The innovative educational program that debuted at “Hamilton” on Broadway will continue in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District on Friday, Jan. 25, when over 2,700 students and teachers from 42 high schools attend the matinee performance of the musical at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Benedum Center.
The Jan. 25 performance in Pittsburgh will provide more than 2,700 high school students — including those from Buckeye Local High School and Tyler Consolidated High School — the opportunity to experience the musical “Hamilton” after having spent several weeks in their classrooms studying American history through a special integrated curriculum about Alexander Hamilton and the nation’s Founding Fathers.
In addition to seeing a performance of “Hamilton,” students will participate in a Q&A with members of the “Hamilton” company, and students representing various schools in attendance will perform an original work they created based on their classroom studies — songs, rap, poetry, scenes, monologues — on the Benedum Center stage in front of their peers.
“Hamilton” producer Jeffrey Seller says about the Pittsburgh program, “Our goal is to ensure students have a shot to see ‘Hamilton’ and use its words, music and staging to further their understanding and enjoyment of American history, music, and drama. We’ve had the pleasure of expanding the education program outside of New York in Los Angeles, Chicago and multiple cities around the country.”
The Hamilton Education Program is one of several history education programs offered by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Its president, James G. Basker — who devised the education program in tandem with “Hamilton” creator and producer, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeffrey Seller respectively, and The Rockefeller Foundation — adds, “This project is transformative. ‘Hamilton’ has struck a chord with our nation’s students because it embodies what great history education is all about: bringing the past to life and fostering connections with the exceptional individuals and moments that have made us who we are. This program empowers students to reclaim their own narrative and teachers to bridge classroom learning with the stage.”
Schools participating in the program include:
- Albert Gallatin High School
- Aliquippa Jr/Sr High School
- Allderdice High School
- Barack Obama Academy of International Studies
- Beaver Local High School
- Buckeye Local High School
- Brentwood High School
- Chestnut Ridge High School
- Clayton Academy
- Cleveland Heights High School
- Cornell School District
- Downingtown High School West Campus
- DuBois Area High School
- East Liverpool High School
- Gateway High School
- Greater Johnstown High School
- Imani Christian Academy
- Jefferson-Morgan High School
- Laurel Highlands High School
- McKinley Senior High (Timken Early College)
- Nazareth Prep (formally Holy Family Academy)
- New Castle Junior/Senior High School
- Piketon Jr/Sr High School
- Pittsburgh Brashear High School
- Pittsburgh Carrick High School
- Pittsburgh Milliones University Preparatory 6-12
- Pittsburgh Perry High School
- Pittsburgh Science & Technology Academy
- Pittsburgh’s Creative and Performing Arts Magnet (CAPA)
- Pittsburgh Westinghouse High School
- Propel Braddock Hills High School
- Propel Montour High School
- Sharon City High School
- Southmoreland High School
- The Art College Preparatory Academy
- Tyler Consolidated High School
- Uniontown Area High School
- Urban Pathways 6-12 Charter School
- Valley High School
- Valley Junior Senior High School
- Washington High School
- Woodland Hills High School
The Rockefeller Foundation provided an initial grant of $1.46 million that funded the educational partnership in New York City. After the resounding success of the partnership, the foundation committed an additional $6 million to the effort to support the program’s national expansion.