How Hamilton the Musical Saved the Famous Drama Book Shop

The creators of the musical Hamilton saved the small, niche, independent Drama Book Shop in New York City. But… why? Find out!

The Drama Book Shop has deep ties to New York City’s theater community and has helped birth some of your favorite Broadway shows. So, in 2018, when a rent increase forced the bookstore to lose its location and possibly close forever, Lin-Manuel Miranda and the creators of Hamilton stepped in to save the day.

The Drama Book Shop had a small theater in its basement where up-and-coming playwrights and actors could perform their working scripts. In this intimate theater, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail first connected and workshopped a little musical you may have heard of called (no, not that one…yet) In The Heights. The two men suddenly went from mostly unknown to the toast of Broadway instantly. The pair owed a lot to that store. So, in 2016 when water damage resulted in a significant loss of inventory, they wanted to help. Using their Hamilton pre-show, the two helped to keep the store open. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of their battle. Watch the full story in the video below:

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