jesús) and their glittering careers among New York City’s elite in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Pimentel will play Mabel Ortiz, who is as street smart as she is book smart. She loves a good time; the first on a dance floor and the last off. She has opinions and isn’t afraid to express them, and she refuses to take the time to wrap them in a nice bow. Her big personality masks a more sensitive interior. She worships her cousin Prieto (Rodríguez) but, despite having been raised like sisters, her relationship with Olga (Plaza) is now more fraught.

Jesse Williams also stars.

Gomez-Rejon, who partnered with Gonzalez after reading her novel in manuscript form, executive produces the pilot; Plaza and Rodríguez are producing. 20th Television is the studio.

Pimentel is best known for her role as Maria Ruiz on all seven seasons of Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black.

Her other previous television credits include recurring roles on Law & Order: SVU and Person of Interest.

She can currently be seen in Theodore Schaefer’s feature Giving Birth to a Butterfly.

Wanda De Jesús to Star in Hulu’s Drama Pilot “Olga Dies Dreaming”

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Wanda De Jesús is dreamingbig…

The 63-year-old Latina actress will star opposite Aubrey Plaza and Ramón Rodríguez in Olga Dies Dreaming, Hulu’s one-hour drama pilot based on the novel by Xochitl Gonzalez.

The pilot for Olga Dies Dreaming, written by Gonzalez and to be directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, tells the story of a Nuyorican brother (Rodríguez) and sister (Plaza) from a gentrifying Sunset Parkin Brooklynwho are reckoning with their absent, politically radical mother (De Jesús) and their glittering careers among New York City’s elite in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

De Jesús’ plays Blanca Acevedo, a former Young Lord turned radical activist, who is brilliant and uncompromising. From an early age she was the family contrarian, always keenly aware of injustice: in her family, in the neighborhood and the world.

Gomez-Rejon, who partnered with Gonzalez after reading her novel in manuscript form, executive produces the pilot; Plaza and Rodríguez are producing. 20th Century Fox Television is the studio.

De Jesús’ film credits include the Franc Reyes-directed Illegal Tender, produced by John Singleton, and a co-starring role in Reyes-helmed The Ministers, along with Clint Eastwood’s Bloodwork and PBS Masterpiece Theatre’s Almost a Woman.

Lilia Luciano Named LA-Based CBS News Correspondent

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Lilia Luciano is ready for full-time work…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican investigative reporter and documentary filmmaker has been named a correspondent for CBS News based in Los Angeles.

Luciano joined the network in March, 2020 as a freelance correspondent, and has covered major stories on the West Coast including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, immigration issues at the border and wildfires in Oregon and California.

Luciano previously was an investigative reporter at the ABC affiliate in Sacramento from 2016 to 2019. She also was the chief investigative correspondent for Discovery Channel’s Border Live, and worked as a host and contributor on various platforms for Vice. She also was a correspondent for NBC News, reporting across the network platforms in English and Spanish.

She directed and produced Wars of Others, an HBO Latino documentary about the War on Drugs and the consequences for Colombian farmers. She won a Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2018 for a series on Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for her coverage of the California wildfires.

She was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is fluent in Spanish, English and Portuguese. She graduated from the University of Miami with degrees in economics and broadcast journalism.

Hulu Orders Drama Pilot for TV Adaptation of Xochitl Gonzalez’s “Olga Dies Dreaming”

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Xochitl Gonzalez is die-dreaming…

Hulu has given an official pilot order to Olga Dies Dreaming, a one-hour drama based on the forthcoming novel by the Latina writer.

In anticipation of the official green light for the project from Gonzalez, Emmy-nominated and Sundance-winning filmmaker Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and 20th Century Television , the pilot has already has been casting.

Written by Gonzalez and to be directed by Gomez-Rejon, Olga Dies Dreaming is the story of a Nuyorican brother and sister from a gentrifying Sunset Park, Brooklyn, reckoning with the absent, politically radical mother and their glittering careers among New York City’s elite in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Gomez-Rejon partnered with Gonzalez after reading her novel in manuscript form. Together, they developed the series from the ground up and will executive produce the pilot. 20th Television is the studio.

