On Wednesday, April 24th, the Indian Hills High School Choir and some members of the Indian Hills Theater Company (IHTC) traveled to Broadway for a unique opportunity. Students attended a singing workshop with cast members and watched a matinee show for the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton.
For the workshop program, students were given an arrangement of songs to work on ahead of time. All attendees performed a mash-up of the musical’s hit songs “Alexander Hamilton,” “The Room Where It Happens,” and “My Shot.” The students then worked with a professional music director to fine-tune the composition and perform it for Broadway actors. Following the performance, students received live feedback from the cast members. “They were so incredibly nice,” said choir member Callie Taylor, a junior. “They gave us great feedback about how to improve our diction and rhythm. It was educational and fun!” Anna Schunke, another junior and member of both choir and IHTC said, “The workshop was my favorite part. It was great to meet people who work in the industry and then watch them perform afterward.”
Cast members also held a private performance for the students, singing the song “The Schuyler Sisters.” Then, students watched another special performance by Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan, a member of Freestyle Love Supreme, an improvisational rap group created by Lin Manuel Miranda, writer of Hamilton. “Chris gave an incredible beatbox performance. He is so talented!” Taylor adds.
After the training, the students watched the play. Vinci Introna, a junior in IHTC and Choir said, “My favorite part of the trip was seeing the actual show. The cast was amazing and I have never seen a show like Hamilton before,” Taylor said, “Hamilton is my favorite musical, and witnessing it in person felt unreal. It was even more amazing watching it once I met all of the cast members.”
Indian Hills students who went on the trip had an excellent experience working with, receiving feedback from, and watching Broadway actors. With their new advice and inspiration from the workshop, IHTC and the Choir are certain to “Blow Us All Away” in their next performances.
