Page 29 - ARUBA TODAY

PEOPLE/ARTS Monday 27 noveMber 2017
A29
Colleges, high schools use “Hamilton” to enhance teaching

By CARRIE ANTLFINGER part of the One Book One
Associated Press Northwestern program,
CHICAGO (AP) — More which includes a series of
than 2,000 students got into discussions, speakers and
the hottest show in Chica- other events around the
go for free — “Hamilton: An theme of a book. This year
American Musical “ — as it was Danielle Allen’s “Our
part of their acceptance Declaration: A Reading of
to Northwestern University. the Declaration of Inde-
It’s one of the ways col- pendence in Defense of
leges and high schools are Equality.”
using the hugely popular Nancy Cunniff, director
musical to teach students for One Book One North-
about history, art, drama, western, says the program
culture, and even politics. gives students a common
There’s even a high school discussion point when they
program coordinated get to campus as well as a
through the show that has different perspective on a
allowed nearly 49,000 stu- subject.“Our approach has
dents in four cities to see been to find different ac-
the show for free or re- cess points,” Cunniff said.
duced admission.“It’s one “So maybe history is not
thing to learn about these your thing but you like mu-
kind of events in a class- sicals and then you go and
room but to go and see this see this musical and then
in a production it’s differ- maybe history isn’t so bad.” This photo shows Mauricio Gonzalez posing for a photo at THE CIBC Theatre in Chicago while at-
ent, and it’s just amazing,” The university also started tending the performance “Hamilton: An American Musical” in downtown Chicago. Gonzalez was
said Northwestern fresh- a class last year called among the approximately 2,000 first year students at Northwestern University who got to see the
man Alex Richards after “Hamilton’s America,” a show for free as part of the school’s “One Book One Northwestern” program. It’s one of the ways
seeing the smash hit musi- lecture course cross-listed colleges are using the hugely popular musical to teach students about history, art, critical think-
cal.First-year Northwest- in history and Latino stud- ing, performance, culture, and even politics. (Megan Rohrer via AP)
ern students went to two ies. Last year they taught
matinees at CIBC Theatre 135 students and this year to 180, expecting interest Book program, said Geral- professor who helps lead
in October on 48 buses as they plan to raise the cap to increase after the One do Cadava, an associate the class.q