SPEC Connaissance announced that Tony and Grammy-winning actor Daveed Diggs will be their 2024 spring speaker (Photo by Eric Haynes | CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
Students are not going to throw away their shot to see the Social Planning and Events Committee's spring Connaissance keynote speaker.
Musician and Grammy-winning actor Daveed Diggs, known for his work in "Hamilton," will address the Penn community through a moderated conversation and audience Q&A at Irvine Auditorium on March 26 at 7 p.m., SPEC announced on Friday. The event is set to be moderated by University Life Director of Inclusion Initiatives and Social Justice Education Malik Muhammad.
Diggs is known for originating the roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the Broadway musical "Hamilton." He joined the first production at Vassar College in 2013 and continued playing the roles through the Broadway debut in 2015. He won several awards for his performance in 2016, including the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.
Diggs also starred in the 2023 live action version of "The Little Mermaid" and played a recurring role in the TV series "Black-ish." He is a vocalist for the hip hop group Clipping, alongside producers William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes.
College junior and SPEC Connaissance Director Vincent Lepani said that Diggs was chosen as a speaker because the group believes he "has been successful in so many different areas" and will appeal to a large portion of the University's community.
"We're hoping that all of the experiences he has to talk about can resonate with everybody that comes," Lepani said.
Diggs's appearance at Penn comes amid his promotion for season four of "Snowpiercer," the climate drama TV series in which he stars. Though the show was canceled by TNT after its third season, it has since been picked up by AMC, which also acquired the streaming rights to the past seasons.
Lepani also praised Muhammad for being supportive and aiding the event.
"[Muhammad's] energy is great," Lepani said. "He's really interested in the speakers we bring, he leads a vibrant conversation, and the way he responds to our speakers makes for a really funny and welcoming environment."
Tickets are currently for sale at $5 for Penn affiliates and $15 for non-Penn affiliates. SPEC Connaissance is a campus group tasked with bringing keynote speakers to campus to "educate, challenge, and entertain" Penn students.
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