Who would've thought 10 years ago, a musical about 18th century politics and the federal reserve would be cool again. If it ever was. But the Broadway hit Hamilton has made it so. The smash hip-hop, historical musical about Alexander Hamilton came to TPAC in late December through this past Sunday. Those of us far from Broadway got to see it. That includes 2,400 high school students from the area. But instead of paying hundreds of dollars for tickets, the price was $10 and a work of art.
As part of Hamilton's tour, there is an education component ('Eduham') that allows students to perform, right, or create art that celebrates what they've learned from American History. That and ten bucks got them the opportunity to see Hamilton (a ticket that can cost several hundred dollars for a nose bleed seat).
Kids from all over mustered the courage to perform their works in front of their peers on the TPAC stage. Two seniors from Overton High School wrote a song about the election of 1800. Jasmine King played Aaron Burr and Mateen Hasan portrayed Thomas Jefferson. King told the Tennessean:
“I liked this project,” she said. “I don’t really like history, to be honest. But I liked ‘Hamilton.’ ”