Hamilton and Me: An Actor's Journal
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- Create Date：2021-08-13 01:16:09
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Giles Terera
- ISBN：1848429991
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Summary
‘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。’ Lin-Manuel Miranda， from his Foreword
‘Stand。 Breathe。 Look。 Try to empty my mind。 Somehow， for some reason， I have been brought to this place to tell this story， now。 So tell it。 That’s all。’
When Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking musical Hamilton opened in London’s West End in December 2017， it was as huge a hit as it had been in its original production off- and on Broadway。 Lauded by critics and audiences alike， the show would go on to win a record-equalling seven Olivier Awards – including Best Actor in a Musical for Giles Terera， for his portrayal of Aaron Burr。
For Terera， though， his journey as Burr had begun more than a year earlier， with his first audition in New York， and continuing through extensive research and preparation， intense rehearsals， previews and finally opening night itself。 Throughout this time he 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 offers an honest， intimate and thrilling look at everything involved in opening a once-in-a-generation production – 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 musical， as seen from the inside。 It is also deeply personal， as Terera reflects on experiences from his own life that he drew on to help shape his acclaimed portrayal。
Illustrated with dozens of colour photographs， many of which are shared here for the first time， and featuring an exclusive Foreword by Lin-Manuel Miranda， this book is 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。
‘Stand。 Breathe。 Look。 Try to empty my mind。 Somehow， for some reason， I have been brought to this place to tell this story， now。 So tell it。 That’s all。’
When Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking musical Hamilton opened in London’s West End in December 2017， it was as huge a hit as it had been in its original production off- and on Broadway。 Lauded by critics and audiences alike， the show would go on to win a record-equalling seven Olivier Awards – including Best Actor in a Musical for Giles Terera， for his portrayal of Aaron Burr。
For Terera， though， his journey as Burr had begun more than a year earlier， with his first audition in New York， and continuing through extensive research and preparation， intense rehearsals， previews and finally opening night itself。 Throughout this time he 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 offers an honest， intimate and thrilling look at everything involved in opening a once-in-a-generation production – 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 musical， as seen from the inside。 It is also deeply personal， as Terera reflects on experiences from his own life that he drew on to help shape his acclaimed portrayal。
Illustrated with dozens of colour photographs， many of which are shared here for the first time， and featuring an exclusive Foreword by Lin-Manuel Miranda， this book is 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。
Reviews
Sabrina
，
This book blew me away and amazed me on so many levels。 That I'm still trying to process it and I'm pretty sure that I will read it a second and a third time to cope with all that。 Giles has a beautiful style of telling his Hamilton story。 And as a huge fan of the show this book was a must read for me。 I love that you get a close inside look on all the work and effort that is going on to put on a show like that。 Starting from the audition throughout rehearsals and ending on stage in the theatre。 This book blew me away and amazed me on so many levels。 That I'm still trying to process it and I'm pretty sure that I will read it a second and a third time to cope with all that。 Giles has a beautiful style of telling his Hamilton story。 And as a huge fan of the show this book was a must read for me。 I love that you get a close inside look on all the work and effort that is going on to put on a show like that。 Starting from the audition throughout rehearsals and ending on stage in the theatre。 As a theatre fan I am aware that this is a lot of hard work everyone in a production is going through， but reading and understanding that every single and the smallest detail went through such a progress is mind blowing。 I caught myself several times， putting the book aside， head over to Disney+ and rewatch a particular scene which I just red in the book，just to be fully aware of the detail which Giles referred to and a probably never noticed or fully understand in my nearly 10 visits to the show。 It gave me a better understanding of so many elements of the show and amazed me。 This book is definitely a recommendation for every Hamiltonfan， Theatrefan， aspiring actor or actors。 It's also inspiring for journal writing。 A thing I never really did， but I'm considering to start for particular events like travelling。 。。。more
