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Not Long to go now! – Hamilton and Me: An Actor’s Journal by Olivier award-winning actor Giles Terera

by Paul Johnson | Jun 29, 2021

Our latest cover star’s book… SPECIAL OFFER AT END FOR ALL READERS

Released this week on Thursday 1 July, Hamilton and Me: An Actors Journal is written by legendary Hamilton star Giles Terera (MBE) who played Aaron Burr in the original London cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash-hit musical Hamilton! Confirmed as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week (airing in August) this a unique inside account which explores everything involved in opening a once-in-a-generation production.

Hamilton and Me is based on the journal Giles kept throughout this exhilarating time to record his experiences of the musical phenomenon and the process of creating his Olivier award-winning performance. Before securing a lead role in Hamilton, Giles worked as a writer, producer and filmmaker and performed in West End shows from Avenue Q to The Book of Mormon and Rent, and at the UK’s most prestigious venues alongside the likes of Jonathan Pryce, Lenny Henry, Hayley Atwell and Ralph Fiennes.

On 1 July, Giles Terera returns to Hamilton’s London home for an exclusive event that will be streamed live from the Victoria Palace Theatre via Fane which includes special guest appearances from original London cast members Jamael Westman and Rachel John and more.

Hamilton and Me: An Actor’s Journal is an honest and thrilling inside account written by one of the UK’s leading actors, Giles Terera, who played Aaron Burr in the London production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash-hit, award-winning musical Hamilton which opened in London’s West End in December 2017 and won a record-equaling seven Olivier Awards.

This is a new and deeply personal book that reveals Giles Terera’s unique experiences from his own life that helped shape his acclaimed portrayal as Aaron Burr – a journey which began more than a year earlier with his first audition in New York. Hamilton and Me: An Actor’s Journal explores everything involved in opening a once-in-a-generation production, from the extensive research and preparation to intense rehearsals, preview performances and finally opening night itself.

Throughout this exhilarating time, Terera kept a journal, recording his experiences of the production and his process of creating his award-winning performance. This book, Hamilton and Me, is that journal. It also features unseen colour photographs and an exclusive foreword by Hamilton creator and original star Lin-Manuel Miranda.

This is a wonderful opportunity to not only step back into the auditorium but explore behind the scenes to gain a rare insight into one of the most important cultural spectacles of our time, and enjoy an experience that would typically remain a mystery.

To celebrate the launch of Hamilton and Me, Giles Terera will return to the Victoria Palace Theatre, Hamilton’s London home, for an exclusive online event, streamed at 8.30pm on 1 July. Presented by Fane, this one-off event will include special guest appearances from original London cast members Jamael Westman (Alexander Hamilton) and Rachel John (Angelica Schuyler), with others to be announced.

Below: Production photos of Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London by Matthew Murphy © George III Productions Limited (click to enlarge)

One of the most important actors of his generation, Giles Terera was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2020 for his services to theatre. Before securing a lead role in Hamilton, Giles Terera worked as a writer, producer and filmmaker and performed in West End shows such as Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon and Rent, and at the UK’s most prestigious venues including the National Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe alongside the likes of Jonathan Pryce, Lenny Henry, Hayley Atwell and Ralph Fiennes.

In Hamilton and Me: An Actor’s Journal we learn of the triumphs, breakthroughs and doubts, the camaraderie of the rehearsal room and the moments of quiet backstage contemplation – as well as a fascinating, in-depth exploration of now-iconic songs and moments from the world-famous musical, as seen from the inside.

Olivier Award-Winning actor Giles Terera said: “As an actor, I’ve always kept rehearsal journals. It helps me process what I’m experiencing as well as helping me remember what I’m supposed to be doing. When I was asked to play the part of Aaron Burr in Hamilton I knew that it would be both an incredible challenge and an extraordinary journey – one I wanted to learn from as well as enjoy. So, every day, I kept notes on the work and the experience. I’m so happy that an experience which has been so life-changing for me might now be of use to students, theatre-makers and anyone who loves Hamilton as much I do.”

Creator of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, said: “This is one of the most joyous and clear-eyed approaches to playing a character that I have ever read. I am so grateful Giles took notes on his process and turned them into this book. I was already in awe of his performance; now I’m in awe of his humanity and attention to detail and willingness to share the hard work and magic that goes into it.”

Matt Applewhite, Managing Director at Nick Hern Books, adds: ‘It’s an honour to be publishing Giles’s brilliant personal account of his time in the most extraordinary theatrical phenomenon of our age. His book is joyous and moving, searingly honest, beautifully written, and a delight for anyone interested in a new perspective on this truly groundbreaking show. After a challenging year for theatre, this really is something for us – and for readers – to look forward to this summer!’