Gonzalez is an MFA candidate in fiction at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she is an Iowa Arts Fellow and the recipient of the Michener Copernicus Award for Fiction. She was the winner of the 2019 Disquiet Literary Prize and her work has been published by Vogue, The Cut, Ninth Letter and Joyland magazine. Her debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming was sold to Flatiron Books after a 10-way auction and will publish in January.

Prior to beginning her MFA, Gonzalez was an entrepreneur and strategic consultant for nearly 15 years.

Gomez-Rejon directed the award-winning Sundance film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and The Current War: Director’s Cut among others. He most recently served as executive producer and director on Hunters.

Colman Domingo Earns First-Ever Spirit Awards Nomination

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Colman Domingo has real spirit…

The Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations for the 2020-21 season finally have been announced today, with the 51-year-old half-Guatemalan/Belizean American Tony Award-nominated actor earning his first ever Spirit Awards nod.

Domingo is nominated in the Best Supporting Male category for his performance in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Maite Alberdi has picked up a nod…

The 37-year-old Chilean producer, director, documentarian and screenwriter is nominated in the Best Documentary category for her acclaimed film The Mole Agent, which is representing Chile in the Oscar race for Best International Film.

Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho have been nominated in the Best International Film race.

The Brazilian filmmakers are nominated for their highly-acclaimed film Bacarau.

Cecilia Aldarondo is nominated for the Truer Than Fiction Award, which is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.

The Puerto Rican filmmaker earned the nod for directing Landfall, which chronicles the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, while offering a sensitive and urgent portrait of the continued fraught relationship between the US and Puerto Rico.

Harold Torres has earned a nod in the television categories…

The 36-year-old Mexican actor is nominated in the Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series for his performance in “Zero, Zero, Zero.”

This year’s edition will break its longstanding tradition of taking place live on the Santa Monica beach on the Saturday afternoon before Sunday’s Oscars. Instead, the ceremony will air live at 7:00 pm PT on Thursday, April 22 — on IFC.

Here’s the full list of nominees for the 36th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards:

BEST FEATURE
First Cow
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Minari
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland

BEST FIRST FEATURE
I Carry You With Me
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Miss Juneteenth
Nine Days
Sound of Metal

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Nicole Beharie, Miss Juneteenth
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Sidney Flanigan, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Julia Garner, The Assistant
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

BEST MALE LEAD
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Adarsh Gourav, The White Tiger
Rob Morgan, Bull
Steven Yeun, Minari

BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Kelly Reichardt, First Cow
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Collective
Director/Producer: Alexander Nanau
Producers: Hanka Kastelicová, Bernard Michaux, Bianca Oana

Crip Camp
Directors/Producers: Jim LeBrecht, Nicole Newnham
Producer: Sara Bolder

Dick Johnson is Dead
Director/Producer: Kirsten Johnson
Producers: Katy Chevigny, Marilyn Ness

The Mole Agent
Director: Maite Alberdi
Producer: Marcela Santibáñez

Time
Director/Producer: Garrett Bradley
Producers: Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Colman Domingo, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Orion Lee, First Cow
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Glynn Turman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Benedict Wong, Nine Days

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Alexis Chikaeze, Miss Juneteenth
Yeri Han, Minari
Valerie Mahaffey,French Exit
Talia Ryder, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Yuh-jung Youn, Minari

BEST SCREENPLAY
Mike Makowsky, Bad Education
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Alice Wu, The Half Of It
Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Kitty Green, The Assistant
Noah Hutton, Lapsis
Channing Godfrey Peoples, Miss Juneteenth
Andy Siara, Palm Springs
James Sweeney, Straight Up

BEST EDITING:
Andy Canny, The Invisible Man
Scott Cummings, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Merawi Gerima, Residue
Enat Sidi, I Carry You With Me
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jay Keitel, She Dies Tomorrow
Shabier Kirchner, Bull
Michael Latham, The Assistant
Hélène Louvart, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Joshua James Richards, Nomadland

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Bacurau
Brazil
Directors: Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho

The Disciple
India
Director: Chaitanya Tamhane

Night of the Kings
Ivory Coast
Director: Philippe Lacôte

Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
Hungary
Director: Lili Horvát