Beachcomber
，
Interesting insight into how actors approach playing a character， far more goes on than we realise。
Georgie Sanderson
，
A brilliant and eye opening look into the building of a character and the human aspects behind that。
Louise Jones
，
Such a brilliant recollection of a phenomenal show from a phenomenal actor。 Thoroughly enjoyed this insight into the world of theatre and the dedication the whole of this original cast put in to Hamilton。 I was lucky to see the show soon after opening night and have never adored a cast more。 Thank you so much Giles for the fantastic read。
Jay
，
It’s a fascinating insight into the process of understanding a character， forming a company and rehearsing a large scale musical。 I would recommend it to any young aspirant to the stage， to enthusiastic audience members and of course to the many Hamilton fans。 Giles Terera is generous with his thoughts， words and unique perspective。 His is a voice I anticipate hearing much more from， whether in prose， podcast or drama。 My only complaint is that it’s large type and slightly shorter than I anticip It’s a fascinating insight into the process of understanding a character， forming a company and rehearsing a large scale musical。 I would recommend it to any young aspirant to the stage， to enthusiastic audience members and of course to the many Hamilton fans。 Giles Terera is generous with his thoughts， words and unique perspective。 His is a voice I anticipate hearing much more from， whether in prose， podcast or drama。 My only complaint is that it’s large type and slightly shorter than I anticipated， so I had less of Terera’s wonderful writing to enjoy， and at £17 out of some people’s reach。 。。。more
skippity_doo
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I had to keep forcing myself to put this book down so I could savour it， because I didn't want it to end。 A beautiful， honest， open reflection on Hamilton and what it takes to transform the words on the page into a fully-realised character。 For fans of the show it also offers an insight into the process from auditions to rehearsal to performance。Maybe my favourite read of the year so far， and thoroughly deserving of its place on my theatre bookshelf。 I had to keep forcing myself to put this book down so I could savour it， because I didn't want it to end。 A beautiful， honest， open reflection on Hamilton and what it takes to transform the words on the page into a fully-realised character。 For fans of the show it also offers an insight into the process from auditions to rehearsal to performance。Maybe my favourite read of the year so far， and thoroughly deserving of its place on my theatre bookshelf。 。。。more
Holly
，
I was always going to love this because the OG West End cast of Hamilton are MY cast of Hamilton。 I loved getting inside Giles’ portrayal of Burr， and could strongly relate his thoughts to what I’d seen on stage。
Daisy
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This was inspiring。
Charlotte
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What an amazing book， it brings back the joy of seeing the show。 Giles is such a wonderful writer who makes it feel like you're listening to a friend tell the story What an amazing book， it brings back the joy of seeing the show。 Giles is such a wonderful writer who makes it feel like you're listening to a friend tell the story 。。。more
John Reynolds
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Beautifully written。 A must-read for any aspiring actor。 It's magical to hear about what went on behind the scenes during the biggest show of our time。 Giles is not only an immensely talented actor but a humble， intelligent and kind person who has personally encouraged me to continute to pursue acting Beautifully written。 A must-read for any aspiring actor。 It's magical to hear about what went on behind the scenes during the biggest show of our time。 Giles is not only an immensely talented actor but a humble， intelligent and kind person who has personally encouraged me to continute to pursue acting 。。。more
Sarah
，
