Telling the Story of Tonight: Reach Out to the Arts Trip to Hamilton

This past Sunday, April 14, the Reach Out to the Arts (ROTTA) program hosted a trip for students to see the award-winning Broadway musical Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City. Written and directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton follows the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and his role during the American Revolution and its aftermath. 

 According to Department Chair of the Visual Arts Chloe Kalna, all 44 spots on the trip were claimed within the first two minutes of the registration form’s release, and a substantial waiting list developed immediately after. “It's really nice when students are looking forward to events and…[finding] out ways to connect with the arts,” Kalna commented. 

Co-directed by Kalna and Department Chair of the Performing Arts Matthew Campbell, the ROTTA program offers opportunities to engage with the professional arts, primarily through off-campus excursions. Speaking about the trips ROTTA offers, Sydney Wang ’25 reflected, “I think [they] allow people who usually don't have time or the resources to go off campus.” She appreciates Lawrenceville’s efforts to provide cultural learning experiences from the regional area. 

Wang “was very impressed” by Hamilton and explained that she especially enjoyed the choreography. “[The dancers] were all really powerful,” she said, “each ensemble member could be seen on the stage, playing a really significant role.” 

Abigail Joiner ’26 described how the choreography incorporated set transitions as well. “People would lift up chairs and take them off stage, making it look really artistic,” she explained. Joiner reflected that viewing the performance live was an “exciting and different” experience. “Sometimes singers would bring in their own personal spin to the lyrics,” she said, “and some parts of [the songs] would include the audience.” Joiner also remembered  enjoying the environment of the theater, stating, “When you watch [the musical] in person, you feel enveloped in the energy of the stage.” Throughout the performance, members of the audience mouthed along to the lyrics, and each number concluded with cheering and applause from the house. “I think that Hamilton really brings people together,” Joiner concluded. She considers the ROTTA trip to have been an “excellent” experience. 

“Art is happening all around us in so many ways,” Campbell explained, “it happens everywhere all the time, and all you have to do is [be able to] afford access to these spaces so that students can become participants in that conversation and in that experience.” Campbell believes that art can “change, move, and develop” students’ minds, and he looks forward to continuing the offering of  opportunities such as the recent Hamilton trip through the ROTTA program.