Quo Vadis, Aida?
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Director: Jasmila Žbanić

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast

One Night in Miami…
Director: Regina King
Casting Directors: Kimberly R. Hardin
Ensemble Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Given to the best feature made for under $500,000 (Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)

The Killing of Two Lovers
Writer/Director/Producer: Robert Machoian
Producers: Scott Christopherson, Clayne Crawford

La Leyenda Negra
Writer/Director: Patricia Vidal Delgado
Producers: Alicia Herder, Marcel Perez

Lingua Franca
Writer/Director/Producer: Isabel Sandoval
Producers: Darlene Catly Malimas, Jhett Tolentino, Carlo Velayo

Residue
Writer/Director: Merawi Gerima

Saint Frances
Director/Producer: Alex Thompson
Writer: Kelly O’Sullivan
Producers: James Choi, Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Eddie Linker, Raphael Nash, Roger Welp

PRODUCERS AWARD
The Producers Award, now in its 24th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films.

Kara Durrett
Lucas Joaquin
Gerry Kim

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 27th year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.

David Midell
Director of The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain

Ekwa Msangi
Director of Farewell Amor

Annie Silverstein
Director of Bull

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 26th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.

Cecilia Aldarondo
Director of Landfall

Elegance Bratton
Director of Pier Kids

Elizabeth Lo
Director of Stray

TV CATEGORIES

BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)

Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
Executive Producers: Jeff Dupre, Joshua Bennett, Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius

City So Real
Produced by: Zak Piper, Steve James
Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Jolene Pinder

Immigration Nation
Executive Producers: Christina Clusiau, Shaul Schwarz, Dan Cogan, Jenny Raskin, Brandon Hill, Christian Thompson
Co-Executive Producers: Andrey Alistratov, Jay Arthur Sterrenberg, Lauren Haber

Love Fraud
Executive Producers: Rachel Grady, Heidi Ewing, Amy Goodman Kass, Vinnie Malhotra, Jihan Robinson, Michael Bloom, Maria Zuckerman

We’re Here
Creators/Executive Producers: Stephen Warren, Johnnie Ingram
Executive Producers: Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Peter LoGreco
Co-Executive Producers: Erin Haglund, Sabrina Mar

BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)

I May Destroy You
Creator/Executive Producer: Michaela Coel
Executive Producers: Phil Clarke, Roberto Troni

Little America
Executive Producers: Lee Eisenberg, Joshuah Bearman, Joshua Davis, Arthur Spector, Alan Yang, Siân Heder, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon

Small Axe
Executive Producers: Tracey Scoffield, David Tanner, Steve McQueen

A Teacher
Creator/Executive Producer: Hanna Fidell
Executive Producers: Michael Costigan, Kate Mara, Louise Shore, Jason Bateman, Danny Brocklehurst
Co-Executive Producer: Daniel Pipski

Unorthodox
Creator/Executive Producer: Anna Winger
Creator: Alexa Karolinski
Executive Producer: Henning Kamm

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Elle Fanning, The Great
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Abby McEnany, Work in Progress
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Never Have I Ever
Jordan Kristine Seamón, We Are Who We Are

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Conphidance, Little America
Adam Ali, Little America
Nicco Annan, P-Valley
Amit Rahav, Unorthodox
Harold Torres, Zero, Zero, Zero

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
I May Destroy You
Ensemble Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Wruche Opia, Stephen Wight

PBS’ POV Acquires Rights to Cecilia Aldarondo’s Documentary “Landfall,” About Puerto Rico’s Post-Hurricane Maria Rebuilding Efforts

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Cecilia Aldarondo will be enlightening people on Puerto Rico’s post-Hurricane Maria rebuilding efforts.

PBS’ documentary series POV has acquired U.S. broadcast rights to Landfall, the Puerto Rican documentary filmmaker’s feature-length film about the rebuilding of Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria through the stories of farmers, fishermen, educators, real estate agents and newcomers.

The documentary, which had its premiere at the mostly shuttered Tribeca Film Festival, will now air as part of POV’s 34th season set to launch on PBS stations in June. Before that, it will screen at DOC NYC, which runs November 11-19.