Did I just binge this book in a couple hours？ Yes I didPart of me wants to wait to write a review to fully process it all， the other part of me just wants to scream at any HamilFan to read this asap！ And any fellow actor out there as well。 As a trained actress I loved reading the process from auditioning， rehearsing， researching to a piece coming alive on stage。 I always write a whole backstory for any part I ever get to play so I could really relate to this。The rehearsal process sounds tough bu Did I just binge this book in a couple hours？ Yes I didPart of me wants to wait to write a review to fully process it all， the other part of me just wants to scream at any HamilFan to read this asap！ And any fellow actor out there as well。 As a trained actress I loved reading the process from auditioning， rehearsing， researching to a piece coming alive on stage。 I always write a whole backstory for any part I ever get to play so I could really relate to this。The rehearsal process sounds tough but fun and such a learningcurve。 I do wonder now how any actor can just take over a part in this amazing musical without the same， intense rehearsal time。As a HamilFan， reading about Tommy， Andy， Lacky and Lin was so nice。 I know I don't know them personally （oh boy do I wish I did） but it all sounded so familiar as everyone who speaks about them says the same things about how amazing they are。 The insides also gave me new reasons （as if I needed more reasons） to watch Hamilton again （and again）， with the knowlegde this book has given me。 The day I finally get to see this show in real life and not just on the tv screen is the day I can die happily。 Honestly， what I wouldn't give！Thank you Giles for sharing your memories， notes， journey， story with the world。 This was well worth the read （and yes， I'll definately read this again someday very， very soon！） 。。。more
Nick
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The perfect weekend read。 I knew I would love this book - any book that takes me behind the scenes of the theatre has my name on it！ - but this one was a great insight into one persons journey to accomplish such an amazing role in an amazing show。 If you love theatre， are an actor just starting career or treading the boards， or simply a Hamilton fan - this is a book for you。 Please can we have more insightful books like this。
Emma-Hope Newitt
，
I love anything that gives people the opportunity to see behind the scenes of a musical so what a treat to experience Giles Terera's experience in Hamilton through An Actor's Journal。 The journal is split from the rehearsal room through to the opening night of a show， with Terera sharing what it was like to be a part of the original London cast as Aaron Burr， for which he won the 2018 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical。 I couldn't put this book down and found it incredibly engaging to hea I love anything that gives people the opportunity to see behind the scenes of a musical so what a treat to experience Giles Terera's experience in Hamilton through An Actor's Journal。 The journal is split from the rehearsal room through to the opening night of a show， with Terera sharing what it was like to be a part of the original London cast as Aaron Burr， for which he won the 2018 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical。 I couldn't put this book down and found it incredibly engaging to hear about an individual's journey into this iconic musical。 。。。more
Jane Hunt
，
Based on Giles Terera's journal entries， this book gives the reader insight into the actor's process as he auditions， prepares， rehearses and performs the character of Aaron Burr in the London production of the musical Hamilton。 Whilst I've heard about this musical I have never seen it， but I quickly became absorbed in this actor's view of the production。 It's easy to read and hard to put down。 Honest， insightful and reflective， the book takes the reader to the heart of this iconic piece of musi Based on Giles Terera's journal entries， this book gives the reader insight into the actor's process as he auditions， prepares， rehearses and performs the character of Aaron Burr in the London production of the musical Hamilton。 Whilst I've heard about this musical I have never seen it， but I quickly became absorbed in this actor's view of the production。 It's easy to read and hard to put down。 Honest， insightful and reflective， the book takes the reader to the heart of this iconic piece of musical theatre， its motivations and outcomes and what it meant to play such a pivotal role in it。Interspersed with images from the show， at its various stages， and the author's thoughts about the casting and the company， it gives the reader a unique perspective on what is involved in bringing a musical theatre production to life。The relationship between actor and character is particularly fascinating。 A book that will have wide audience appeal whether you are a Hamilton fan， a student of acting or someone seeking an informed， intense and intriguing read。I received a copy of this book from the author and Nick Hern Books via Midas PR in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Sandy
，
