Graffiti plays an important role in the story of In the Heights. Without giving too much away, I will say that one character is named Graffiti Pete. My knowledge about graffiti and its origins was pretty minimal at the start of this rehearsal process. I knew that Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator, composer, and star of In the Heights, wouldn’t have put Graffiti Pete in the show without a reason, and so I needed to learn more about the origins of the art form.

Luckily, our choreographer, Debra Vega, invited Wane COD, a graffiti artist who grew up in New York and has worked for corporations like Sean Jean and Nike,  to help us out. Wane is a legend in the graffiti world, so we are enormously lucky to have had the opportunity to work with him!

Back in February Wane came to visit the cast of In the Heights. He gave us a presentation on the evolution of graffiti from an underground community of taggers to a widely respected art form practiced all over the world. Since its inception in the 1970s, graffiti was an art form of survival.

Practiced mostly by teenagers, writers (as graffiti artists are known) were kids who took their moms’ kitchen cleaner to help make their writing thicker and more visible. Younger writers were mentored by older kids who had been around longer—traditions were handed down from one generation of taggers to another, who then built on those traditions. It was a community and a home for the writers. (This is when the light bulbs started to go off in my head. Community! Home! This is what In the Heights is all about! Aha!)

While gang members did capitalize on the work of the graffiti pioneers, that was a small piece of a much larger movement, the goal of which was to represent underserved neighborhoods. While graffiti actually started in Philadelphia, it came to prominence with writers in The Bronx. Graffiti art soon got the attention of the downtown art scene in Manhattan, and writers could see a way out of their circumstances through their art. Graffiti is now practiced all over the world and its role in empowering and celebrating communities through public art is well established.

Wane came back to Williston in early April to teach tech theatre students about the origins of graffiti and to show them some skills they’ll apply to the set for In the Heights. He also spent some time with Gabby Record ’17, who is playing Graffiti Pete in our production, so she could get to know how to handle a spray can. Wane will also put his own mark on the show with an original work, but you’ll have to come see the show to get more details.

Again, I don’t want to give away any plot points, but as I suspected, Miranda’s rendition of Graffiti Pete is another way to celebrate community and the power of art. One of the many reasons I love this play!

For more information on the production or to order tickets visit our ticket website.