Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – HAMILTON inspires and engages 1,300 public high school students, in various ways

• By drediman
• May 11, 2018
• No Comments

New York City high school students at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, home of “Hamilton”. Photo by Walter McBride

This week, 1,300 students from New York-area public high schools were invited to spend the day partaking in a workshop at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. That’s right, it’s the venue where Hamilton has taken up its already legendary residency.

The workshop was the culmination of a multi-week classroom curriculum that involved immersion in American history, particularly the Revolutionary War and the founding of the country, which of course included studying the Founding Fathers, of which Alexander Hamilton – on whose life the mega-hit musical is based – was one. The curriculum and the workshop at the Richard Rodgers (which included an exclusive students-only viewing of the musical) was generously sponsored by The Rockefeller Foundation, in collaboration with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and The NYC Department of Education.

Leonel Rosario performs a monologue inspired by the Boston Massacre. Photo by Walter McBride

If the goal was to fully engage and inspire students through history and the performing arts, then judging from what I saw at the well-curated workshop, the program – now in its second year – was an unqualified success. Throughout, students leaned forward, cheered, and seemed eager to soak in the experience.

The itinerary included three distinct segments. The day, which was jovially emceed by Justin Dine Bryant, one of the musical’s talented, hardworking ensemble members, began with performances put together and performed by the students themselves. These were primarily comprised of skits, spoken word/poems, and musical performances. Representatives from 11 schools (18 were in attendance) took to the boards of the Rodgers and bravely performed in front of a packed theater of their peers.

I was surprisingly moved by a number of these student performances. One in particular stood out. 17-year-old Leonel Rosario, a junior at New Directions Secondary School in the Bronx, wrote and performed a spoken word piece based on the Boston Massacre. I was caught off guard by the raw aesthetics of his writing and the urgency of his message to take action, a theme so prevalent in Hamilton.

Q&A session with ensemble members of “Hamilton”. Photo by Walter McBride

The day continued with a Q&A session with six of the production’s ensemble members (including Mr. Bryant, whom the others lovingly referred to simply as “Dine”). If the students’ curriculum leading up to the final workshop was focused on learning history, it was refreshing to see the focus turn to the performing arts. Judging from the questions posed, these kids are clearly lured by, or at least very interested in the prospect of the performing arts as a potential career path.

Then after a lunch break, the students ended the day taking in a performance of Hamilton.  If you were wondering, Hamilton remains in tip-top shape. I continue to marvel at the production’s relentless energy, verve, and inventiveness. I was particularly impressed by the focused drive of Michael Luwoye (who I remember gave such a memorably soulful performance in the musical adaptation The Invisible Thread a few seasons ago), the musical’s current leading man. I’m also happy to report that the rest of the second generation cast look sharper and more comfortable in the show than when I last saw them. Suffice to say, the students were enraptured throughout the show’s three-hour running time and gave it a rousing, instant standing ovation – as did I.