2,400 students got to see 'Hamilton' for $10. The catch? They had to make their own work of art first

Two questions. 

What could ever drive a pair of high school students to pen a two-minute rap that details a late 18th-century tax protest? 

And why would those students ever muster the courage to perform it in front of a few thousand teenagers? 

One answer: “Hamilton,” of course. 

Thursday morning, Tennessee Performing Arts Center organizers welcomed roughly 2,400 students from Title 1 high schools in six states to Andrew Jackson Hall for “Eduham,” the Hamilton Education Program offered by Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in partnership with the hit show. 

"Hamilton" — a Broadway musical utilizing hip-hop, jazz and an occasional rap battle to tell the life story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, whose face is on the $10 bill — made its Music City debut Dec. 31, 2019. The Pulitzer Prize, Grammy and Tony Award-winning show takes a final Nashville bow Jan. 19. 

For $10 and a bit of creativity, Eduham participants spend a day with the musical that’s made American history cool again, attending a “Hamilton” matinee and cast Q&A. Along with paying a $10 entry fee, students must study and create a piece of Founding Father-era art — song, poem, drawing, literature, etc. — to attend.  

And, a few dozen students with enough teenage courage opened the too-cool-to-actually-be-school field trip with performances in the room where "Hamilton" happens. 

Nashville marks the 25th stop for Eduham. Funded in part by the Rockefeller Foundation, the program has reached an estimated 150,000 students.

“There’s nothing ever in the history of art that’s affected kids the way this does, (and) most kids in public schools don't have 300 bucks a pop for a nosebleed seat,” said Michelle Newcomb, a John Overton High School teacher and local Eduham organizer. 

Whiskey Rebellion raps

Students from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Louisiana recited one-of-a-kind poetry, hip-hop bars and stripped-down show tunes. One student embraced a French accent in a monologue tribute to Marquis de Lafayette; another performance, by students from Livingston, Tennessee, personified the seconds leading into an 1804 duel that (spoiler!) killed Alexander Hamilton. 

LaTera Allen and Hannah Blackwell, seniors at Memphis Central High School, donned faux farmer costumes and drank from prop jugs while rapping about the Whiskey Rebellion, a tax protest referenced subtly in “Hamilton.” 

“We both took AP U.S. history last year, so we learned about this stuff,” Blackwell said.

The class helped build their historical rap catalog, Allen added: “A lot of times in AP U.S., when we did different projects, we would do raps.”  

More:Hit musical 'Hamilton' makes a long-awaited Nashville debut (and, yes, it's excellent)

Another duo, Jasmine King and Mateen Hasan, seniors at John Overton High School, spent roughly two weeks penning a song chronicling the 1800 presidential election. King portrays Aaron Burr, her favorite “Hamilton” character, while Hasan plays Thomas Jefferson. 

“We had to research as much as we could about it and then hypothetically assume what each person’s ideas were, what their thoughts (were),” Hasan said.  

King added that in her other projects that “I’m just researching … I’m writing the paper.” 

“I liked this project,” she said. “I don’t really like history, to be honest. But I liked ‘Hamilton.’ ” 

‘I live for it’ 

History comes alive with Eduham, said Amy DiChristina, program manager. Through the program, students gain access to more than 300 educational documents, including videos on show creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s storytelling process. They study a pro- and anti-American Revolution argument (including “Hamilton” song “Farmers Refuted”) before deciding what story to tell in the project.

In Nashville, 38 schools joined an Eduham alumni list of more than 2,200 from 34 states and Washington, D.C. 

“These young kids have a lot to say,” DiChristina said. “They use the founding era and the events that happen to talk about how it’s still relevant to their lives today.” 

And “Hamilton” thrives by telling a historical story through the voices and sounds of modern America; students watch as actors with artistic and racial diversity bring life to the American Revolution. 

Seeing yourself represented on stage could be the spark that lights a creative fire, said Marcus John, “Hamilton” actor and Eduham Nashville host. 

“Some of them, it’s going to be their first time seeing live theater at all,” John said. “They’re gonna leave feeling like,‘I wanna do that. I’ve seen myself up there.’ ” 

John said he never experienced anything like Eduham in high school, but being in that room for a day could impact the students for years to come. 

“The diversity of the room,” John said. “In age and in color and where you’re from. … The more you surround yourself with people who are different than you, the more you can learn from experiences you never had. 

“(You) become a more complete human and a kinder human to the person next to you.” 

Watching the biggest Broadway show of the century? That’s a bonus. 

“I live for it,” Allen said. “When they came to Memphis, I was devastated I couldn’t get tickets.” 

With a laugh, she added, “I know I’m gonna cry. I’m looking forward to that.”