Virginia Wins Big at Tony Awards -- And It's All Thanks to 'Hamilton'

Broadway musical "Hamilton" was a big winner Sunday night -- but so was Virginia.

The hip hop musical about America's founding fathers took home 11 Tony awards, including Best Musical, and the commonwealth featured heavily in the production, sparking huge interest in young people in the history throughout the state.

Sites like Yorktown and Monticello and Virginia natives like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson factor heavily in the play. It's gotten to the point that workers at some of the historical sites have noticed people showing up wearing "Hamilton" T-shirts, according to a Virginian-Pilot report.

Colonial Williamsburg is even considering adding an actor to play Alexander Hamilton in its October program to join Jefferson, Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette.

"We hear about people who are interested in 'Hamilton' and our connection to Hamilton all the time," the report quotes Stephen Seals, interpretive program development manager with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

"Hamilton" follows the rise and fall of Alexander Hamilton, who was born as an immigrant from the Caribbean and eventually became America's first Treasury secretary, as one of the most influential figures in the country's founding.

Image via Hamilton Musical