The national tour of “Hamilton” is at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center through this weekend. Days before the country’s 250th anniversary, the wildly popular musical is a hot ticket — and pricey — and TPAC is helping make it more accessible through a newly expanded Arts Access initiative.
A matinee performance of “Hamilton” last Thursday was sold out as the announcer gave instructions to a packed crowd in the lobby. When the theatre doors opened, a group of about 20 boys and their chaperones were among the first to enter. They’re members of 100 Kings, a leadership development program created by the nonprofit 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee.
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For the day, TPAC’s Arts Access program provided each boy a free ticket — to one of the hottest shows of the season.
“I’m just looking forward to seeing all the characters,” says Isaiah, one of the youngest in the group.
The story of Alexander Hamilton, a Founding Father, is reimagined in the hugely successful musical by Lin Manuel Miranda. It makes a bold statement about how people of color and immigrants fit in to U.S. history. And the kids in 100 Kings know all about the musical — even if some have never seen it in person.
“I’m excited to see it live for the first time,” says a student named Richard.
“It mixes history and it also, like, mixes like hip-hop … and I think that’s really interesting and I want to see that,” says Asher.
Joan Marcus A scene from the national tour of “Hamilton: An American Musical,” showing at TPAC through June 28, 2026. (Photo: Joan Marcus)
Seeing live Broadway productions is expensive — and out of reach for many. That’s why TPAC aims to make live performing arts more accessible. The Arts Access Initiative is expanding, starting with “Hamilton,” having acquired additional funding support and a matching gift offer from Amazon called Share the Gift of Experience during the month of June.
The program partners with nonprofits, schools and community groups, like 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee and USO Fort Campbell/Nashville, to provide workshops, tours, even paid internships — and, of course, tickets to shows.
“Not everybody can afford a $200 ticket, and everybody deserves to see ‘Hamilton’ once in their life,” says Diana Pelham, vice president of leadership giving at TPAC. “We’re really trying to connect the community to the arts and remove as many barriers as possible.
“The arts truly is a right. It shouldn’t be a privilege. You learn so much more than just watching a beautiful performance on stage. You learn discipline, you learn empathy, you learn how to talk and understand what somebody else is going through. … We need that more than ever now.”
The goals of TPAC’s Arts Access are a good fit for the mission of 100 Kings, says Julisa Maxwell, the program director.
“It’s like the pebble that creates that ripple effect in the water,” says Maxwell. “When students come to TPAC, they experience a world that they were never maybe exposed to before. And so that allows them to explore themselves and evolve into the person that they’re going to be — whether that be a career in the arts or just being able to enjoy quality shows in their future. So it’s really awesome that TPAC wants to pour into our students and create that meaningful change.
In the musical “Hamilton,” a well-known song says:
I’m a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal / Tryna reach my goal… / I am not throwin’ away my shot!
It’s a good takeaway for the kids in 100 Kings like Isaiah:
“It was really good. “This is really special, because I know other (kids) don’t usually get this chance. So, I just appreciate the program.”
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