The first person that comes to mind is Lin-Manuel Miranda, simply because he is such a big name in the musical theater department. He has revolutionized the world of musical theater by seamlessly adding elements of hip-hop and rap into what would be a traditional musical. He went to Wesleyan University, where he majored in Theatre Studies. After he graduated, he worked his way into fame. His first musical, In the Heights, won four Tony Awards during its Broadway run. His other musical, Hamilton, won him ten Lortel Awards— record-breaking, according to his biography— and catapulted him into fame. He has also worked on several movie musicals such as Moana, and most recently Tick, Tick, Boom! and Encanto.
What I hope to emulate from him is the ability to tell a compelling story about minorities, people who do not get as much of a voice as they should. I want to be able to pull my readers in and get them invested in a story that makes them laugh, cry, get irrationally angry at the characters, and appreciate the relationships we form with everyone. I am not gifted in the songwriting sense, so I can only hope to write stories that are good enough on their own, without a wonderful soundtrack to go with it— although if I somehow manage to get one that would be amazing too!
