Three First Nations performers have been announced as part of the cast of the highly-anticipated Australian production of Hamilton.
Hamilton will premiere at Sydney's Lyric Theatre next March with a 35-person cast made up almost entirely of people of colour.
Innawonga actor Shaka Cook, who played Jasper Jones in Queensland Theatre Company’s production of 'Jasper Jones' and Wangarra in the Sydney Theatre Company’s 'The Secret River', will make his musical theatre debut in Hamilton as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison.
While Torres Strait Islander man Tainga Savage is in the ensemble, and Wiradjuri man Callan Purcell will be on standby.
The cast also features Jason Arrow leading as Alexander Hamilton, Chloé Zuel as Eliza Hamilton, Lyndon Watts as Aaron Burr, Akina Edmonds as Angelica Schuyler, Matu Ngaropo as George Washington, Victory Ndukwe as Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Brent Hill as King George III, Marty Alix as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton and Elandrah Eramiha as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds.
Hamilton director Thomas Kail said he can't wait for audiences to "watch this dynamic cast dazzle".
"I have been deeply impressed by the exceptionally talented and diverse candidates from all over Australia and New Zealand," he said.
"The level of talent that will play in Sydney is first-rate — rivalling both Broadway and the West End."
The cast announcement comes amid scrutiny over diversity in the Australian performing arts industry.
Hamilton premiered on Broadway in New York City in 2015; it received Tony, Grammy and Olivier Awards.
The show also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for it's telling of the formation of the United States and the life of Alexander Hamilton.
The Australian production will open at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in March 2021.
