Sometimes it’s hard not to look at the theatre landscape and wonder: “When is it all just going to fade away?” When is it going to get buried under the iPhones and iPads, the Netfllixes and Hulus? When will it fall too far behind the Avengers and Supermen or the Call of Duties and Maddens? Will we tell our children about how we used to watch storytellers weave magic with words and stagecraft before there was advanced CGI and a handheld theater device? Will they nod vacantly at us, as they put their virtual reality goggles back on and we readjust their drool catchers for them? Maybe theatre is just the next art form to become archaic. Maybe we’ve been holding onto it in the same way that our ancestors held onto cave drawings when paper was available. I don’t actually believe any of that, but I do wonder what the future holds and it makes me nervous because theater is important. We just need someone to remind us that it’s important. And why.

Enter Lin-Manuel Miranda and his phenomenon, Hamilton. Mr. Miranda came along in 2015 and “blew us all away” (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself). Miranda and his creative team constructed a modern musical about a misunderstood founding father and reminded us that the theater is still worth going to. Don’t believe me? Need proof?

• In a year where pop culture produced a new Star Wars, Adele’s “Hello,” a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, and a major Game of Thrones death (?), Hamilton consistently had a dominant share of the conversation from the start of the year to the finish.
• In a year where the Constitution was placed front and center as the Supreme Court decided on same-sex marriage, we were treated to a lesson on the document through the eyes of the man that defended its principles the hardest.
• In a year where we watched Donald Trump make a mockery of American politics, Hamilton’s portrayal of George Washington showed us the poise and grace we should expect from our President.
• In a year where we have seen an alarming number of black men and women shot and brutalized by police, Hamilton assembled a cast of minorities that reminds us the battles for freedom in 1776 are still relevant 240 years later.
• In a year where politicians and bigots angrily called for a ban on immigrants entering the country, Hamilton told us the story of how formative and influential an immigrant can be to this country.

And why is he my person of the year? I was introduced to Hamilton through word of mouth. I was instantly captivated by the lyrical beauty, the catchy tunes, and the engaging characters. After I devoured Ron Chernow’s biography, Alexander Hamilton (which the musical is based on), I immediately turned the musical on again. I was astounded by the way Miranda conformed the founding fathers’ actual writings into historical poetry. How clever and chock-full of Easter eggs the lyrics are. That I feel something new with every listen is proof of how layered Miranda’s labor of love is. I could go on and on, writing a completely different post on my obsession, but it’s not necessary; my feelings aren’t unique. The musical is sold out through September 2016. Hamilton is a masterpiece and Miranda has inspired me, as an amateur playwright, to keep working hard and “not throw away my shot.” (I promise I held myself back on so many more.).

Thank you, Lin-Manuel Miranda, for reminding the world that theatre is still important. Turns out we were waiting in the wings for you. Thanks for protecting our art so passionately, ensuring it won’t fade away. Not yet.