The musical, Hamilton, will tour through Texas in late 2021 and early 2022, making a stop at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Hamilton will run from November 16 through December 5.
During that run, one performance will be for 3,400 Dallas ISD students who attend 25 high schools in the city.
"It creates an opportunity for students to see themselves on stage and think, 'I could do that,' to understand the type of music that's being used," says Ken Novice, president of Dallas Summer Musicals. "That can resonate with them because it's mostly the music they listen to."
The performance is sponsored by Plano-based Frito Lay and the T.D. Jakes Foundation. Jakes says the show can help introduce kids to opportunities while they are still young.
"The decisions about their lives start at very early ages," Jakes says. "The kind of exposure ties directly to whether they go to college or not, to whether they pursue careers or not, and it inspires them."
"We fully support STEAM careers, education and training, food access, diversity, engagement and inclusion. We know the more we support these, the stronger we'll be as a business," says Frito Lay's Joan Catera. "We believe we succeed when our community succeeds."
Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa says a show like Hamilton can help students interested in fine arts learn more about theater, but he says the show can also appeal to kids interested in science and technology by showing how sets are built, work together and are changed quickly.
"It'll inspire them. It'll help them solve the 'why.' A lot of kids don't understand the 'why,'" he says. "They might ask, 'why do I have to do this,' and the art will make it relevant for them and be very encouraging for them in the future."
Hinojosa says Hamilton will also help students understand how history affects them.
"They actually feel like they're walking in those shoes. Then they can say, 'Okay, that's why it's so important,'" he says.
Details about the show in Dallas are available here. Hamilton will also make stops in Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. A complete schedule is available here.
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