LINMANUEL MIRANDA

Following a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his musical In the Heights, which brought audiences into the life and neighborhood of a bodega owner in New York, and a Pulitzer win for Hamilton, the musical that infused a dusty historical tale with hip-hop and a diverse cast, Lin-manuel Miranda is creating opportunities for Latinx people as his influence grows. Miranda wrote the songs for Vivo, a Cuba-set musical, and is producing a new version of

The Little Mermaid, which cast Halle Bailey, a Black actress, in the star-making role of Ariel. While Miranda was compelled to apologize for a lack of Afro Latinx representation in In the Heights, his growing influence will allow him to continue to create more opportunities to honor diversity as he straddles both stage and screen. —Mike Fleming Jr.