On February 27, 2025, the drama class took an exciting field trip to Seattle, where they watched the production Hamilton at the Paramount theater with 68 other participating schools from across Washington and over 2,800 students. The experience was made possible through the Seattle Theater Group, which is an organization that presents shows at either the Paramount Theater or Fifth Avenue Theater that are open to middle and high schools throughout the year. Schools apply for the experience, and Drama teacher Tia Weniger will continue to apply each year.

45 students left at 9:45am and drove under a sunny blue sky. The bus was lively and excited for the event to come as they looked forward to the musical. The class arrived in their seats early, seated in the second mezzanine high above the stage, where they could see everything clearly. The intricate set of brick walls, ropes and pulleys, moving stairs, all tied into a colonial American aesthetic was absolutely incredible, and a majority of the lights set up around the theater were brought in by the production and adapted to the theater.

Several minutes after 1:00pm, a man walked onto the stage and introduced the first black Attorney General of Washington State, Nicholas W. Brown, who reminded the audience that Hamilton, as described by the composer and lead Lin-Manuel Miranda, is the story of America then, told by America today.

Hamilton is a truly revolutionary musical, breaking all norms to musical theater as it tells the story through an abundance of rap songs, as well as genres such as hip-hop, R&B, pop, soul, and traditional Broadway show tunes. Intense choreography as well as a turning stage and bright lights help display the intensity of every fast paced, vocally demanding number.

It is the story of one of the founding fathers of our nation, Alexander Hamilton, and follows him throughout his life as he joins and fights in the revolution and pursues his political goals. It also dives into his family life and the relationships between Hamilton and his wife and sister in-law, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton and Angelica Schuyler. It addresses the friendships and contentions at the time and notable characters and historical figures featured include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Maddison, as well as lesser known revolutionary heroes such as John Laurens, Marquis de La Fayette, and Hercules Mulligan.

“I feel as though everybody gained a great deal of knowledge from seeing the show,” stated Mrs. Weniger. “From how important every member of the ensemble is to how important lighting and tech is, and how when you put it all together, it’s what makes the show a show, which isn’t something that I think most students here envisioned before, because 70% of students in the class had never been to a professional theatrical performance before. It was really eye opening for all. It was positive in every way.”