Peretz ’84 Hosts Kail ’99, Miranda ’02 Reception in Miami

The nationwide tour of the Tony award-winning Broadway musical In the Heights ended its run with a Wesleyan flourish.

Andy Peretz ’84, inspired by the Wesleyan on Broadway alumni events, began organizing an event in Miami to celebrate with the local Wesleyan community at the Arsht Center Theater.

In The Heights, created and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02, was directed by Thomas Kail ’99, who agreed to conduct a talk for the alumni at a special reception at the Miami performance on April 2.

“What an amazingly articulate guy, so full of life,” says Peretz of Kail, who also directed Lombardi. Kail spent time with his host that day, talking about the collaborative process of turning Miranda’s one-time student play (performed in its first incarnation in the ’92 Theater) to the award-winner it is today.

Later that day, Kail gave Peretz another surprise: the news that Miranda had agreed to join the Wesleyan reception.

“It was indeed a unique experience to watch a Tony Award-winning play and then immediately afterward meet with the two people most responsible for the show’s creative distinctions,” Peretz says and adds. “Not lost on me was the unselfishness of Kail and Miranda in providing us with insight into the theatrical process – from both a creative and financial perspective.

“I truly believe that they offered themselves in this way because of their love of Wesleyan and sense of community. We were indeed very proud to be part of something so ‘Wesleyan.’”