Hamilton Joins BAE for Giving Tuesday
BROADWAY FOR ARTS EDUCATION PARTNERS WITH THE CAST OF BROADWAY’S HAMILTON, HAM4PROGRESS, AND BROADWAY RAVE TO RAISE $10K+ FOR WASHINGTON HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA PROGRAM
The cast of Broadway’s Hamilton is teaming up with Broadway for Arts Education (BAE) and Broadway Rave to raise money for the drama program at The Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS), a public K-12 school located in Washington Heights.
Spearheaded by two Washington Heights residents, Hamilton cast member Cherry Torres and BAE Program Coordinator and Teaching Artist Luis E. Mora, Hamilton and BAE will fundraise through two initiatives: a social media campaign culminating on November 28 (Giving Tuesday) and a special performance at the Broadway Rave on Dec 8. These events will be produced in part by a team of youth interns from WHEELS led by Broadway for Arts Education: Robert Alexander Morillo, Cristian Rodriguez, and Hayes Sebastian Mendez.
Post COVID-19 shutdown, WHEELS has not been able to maintain its tradition of putting on a yearly high school musical. “A stage with no performances can’t be a stage” says senior Hayes Mendez. “Our stage is meant to be performed on and not just a place to lay around and eat on.” Since the Fall of 2022, BAE has been working alongside young people weekly to restore its drama program to its former glory, and provide a space for students to feel safe, develop their professional skills, and give back to their community. “This was a place for me to express my feelings,” says junior student Ana Marte, “but now it’s time to really put on a show and take us to the next level.”
A huge thank you to Ham4Progress, a community highlighting social justice causes and run by a diverse collective of Hamilton company members, for generously kicked off our fundraising journey! To join Ham4Progress and make a donation, visit https://secure.givelively.org/donate/broadway-for-arts-education/hamilton-bae-s
Photos by Alexa Jae ⭐
