Simi catches up with Arianna Afsar. Arianna is best known for her starring role as Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton in the Chicago production of Hamilton. But Ari has had a stage presence all her life. She won the title of Miss California in 2010 and competed in American Idol as a high schooler. She went on to pursue musical theater via Hamilton and her latest project, Jeannette, an original musical that honors Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress in 1916. Off stage, Ari works closely with the ACLU of Illinois and other women's rights advocacy groups.

In this episode, we dive into Ari’s journey on stage, from American Idol to her musical, Jeanette. She shares the ins of working with icons like Lin-Manuel Miranda and the outs of a Broadway shuttered by the coronavirus. Most significantly, Ari presents a career that intersects her passions: women’s rights and the theater. From hosting musical fundraisers for progressive candidates to opening for Michelle Obama at the United State of Women, Ari’s trailblazing a path forward in activism through the arts.

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