4。50 BLUSHESAre you a musical theater fan？ Are you a Hamilton nerd？ Love American history？ How about a Lin-Manuel Miranda aficionado？ If you are， I am on all counts， you’ll love this book。 If you’re not， you’ll still love this book because its gives us a unique voice in Giles Terera。 Terera did not start out to write a book。 He kept a journal， as part of his remembrance of this pivotal point in his career。 As a result， I wish it were longer。 His experience - the joy， the wonder， the stress！ – co 4。50 BLUSHESAre you a musical theater fan？ Are you a Hamilton nerd？ Love American history？ How about a Lin-Manuel Miranda aficionado？ If you are， I am on all counts， you’ll love this book。 If you’re not， you’ll still love this book because its gives us a unique voice in Giles Terera。 Terera did not start out to write a book。 He kept a journal， as part of his remembrance of this pivotal point in his career。 As a result， I wish it were longer。 His experience - the joy， the wonder， the stress！ – comes across。 It’s like almost seeing the magic that happens on stage but there so MUCH going on behind the scenes！I’m ashamed to say that I had not heard of Giles Terera but after finishing this book， I looked him up。 I’d happily take a stroll to the West End to see his Aaron Burr。Giles immersed himself into researching Aaron Burr and found interesting parallels to his own experience。 He wanted to try to understand what motivated Burr in order to enrich his portrayal。 He does a deep dive into the psychology of Burr and of Lin Manuel Miranda’s lyrics that captivated my attention。 “Two Virginians and an immigrant walk into a room。” An immigrant？ Not twenty seconds ago I greeted Alexander with Mr。 Secretary。”Hmmm。 Interesting。 I imagined Burr standing there， watching them walking away， furious at being excluded。 He had the status， family money， standing， education and was a citizen， yet this “immigrant” rated over him with Washington and the other powers that be？Hamilton and Me: An Actor's Journal fed my Hamilton obsession。 It was almost like being in the room where it happens！ 😉 I saw the New York production instead of London， but I imagine the process must be similar。 We never hear about any of the other productions， so this was so much fun。I’m thinking the Audible must be even better， right？ **Clicks on audible。com** I'll let y'all know。 。。。more
Siân Mayhall-Purvis
，
Note: I got a free copy of this book because I work at the publisher， but all opinions in this review are my own。I think what makes this book really special is that Terera was writing these words for himself。 He was keeping a work journal as part of his process as a performer taking on this extraordinary role， he wasn't writing all this down with the intention of it being read by anyone other than himself。 So I found it very intimate because it felt like I was inside Terera's head！ I could hear Note: I got a free copy of this book because I work at the publisher， but all opinions in this review are my own。I think what makes this book really special is that Terera was writing these words for himself。 He was keeping a work journal as part of his process as a performer taking on this extraordinary role， he wasn't writing all this down with the intention of it being read by anyone other than himself。 So I found it very intimate because it felt like I was inside Terera's head！ I could hear him so clearly and found his voice honest and inviting， full of all the raw emotion of the journey he was taking。 I felt every beat with him。There are entries that properly deep-dive into the language， dynamics and subtext of the songs， which was just such a treat for me。 I thought I knew the music pretty （insanely） well， but now I know I didn't even understand 'The Room Where It Happens' until I read this book！I found this a total pleasure to read。 I loved it as a theatre fan， but even more as a Hamilton nerd。 。。。more
Emily
，
An amazing insight into not only Hamilton， and the character of Burr in particular， but the process of staging and performing such a fantastic piece of theatre。 Just wishing there was a West End cast recording （like the Disney+ Broadway one） so I could watch it over and over again！！
Isabelle
，
The EASIEST ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can give to a book！So I’m pretty sure this isn’t released for another week so my copy must have arrived early 😅 but I beg anyone who loves performing/musicals/drama/acting/theatre in general to pick up this book。The detail that Terera has gone into surrounding the rehearsal process and the process of gaining an understanding of character is incredible。 Set out as a journal， Terera documented notable moments during his time as Aaron Burr in Hamilton and how the performanc The EASIEST ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can give to a book！So I’m pretty sure this isn’t released for another week so my copy must have arrived early 😅 but I beg anyone who loves performing/musicals/drama/acting/theatre in general to pick up this book。The detail that Terera has gone into surrounding the rehearsal process and the process of gaining an understanding of character is incredible。 Set out as a journal， Terera documented notable moments during his time as Aaron Burr in Hamilton and how the performance came together。I couldn’t put this book down and it’s definitely something I’ll be rereading Very soon 🎭 。。。more
