Haven't Seen Hamilton? Lin-Manuel Miranda Tells You How to Win Two Tickets—and Go as His Date!

The hit show about the Founding Fathers is about to hit Washington D.C. Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s Tony-winning musical Hamilton opens June 14 at the Kennedy Center, and he’s looking for a couple of dates to the premiere.

By clicking here, you and a friend can enter a raffle to win a free trip to D.C. and spend the day with Miranda, ending with a special Hamilton-filled night. “You and a friend—we pay your hotel, your airfare—you come to Hamilton press night with me, you’re my date,” says Miranda. “And we also have a D.C. day.”

Each entry costs $10, with proceeds going to charity. “The money’s going to go to amazing organizations that deal with voter engagement and voter turnout,” says the actor-writer. “We’re going to the nation’s capital, and I think something that feels super important is getting out the vote. A healthy democracy is one where most of its citizens vote.”

Miranda, who has spoken out previously on issues he’s passionate about, particularly Puerto Rico’s struggle to  recover after Hurricane Maria, grew up politically active. He recalls, “My dad (Luis) worked for Mayor Koch. When most kids had paper routes, I was handing out fliers for candidates, collecting signatures for ballots. I remember on my 18th birthday party, I made a wish, I blew out the candles, and my parents handed me the voter’s registration form.”

 

Later this year, Miranda will be starring in the upcoming movie Mary Poppins Returns, costarring Emily Blunt. “Making this movie was such a joy. We all had to wait a year and a half to see it. I just can’t wait for the world to see it.”

 

And in January, Miranda returns to Hamilton when he takes the show to Puerto Rico, reprising his lead role. “As soon as I knew Hamilton was a success, I knew we were going to get it to Puerto Rico, and I would play Hamilton,” he says. “That took on greater importance in the wake of Hurricane Maria and the tragedy that unfolded afterwards. It became not about me bringing my show to Puerto Rico, it became about, ‘What good can we do while we’re there?’” Miranda says the troupe will be raising money to aid in the ongoing recovery and support arts education.

He says, “We continue to raise money through the Hispanic Federation for short-term and long-term recovery. We try to remind people that Puerto Ricans are our fellow citizens, and that if this had happened in any major city on the mainland it wouldn’t have lasted for months. And really it’s shameful. But I’ve also seen the best of us. I’ve seen kids bring their broken piggy banks. And I’ve seen employers match employee donations. So I’ve seen the best of humanity as well.”