1) What is it that you need to be a leader?
I don’t think of myself as a leader. I
think of myself as a collaborator. That’s the fun of creating theater.
That by definition, you cannot do it alone. I work with directors and choreographers,
and other writers, and I play a very specific role - and I am very aware of the
role I play. I think that’s the most important gift that a leader can
bring to any project - the ability to get everyone talking and on the same
page, and the best idea in the room wins. A leader is not afraid of where
the idea comes from, but recognizes what the right idea is, and implements
it.
2) What are some of the things that have
inspired you in your life?
Everything in life has truly inspired
me. And as an artist, that’s my job. An artist’s job is to be
inspired, to fall in love with that story so good, that you feel you are
the only one who can tell it… that the melody or song in your head can only
come to you, not to anyone else.
Our job as artists is to be open.
Sometimes that’s difficult, because sometimes you want to shut down, and you
don’t want to let anything in. But artists must let everything
in. And then, the stuff that sticks, that’s the stuff that we are meant
to make.
3) Does being a Hispanic have an influence in
the work you do?
Everything about me has an influence on the
work I do! I think that growing up Latino, in a Latino neighborhood,
speaking Spanish and English… all of it informs my work. I think that
even when the subject matter of what I’m writing about isn’t “quote unquote” Latino,
I think that there is a sensibility there, which is informed by my Latino
upbringing, that is a part of who I am.
4) What is the biggest challenge that you face?
The biggest challenge that I face, is the
challenge that all artists face: which is recognizing the right idea to run
with. Musicals take a long time, so you can start working on one, and
three years down the road realize: “Oh, this isn’t it.” As artists, we
fall in love with our work for our living, and sometimes projects don’t work
out. But any artist’s challenge is to nurture an idea from it being just
an idea, followed by the hard work of building the infrastructure, of building
the thing – it’s own thing.
5) If you could change anything about what you
do, what would it be?
I would make theater ticket prices
cheaper! That’s easier said than done, obviously, and that’s actually not
my job as an artist. My job is to write the shows, not produce
them. And things are expensive to produce. But luckily, there are
ways to make theater tickets afforfable. For example, we recently
announced a new initiative by the Rockefeller Foundation, that will provide
tickets for “Hamilton” to 20,000 New York City students. It would be
great to see initiatives like this expand and grow.
6 )What was a childhood ambition of yours?
I wanted to be either a Hollywood movie
director, or a Hollywood stuntman. But then I realized that I didn’t like
getting hurt or going fast, so the stuntman idea went out the window.
Later, I discovered that I was always making up songs, and then at some point,
I turned in that direction; and ran with it.
7) Three leaders that you admire:
Martin Luther King:
I admire his mix of compassion, and urgency and social justice. He was
able to harness a lot of conflicting and really tough challenges, into an
amazing movement.
Broadway Director Hal Prince:
He is the inventor of the “getting everybody in the room and on the same page”
approach to stage directing and leadership. His notion of “the best idea
in the room wins” can be applied in all aspects of life.
Rubén Blades:
He has been a songwriter, an actor, a politician. He just kind of does
whatever he thinks he should be doing next. And that is the mark of a
true artist. He doesn’t plan his career by what “looks good” or what’s
“hot” at the moment. It is about what’s inside him that he feels he must
do. And I hope I find that same internal compass.
8) Business meetings preference –
I love a good lunch meeting! I never think
of dinner meetings because I’m always doing a show!
9) Sacrifices that you have made to become
successful at what you do?
The sacrifice is always time. It takes
a long time to write shows. It takes a long time to make art. And
the only way to minimize that sacrifice, is to surround yourself with people
who love you, who understand what your work is, and “get” what you are doing.
Even if that means a little bit less time for them. I am married to a
wonderful woman who is passionate about her own field practice. If I am
off writing all-night, she is off working too, and we come back, and find each
other at the end of the day.
10) Favorite Quote:
“This Too Shall Pass” – It is my mother’s
favorite quote. It is true in the good times and the bad times. It
is just true.
11) Is it difficult to be unconventional?
I don’t set out to be unconventional. I
think that leadership and success come from finding your “internal compass” –
finding the things that you want to put into the world, and feel uniquely
suited to do or to create. That is very hard, but finding that
story that you feel uniquely suited to tell or write is essential.
12) Description about the Company/Artist
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