Hamilton: An American Musical has taken the world by storm. It is a creative way to tell the story of one of America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. Fans of the show will get to see an inside look at the musical through a documentary film, Hamilton’s America, that will premier on PBS on October 21, 2016. It will give an behind-the-scenes look into how the musical came to be and the overall history of the show. 

As well as telling American history, the musical is also busy making history. It is revered as a great example of colorblind cast, whose members received the chance to perform in the White House for the First Family and other influential people.  The musical was also nominated for 16 Tonys and was awarded a near-record of 11 of them. All in all, it is a world-wide phenomenon that hits closer to home than many people would expect.

There are now two Alabama natives in the renowned Hamilton cast. The first is Jordan Fisher, who is originally from Birmingham, Alabama. He will be replacing Anthony Ramos on November 22, 2016 in the parts of the double casted John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. Jordan has already made marks for himself as a cast member in Disney Channel’s Teen Beach Movie, Teen Beach Movie 2, and Liv and Maddie. He also played Doody in Fox’s Grease: Live. The second actor is Huntsville native Michael Luwoye. Michael attended Lee High School and then went to college at the University of Alabama. On July 11, 2016, Michael joined the cast of Hamilton as an understudy for Javier Muñoz, who plays the role of leading man Alexander Hamilton. As if that was not impressive enough, Michael has recently made history as being the first actor to play the roles of both Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, a man who is the oil to Hamilton’s water. It is a great accomplishment for any actor to be the first to perform as both characters, but it carries an even bigger weight among aspiring actors from the Huntsville-Madison area.

When asked what Michael’s success signifies to local actors, Bob Jones drama teacher Mary Davis said, “It gives [them] hope that  even though they are from Alabama, [they] would be able to achieve [their] dream if they go after it with passion.”

Michael’s achievements on Broadway have brought awe and inspiration to many performers in the Huntsville area. Aspiring actors who hope to one day reach an sort of large platform can look to Michael and be filled with hope that their dream is not impossible.

In response to Michael’s success, Samantha Stratton, a senior at Bob Jones and member of Advanced Production, said, “[His success shows that] no matter where you come from you really have a chance to do something with your life.”

It is not only performers who can draw from Michael’s success, though. Anna Spengler, a junior at Bob Jones, said even though she is not going to be pursuing theater after high school, she still finds inspiration in Michael.

Anna said, “ It gives everyone hope that you can do something big and something great, even if you are from a [small town].”

Michael Luwoye is an example of someone who did not let doubt get in his way of achieving a dream that once may have seemed impossible. He is one person who has inspired many, and will continue to bring hope to those who need it.

As Mary Davis said, “[People say] ‘That’s a pipe dream. It’s never going to happen.’ Well, pipe dreamists have changed the world forever. [There are] ones that have these crazy far fetched dreams and when they achieve them, they change the world in one way or another.”

It is safe to say that Michael Luwoye is a pipe dreamist that will continue to leave his mark on history.