St. Mike's picks Hamilton the Musical as first-year Common Text

COLCHESTER, Vt., April 4, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Common Text for the First-Year Seminar program at Saint Michael's College in Vermont for 2018-2019 will be Hamilton: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) by Lin-Manuel Miranda (2015). Its selection was considered highly unusual by Director of Admission Michael Stefanowicz. "I was excited to hear that Hamilton: the Musical is our selection for the incoming class. Given the current political and racial tensions in the country, it could not be more timely."     

Peter Vantine, director of the First Year Seminar program and professor of Modern Languages, recently announced the selection to the campus. For more than a decade, the Seminar has been asking students to read a common text before arriving on campus, which the first portion of their seminar studies focuses on.  All members of the College community also are invited to read and join discussions about the Common Text.

This is the first year that the "text" of a musical show, rather than a book, has served as a Common Text for the First-Year Seminar, Vantine said.

Miranda's musical is inspired by historian Ron Chernow's biography Alexander Hamilton. It is the story of the life and death of an important figure in United States history.  Hamilton was an impoverished orphan who emigrated from the Caribbean to New York, eager for an education before fighting in the American Revolution and becoming a founding father. It also tells the story of his marriage and family. On both the political and personal fronts, it is a tale of ambition, struggle, triumph, and a fall from grace. Whether or not Hamilton finds redemption is one of many questions that may evoke a range of responses. This dramatic retelling of his life and of a pivotal period of American history contains both comedy and tragedy, and its many levels of meaning combine personal, social, and political dimensions. In 2016, Hamilton earned the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and eleven Tony Awards.

Musically, Hamilton blends rap, hip-pop, pop, R&B, and the traditions of musical theater. "The lyrically rich text and engaging music of this historically-based piece of musical theater lend themselves to exploration, discussion, and debate within a wide range of interdisciplinary perspectives," Vantine said. "Lin-Manuel Miranda's text, music, and theatrical production also fit well with the First Year Seminar program's effort to promote reflection on diversity, given the intentionally multicultural focus of the musical's conception and performance."

Students will be asked to use the original cast recording, to ensure that all are experiencing and examining the same version of the musical. Vantine advised students and the wider community that they can purchase the music on CD from any music store, or download it  in digital form from online retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play (for approximately $20). 

"It is readily available from a variety of sources," he said. "We suspect students will be inclined to download or stream the music on their phones, which should allow them to listen to it easily and repeatedly. However, we will also expect them to read the full lyrics, since the work's words, its story, and the interplay between these elements and the music is at the heart of this year's selection."

However, Vantine said he and fellow faculty do not expect students to travel to New York City and purchase very expensive tickets to see the musical on Broadway, "nor can we offer to take them all to a show there or elsewhere. Our focus will be on this work of art as a text and piece of music."

"I hope that many faculty and staff outside of the FYS program will also be inspired to undertake this common reading and listening experience", Vantine  said, thanking the College's student life VP Dawn Ellinwood and  former  Common Text director Will Marquess of the English department for their reading, listening, and thoughtful deliberations in the selection process. "I am also grateful to all those who submitted recommendations for our consideration. It is a pleasurable challenge to explore a wide range of excellent texts as we work to select one each year, and there are quite a few that would indeed also be excellent choices."

About Saint Michael's College

Saint Michael's College, founded in the great Catholic intellectual tradition, which also recognizes the principles of social justice and compassion, is a selective, fully residential Catholic college in Vermont's beautiful Green Mountains. Our closely connected community delivers internationally-respected liberal arts and graduate education near Burlington, one of the country's best college towns. To prepare for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives, young adults here grow intellectually, socially, and morally, learning to be responsible for themselves, each other and their world.

For more information, contact:
Mark Tarnacki
802.654.2795
[email protected]

SOURCE Saint Michael’s College

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