Shaina Taub

Lin-Manuel Miranda
October 2, 2024 7:23 AM EDT

“How will we do it when it’s never been done?

“How will we find a way, where there isn’t one?”

So sings the great Shaina Taub as Alice Paul in her masterful Broadway musical Suffs, a decade-long labor of love that tells the story of the tenacious women on the front lines of the suffragist movement. Shaina not only stars in Suffs, but also became the first solo woman to win Tony Awards for both the book and score of a musical. Her songs are catchy, muscular, and unforgettable: once you’ve spent an evening with her characters, you’re hooked.

I’ve been a fan of Shaina’s since her days writing Shakespeare adaptations for the Public Theater, and I feel grateful to call her a friend. Every time I talk to her, I want to write. Every time I hear her music, I learn something new. Maybe the most exhilarating thing about her history-making year is that she’s just getting started. What else will she do that has never been done? 

Miranda is an award-winning composer, lyricist, and actor