Below: Behind the scenes of Hamilton. Click an image to enlarge.

This an essential read for all fans of Hamilton – offering fresh, first-hand insights into the music and characters they love and know so well – as well as for aspiring and current performers, students, and anyone who wants to discover what it really felt like to be in the room where it happened.

Additionally, Nick Hern Books have launched an exclusive new podcast series, Hamilton and Us with Giles Terera, available now on all major platforms including Apple, Spotify and Google. This exciting new series offers Hamilton fans and musical-theatre lovers the chance to hear what it was like to be part of the original London production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash-hit musical Hamilton, as told by the guests including Hamilton director Thomas Kail, Jamael Westman (Alexander Hamilton), Chris Jackson (George Washington in the original Broadway cast), Rachel John (Angelica Schuyler), Christine Allado (Peggy Schuyler / Maria Reynolds), and many more.

Nick Hern Books will publish Hamilton and Me in hardback, ebook and audiobook on 1^st July 2021, in all territories outside of North America. More information about the book can be found at www.hamiltonandme.com and the exclusive FANE launch event on 1st July at www.fane.co.uk/hamilton-and-me

About Giles Terera

Giles Terera MBE is an award-winning actor, musician and writer. He trained at Mountview Theatre School and has worked consistently at venues such as the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe. He is best known for originating the role of Aaron Burr in the London production of the award-winning musical Hamilton, for which he won the 2018 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

His other theatre credits include Rosmersholm, The Tempest, Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, 125th Street, Rent (West End); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Hamlet, Death and the King’s Horseman, The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other, Troilus and Cressida, Candide, Honk! (National Theatre); The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare’s Globe/international tour); The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Donmar Warehouse);Pure Imagination – The Songs of Lesley Bricusse (St. James’s); King John (Shakespeare’s Globe/UK tour); Don’t You Leave Me Here (West Yorkshire Playhouse); The Playboy of the Western World (Abbey, Dublin); The Ratpack (West End/international tour); Jailhouse Rock (Theatre Royal Plymouth/West End); You Don’t Kiss (Stratford Circus); Up on the Roof (Chichester); The Tempest (RSC); Six Degrees of Separation (Sheffield); Generations of the Dead (Young Vic); Bill Shakespeare’s Italian Job (Playbox, Warwick/Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh); The Demon Headmaster/The Animals of Farthing Wood (Pleasance, Edinburgh).

As a writer, his theatre work includes The Meaning of Zong (Bristol Old Vic), The Ballad of Soho Jones (St. James’) and the upcoming Black Matter (Crazy Coqs). As a filmmaker, Giles’s first documentary, Muse of Fire – created with Dan Poole – centres on modern perspectives of Shakespeare and premiered on BBC Four in Autumn 2013. Giles was an associate producer on Poole’s feature documentary The Space: Theatre of Survival and he wrote and directed the concert film Hello Harry! A Celebration. Giles was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to theatre.

About Nick Hern Books

Nick Hern Books (NHB) is the UK’s leading specialist theatre publisher and performing rights agent. They’re home to the best contemporary plays by many of today’s most exciting UK and Irish writers – including Mike Bartlett, Chris Bush, Jez Butterworth, Caryl Churchill, debbie tucker green, Ella Hickson, Anna Jordan, Arinzé Kene, Lucy Kirkwood, Conor McPherson, Rona Munro, Jessica Swale, Jack Thorne, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Enda Walsh – as well as leading American playwrights such as Annie Baker, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Stephen Karam, Tony Kushner, Tracy Letts, David Lindsay-Abaire, Kenneth Lonergan, Suzan Lori-Parks, Lynn Nottage and J. T. Rogers. They work with major theatres and theatre companies across the UK and in Ireland to publish new plays alongside their professional premieres – often in the form of a ‘programme/text’ that combines the functions of theatre programme and playtext – and also publish many classic plays and plays in translation. They also license their plays for amateur production, enabling them to be staged by community theatres, schools, colleges, universities and youth-theatre groups around the world. NHB also publishes practical books by a range of highly renowned and respected practitioners, teachers and performers – including Peter Brook, Gregory Doran, Richard Eyre, Stephen Jeffreys, Jeannette Nelson, Andy Nyman, Antony Sher and Harriet Walter – on topics such as acting, singing, writing, directing and more. For more information, visit www.nickhernbooks.co.uk.