Southern Utah University, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and KUED 7 have cosponsored a free screening of a PBS documentary, “Hamilton’s America,” Thursday, Oct. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. “Hamilton’s America” is a behind-the-scenes documentary film that views history through the lens of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pop culture Broadway musical “Hamilton,” winner of 11 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize.
The screening will take place in the Church Auditorium in the Sharwan Smith Student Center at SUU. The event is free and open to the public and will feature a keynote presentation by SUU professor Michelle Orihel and Michael Bahr, education director at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
KUED’s director of creative services and host of contact, Mary Dickson, helped organize the event and is excited to bring the documentary film to Cedar City.
“The musical phenomenon of ‘Hamilton’ is firmly rooted in the history of our democracy, which makes it an important work for today’s audiences,” said Dickson. “It’s highly appropriate that we’re screening the film that tells the story of its creation. We’re very excited to partner with the Shakespeare Festival and SUU and to have an acknowledged scholar from SUU speak about and lead a discussion of the cultural relevance of this musical.”
As the assistant professor of early American history at SUU, Orihel uses the musical to teach about the complexities of the revolution.
“’Hamilton’ creates an instant connection to history and our founding fathers,” said Orihel. “By analyzing a song from ‘Hamilton,’ students are engaged and motivated about a subject they usually struggle with. Discussing the themes presented in the song gives them the opportunity to think about a number of important issues: the relationship between old and new media, the role of extra-constitutional organizations in the coming of the revolution, and the importance of context and chronology in history.”
“’Hamilton’ has inspired me and helped me start a valuable conversation with my students about how we tell the story of the American Revolution and what it means to us in the present,” said Orihel.
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