After bringing the story of Alexander Hamilton to the stage in his Tony, Pulitzer, and Olivier-winning juggernaut musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda will give fans the opportunity to further explore the life of the Founding Father in a touring exhibit.
Hamilton: The Exhibition, from Miranda and producer Jeffrey Seller, will premiere in Chicago (home to the first sit-down production of the musical outside of New York) November 17 for a limited engagement before traveling to select U.S. cities.
The freestanding exhibit is a collaboration between Miranda, Seller, Hamilton director Thomas Kail and set designer David Korins (who serves as creative director for the exhibit), Yale professor and historian Joanne Freeman, and Harvard’s Annette Gordon-Reed.
Presented with Imagine Exhibitions, Inc., the exhibit will feature an audio tour narrated by Miranda and utilize immersive displays to provide a deeper context to the historical figure beyond what is discussed in the musical, including explorations of his time as a trader in St. Croix and what life was like in 18th-century Manhattan.
“Hamilton is a musical. It’s as much of Alexander Hamilton’s life as we could wrestle into two and a half hours of musical theater, and it’s been incredible and surreal to see the renewed interest this has sparked in Alexander Hamilton’s life and times,” Miranda said in a statement. “I’m so thrilled with the work David Korins has done alongside eminent historians Joanne Freeman and Annette Gordon-Reed, who are experts in this arena. With this exhibition, they’re creating an immersive companion piece for Hamilton, and a deep dive into the details and experiences of Hamilton’s story.”
In addition to Broadway and Chicago, Hamilton can be seen in the United States on two concurrent national tours. The musical also enjoys an Olivier-winning run in London's West End; a third national tour will launch in January, with Miranda reprising his title performance for the production's launch in Puerto Rico.