Two-thousand Greater Boston youth attended a performance of the Broadway smash, Hamilton, as part of the Marilyn Rodman Theatre for Kids program, which endeavors to broaden the horizons of at-risk youth and foster a lifelong appreciation of performing arts by introducing kids to live, professional theatre.

Thanks to our incredible partners at Broadway in Boston, Theatre for Kids had the unique opportunity to buy out the Opera House for the October 24th performance. Ours was the only theatre buyout for the entire United States tour of the production!

The buyout would not have been possible without the help from generous supporters including The Rockland Trust Charitable Foundation, The Liberty Mutual Foundation, The Ramlose Foundation, The Boston Foundation, and The Boston Opera House, as well as many individual donors.

The 2,000 kids attending the show represented a variety of youth-focused non-profits, public and private schools.

After the show, several hundred of the youth stayed in the theatre for a special treat, a talk-back and Q&A with six members of the cast!

Nobody can explain what the show meant to the kids, quite like the kids themselves. Here is what one young man said in a text to his group leader after the show:

“As a teen in Brockton when you hear that a show like Hamilton is coming to a city near you, initially you’re excited. But then you realize how unlikely it is that you will have the opportunity to go. Coming from a background where money isn’t always readily accessible for something like seeing a show, when you get an opportunity to go and see a show you have dreamed of seeing, the feeling is unimaginable. The pure elation when the curtains came up was palpable. I could feel the emotions of the characters. The experience is one I won’t ever forget.”

Through the Marilyn Rodman Theatre for Kids program, over 70,000 young people have been introduced to the wonder of theatre over the past 15 years. Each and every show has been meaningful, but Hamilton was a night we won’t soon forget!