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Jacobs Community Engagement Initiative Indiana University

Hamiltunes

Communities: Salem, Nashville, Huntingburg, Bloomington

Launched: 4 performances

Engaged: 35 high school students, 1000 audience members

Involved: 8 IU Students

 

Summary

The Singing Hoosiers, a Grammy-nominated student show choir at Indiana University, united performers from all over campus for a dynamic project called Hamiltunes. Maximizing the cult-like following of Broadway Rap Musical Hamilton, these performers presented a Hamilton sing-along concert that traveled through Salem, Nashville, Huntingburg, and Bloomington, Indiana. At each location, IU performers incorporated local high school students into the rap-focused musical performances, crafting unique relationships through the tongue-twisting fun. The musical Hamilton spreads messages of diversity, ambition, and perseverance, and the performers highlighted these themes with contextual explanations between songs. The final performance in Bloomington was met with a sold-out audience at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, and even featured the conveniently named Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton.
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“I cannot agree more with the message of this musical!”

-John Hamilton, Bloomington Mayor

“We’re very proud of the people who are participating in this. It’s an amazing collaboration, and it is exactly the kind of work we want to support throughout the region.”

– Ed Comentale, Director of IU Arts and Humanities Council.

“In times like these, we need theatre now more than ever. So, you take it to these communities who don’t have it, and here is this art that needs to start living again. I relate to Alexander Hamilton in his struggles of feeling like an outsider. Struggling to fit in was the biggest struggle of my youth, and theatre helped me to adopt a policy of not really caring what people think.” – Nathan Carey, Hamiltunes Performer

IU Students Involved:

Nathan Carey               Lilian Rona               Kyra Kornfeld               Madelyn Merrell

Jennifer Miller             Joseph Ittoop           Lexi Schneider             Matthew Creek

Others Involved:

John Hamilton             Erich Kendall          John Buchanan             Marielle Hug
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More on the Hamiltunes Project:

  • IDS News, 04/18/2019, Interactive show ‘Hamiltunes’ performs ‘Hamilton’ songs at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre.
  • Hoosier Times, 04/18/2019, ‘Hamiltunes’ sing-along show comes to Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
  • Jones, Emily, 04/04/2019, CRE Interview: Performer Nate Carey shares his experience.
  • The Salem Leader, 02/01/2019, IU CRE offers “Hamiltunes”.
  • News at IU, 01/30/2019, IU CRE launches new rural arts series offerings in three communities.
  • Indiana Public Media, 01/23/2019, IU Students bring songs from Hamilton to Nashville.
  • The Republic, 01/15/2019, ‘Hamiltunes’ offers sing-along in Brown County.

 

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