Lin-Manuel Miranda Just Gave a Major Gift to Musical Theatre Fans

• The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center (OHMTEC) received a "major gift" from the Miranda Family Fund.

• The OHMTEC hopes to turn Oscar Hammerstein II's historic farm into a museum dedicated to the celebrated lyricist.

• Lin-Manuel Miranda has often cited Stephen Sondheim, a protege of Hammerstein, as a major inspiration.

It's hard to think of a musical theatre creative who's cracked mainstream culture in the 21st century more than Lin-Manuel Miranda. The smash success of Hamilton brought a swath of people into the Richard Rogers Theater who might never have set foot in a Broadway venue otherwise.

And now, Miranda's foundation is helping ensure that future generations of theatre fans can enjoy a very different location that can further their musical education: the historic home of a lyricist without whom Miranda might not ever have put pen to paper.

The composer in question is the incredibly influential Oscar Hammerstein II, and the venue is the Highland Farm, which Hammerstein called home from 1941 onward. Together with composer Richard Rodgers (after whom the theater Hamilton occupies is named), Hammerstein created some of the most enduring musicals of all time, like The Sound of Music, South Pacific, and The King and I. His work is cited as elevating the medium of musical theatre to a new level of maturity, and a young aspiring writer he would mentor, Stephen Sondheim, would further push the medium with his own later works like Company and Sunday in the Park with George.

Though the press release announcing the gift doesn't cite a specific reason for their donation, Miranda has often cited Sondheim a primary influence on his own work, and as a devoted student of musical theatre, likely has a similar reverence for Hammerstein. Now, with the help of Miranda's donation, the Highland Farm site in Doylestown, Pennsylvania will become the Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center (OHMTEC), dedicated to preserving the legacy of Hammerstein and providing inspiration and education to the next generation.

“We are heartened and honored to have the support and strong endorsement from the Miranda family for the Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center,” said Greg Roth, OHMTEC board president.

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