HAMILTON's Celebrated Education Program, EduHam, Will Come To Minneapolis

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced today the innovative educational program that debuted at HAMILTON on Broadway will continue in Minneapolis on Thursday, Sept. 27 when more than 2,400 students and teachers from 13 high schools attend the matinee performance of the musical at the historic Orpheum Theatre (910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis).

The Sept. 27 performance is the first of two all-student matinee performances in Minnesota that will provide more than 4,800 high school students from underserved communities 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. The second all-student matinee performance will take place on Thursday, Oct. 4 with 17 high schools attending.

In addition to seeing a performance of HAMILTON, students will participate in a Q&A with members of the HAMILTON cast. As well, 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 Orpheum stage in front of their peers.

HAMILTON producer Jeffrey Seller says about the Minneapolis 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."

The HAMILTON producers are making tickets for this educational partnership available for $70, $60 of which is subsidized by Aroha Philanthropies in sponsorship of Project SUCCESS, Target, Minnesota Vikings and the Wilf Family Foundations. Tickets will cost $10 for each student.

Schools participating in the Sept. 27 program include:

• Burnsville High School
• Creative Arts Secondary School (St. Paul)
• Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Twin Cities (Minneapolis)
• Murray Community School (Murray, IA)
• Patrick Henry High School (Minneapolis)
• River's Edge Academy (St. Paul)
• Roosevelt High School (Minneapolis)
• Roseville Area High School (ISD 623)
• South High School (Minneapolis)
• South Tama County High School (Tama, IA)
• Tartan High School (Oakdale)
• Thomas Edison High School (Minneapolis)
• VOA High School (Minneapolis)

Schools participating in the Oct. 4 program include:

· Blackduck High School

· Central High School (St. Paul)

· Columbia Heights High School

· Harding Senior High School (St. Paul)

· Hiawatha Collegiate High School (Minneapolis)

· Irondale High School (Mounds View)

· La Farge Schools (La Farge, WI)

· Longfellow Alternative High School (Minneapolis)

· Marshalltown High School (Marshalltown, IA)

· Minneapolis North Community High School

· North High School (Minneapolis)

· Richfield High School

· Sioux City West High School (Sioux City, IA)

· The FAIR School (Minneapolis)

· Washington Technology Magnet (St. Paul)

· Waterloo West High School (Waterloo, IA)

· Wellstone International High School (Minneapolis)

· Westbrook-Walnut Grove Secondary School (Westbrook)

The Hamilton Education Program in Minneapolis has been funded through a partnership with Project SUCCESS, a youth development organization that works with 14,000 students in 19 Minneapolis public schools each year. Executive Director, Adrienne Diercks said, "Bringing Minneapolis students to experience HAMILTON is the culmination of a three year dream for us at Project SUCCESS. We believe in the power of theater to inspire students, to stimulate important discussion of real-life issues and to help them dream about their futures. This kind of opportunity is about providing access to all students, which Project SUCCESS has done for 24 years, and it's also about providing hope and a feeling of belonging. The HAMILTON story - one of an immigrant, one of loss, legacy, perseverance and hope is a story that will resonate with our students."

HAMILTON is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation's first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON is the story of America then, as told by America now.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, HAMILTON is based on Ron Chernow's biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

The HAMILTON creative team previously collaborated on the 2008 Tony Award Winning Best Musical In the Heights.

HAMILTON features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, and casting by Telsey + Company, Bethany Knox, CSA.

The musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman and The Public Theater.

The HAMILTON Original Broadway Cast Recording is available everywhere nationwide. The HAMILTON recording received a 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.

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