Some 20,000 New York City high school students will have the chance to see the Broadway hit Hamilton at a reduced ticket rate. The opportunity comes as part of a $1.46 million grant announced Tuesday by the Rockefeller Foundation.
The Rockefeller Foundation will subsidize the tickets with a $1.46 million grant to the Glider Lehrman Institute of American History, a nonprofit organization that is integrating the musical into the curriculum.
For those who are unfamliar, Hamilton is a new breed of historical storytelling by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also stars in the cast.
The musical uses Hip-Hop and R&B influences coupled with "color-blind casting" to tell the story of Alexander Hamilton and the beginnings of the U.S. financial system.
Hamilton was killed in an 1804 duel with Aaron Burr. In 1818, his widow, Eliza, established the Hamilton Free School, the first school in the Washington Heights neighborhood and Manhattan as well.
What the initiative aims to do is reduce the price of tickets, which fetch anywhere from $57 to $160 each, to a nominal $10. The students then will be able to see Wednesday matinee shows beginning April 2016.
"Works like this don't come around very often, and when they do we must make every effort to maximize their reach," Judith Rodin, Rockefeller Foundation president, said in a statement.
A resounding commitment to continuing music in public schools, the first group of students will also be eligible for free and reduced-price lunches, a program available to low-income families.
New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina also said the opportunity to see Hamilton will "give teachers and students the opportunity to experience American history in a unique way while connecting to the class curriculum and cultivating a deep love of learning."
If you haven't seen it, here is a preview of Hamilton below.