The island and its 3.4 million residents (and U.S. citizens) was ravaged by the September 2017 storm, which shuttered electricity to the entire commonwealth and caused billions in damages, leaving behind a crippled infrastructure and a multibillion-dollar debt. Outside investors descended not as much to bail out communities but to cash in, leaving the next generation of Puerto Ricans finding themselves at an inflection point between the dream of a socialist utopia and the reality of recolonization.

Landfall is a co-production of Blackscrackle Films, ITVS, and American Documentary | POV in association with Field of Vision and Latino Public Broadcasting, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

“Landfall is a cautionary tale about unjust recovery, and what happens when powerful interests try to privatize public services in the wake of disaster,” Aldarondo said. “Now that we’re all facing the biggest disaster of our lifetimes, we need public media like POV to champion the visionary, ethical, and independent media we need for a healthy society. I can’t think of a better home for my film.”

“Cecilia’s masterpiece is both a sharp condemnation of the continued colonial exploitation of Puerto Rico and a warm embrace of the land and her people,” executive producer Chris White said. “Rendered with a singular vision and deep affection, you’ll be swept into solidarity with these native Puerto Ricans who resist and rebuild.”

Bad Bunny to Kick Off Uforia’s Live Music Series with Livestream Concert

Posted on September 20, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny’s going virtual…

The 26-year-old Puerto Rican singer Latin trap and reggaeton singer/rapper and songwriter will perform a livestream concert for Uforia‘s Music Series in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Bad Bunny’s show will be live-streamed on Sunday, September 20 via UforiaMusic.com, and can also be watched on his YouTube channel.

“We are extremely excited to celebrate the richness of Latinx culture during Hispanic Heritage Month with this one-of-a-kind live streaming experience, and also commemorate the Puerto Rico community’s resilience on the third anniversary of Hurricane Maria, in partnership with Verizon” said Jesus Lara, president of radio, Univision. “We are proud to showcase the artistry of Bad Bunny who has had such a profound impact on our culture and the music industry at large.”

Bad Bunny’s performance kicks off the Uforia Music Series’ star-studded livestream concerts, which will air once a month through the end of December.

Additional dates and artist lineups will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Uforia Live livestream concert will start at 6:00 pm EDT/3:00 pm PT.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Makes 10-Year $1 Million Commitment to National Theater Institute for Minority Scholarships

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is helping the next generation of theater stars…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican composer, lyricist, singer, actor, producer and playwright’s Miranda Family Fund has made a 10-year $1 million commitment to provide scholarships for the National Theater Institute, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s six-semester program designed to prepare students for work in the theater industry.

The Miranda Family Fund supports scholarships to further the inclusion of artists of color across all disciplines of theater, and also has been active in post-Hurricane Mariarelief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico.

“We see Lin-Manuel Miranda’s influence, inspiration, and artistry everyday in our classrooms,” said the Institute’s Artistic Director Rachel Jett. “The Miranda family’s decade-long commitment ensures that NTI’s unique multi-disciplinary training is available to everyone. And that our ensembles — and the audiences that support their work — represent the multitude of voices that will keep this ever-evolving art form vibrant, relevant, and revolutionary.”

According to the announcement, the 10-year commitment will ensure that the Institute will be able “to advance access, opportunity, and representation in American culture,” and that the Miranda Family Fund is “helping to actively and permanently transform and diversify the American cultural landscape through investment in young artists and with the shared belief that the stories told and the artists who tell them should represent the diversity of the nation.”

The Miranda Family Fund was established in 2017, and to date has supported the training of 40 students of color at the Institute.

In 2005, Miranda held a workshop of In the Heightsat the O’Neill’s National Music Theater Conference.

“My time at the O’Neill was integral to me learning how to tell my story,” the Hamiltoncreator said. “My family and I hope that this financial commitment will help the O’Neill to continue incorporating an increasingly diverse pool of creators and performers to their unique and impactful programming for years to come.“

Said Miranda, “Access is an obstacle for many people looking to pursue a career in the arts, particularly those of color.”

In addition to the playwright, the Miranda Family Fund is operated by his wife Vanessa Nadal, parents Luis A. Miranda, Jr.and Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda, sister Luz Miranda-Crespoand her husband Luis Crespo.

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