Kariss Ainsworth
，
I was gifted this book for review。 Great insight into his process and a really easy read， I couldn't put it down。 Loved his reflections and made me reminisce on my own theatre work I was gifted this book for review。 Great insight into his process and a really easy read， I couldn't put it down。 Loved his reflections and made me reminisce on my own theatre work 。。。more
Paradise
，
Audience members don’t always appreciate the time and effort that goes into a West End or Broadway performance。 It’s a lot of fun， but it’s also a lot of hard work。 The months spent learning lines， choreography and music， lengthy rehearsals， techs and previews are only a small part of it。How does one interpret a character？ And how do you make your interpretation unique？ Ask yourself why the character says a line， how they say it， what they’re doing when they say it？ And what are they thinking？In Audience members don’t always appreciate the time and effort that goes into a West End or Broadway performance。 It’s a lot of fun， but it’s also a lot of hard work。 The months spent learning lines， choreography and music， lengthy rehearsals， techs and previews are only a small part of it。How does one interpret a character？ And how do you make your interpretation unique？ Ask yourself why the character says a line， how they say it， what they’re doing when they say it？ And what are they thinking？In Hamilton and Me， Giles Terera shares his personal story and relationship with Hamilton and Aaron Burr。 How he auditioned for the role of ‘the villain’ and the journey he went on in order to understand and embody him on stage。Hamilton in the US is one thing， but to a British audience it’s very different。 We haven’t grown up learning the history of the Founding Fathers。 Many of us only know who Alexander Hamilton is because of this musical。 The pressure for the West End cast was immense。I was there on opening night。 I hadn’t listened to the soundtrack。 I was sceptical of the whole thing。 And yet， the minute it started with Giles asking “How。。？” I was blown away。Terera is a truly wonderful performer， but in this book we really see him as an actor， son and friend。 His methodical and detailed approach to becoming Burr: the excitement， the fear and the frustration。 It’s a rare insight behind the scenes， and it’s fascinating。Compiled from notes he kept throughout his time with Hamilton， from audition to afterwards， his journal is raw and refreshing。 The mask is off and we see the true meaning of a performer。It’s well-written， relatable and engaging， with plenty of photographs to help visualise the whole experience。If you’re a fan of Hamilton， an aspiring actor or just a lover of history， this book will inspire you to take a look at those characters and performers you admire and see them in a different way。Thanks to Midas PR and Nick Hern Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book。 All opinions my own。 。。。more
Kate Henderson
，
**Listened to the audiobook**Knowing that the hard copy of the book was due for release on 1st July， I jumped for joy when I saw that the audiobook had already been released - nearly a month before the hard copy！！！As a huge Hamilton nerd I love reading any literature about the musical - this book was super exiting as it looked specifically at the rehearsal process and it focussed on the original London cast （something very rare as it always seems to be about the original Broadway cast since that **Listened to the audiobook**Knowing that the hard copy of the book was due for release on 1st July， I jumped for joy when I saw that the audiobook had already been released - nearly a month before the hard copy！！！As a huge Hamilton nerd I love reading any literature about the musical - this book was super exiting as it looked specifically at the rehearsal process and it focussed on the original London cast （something very rare as it always seems to be about the original Broadway cast since that is where the show began） I am a huge fan of the Olivier Award winning Giles Terera and was lucky enough to see his Burr on a good few occasions in the west end。 This book is such a personal and special insight into the making of a musical - and even better it includes so many Hamilton inside stories！！ This book is an absolute must-read for anyone who is a Hamilton fan， and anyone who is a fan of musical theatre full stop！！Loved reading/listening to this - the only downside was that it was just so short！！I will definitely be listening to this audiobook again before the year is out！！ 。。。more
Jamie Lee
，