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Lin-Manuel Miranda Wants To Take Chicago Kids To See 'Hamilton'

 Lin-Manuel Miranda wants to take Chicago schoolchildren to see
Lin-Manuel Miranda wants to take Chicago schoolchildren to see "Hamilton" like he did in New York.
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Getty Images / Neilson Barnard

CHICAGO — There's one group of Chicagoans who may already have tickets to the smash-hit hip hopera "Hamilton" coming to the Loop this fall: CPS students.

Show creator Lin-Manuel Miranda told Complex this week that he hopes to bring local schoolchildren to the Chicago run of "Hamilton" after it premieres Sept. 27 at the PrivateBank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St. Miranda has already received a nearly $1.5 million grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to bring 20,000 schoolchildren to shows in New York. 

"I’m just trying to get as many people to see Hamilton as possible. I know how tough it is to get a ticket in New York, so our priority is getting Chicago up and running, then West End running in London fall of next year," Miranda told Complex. "Everyone is like, 'film it and put it on TV,' but that’s not the thing. The thing is seeing it live, so it’s about being able to get as many people to see that. We have 20,000 school kids through a generous grant from the Rockefeller Foundation that are going to be seeing the show this year and we’re duplicating that program in Chicago."

The comments came during the same interview where Chatham native Chance The Rapper, whose father works for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, said Chicago needs "a new mayor, for sure."

It's unclear who would pay for the Chicago initiative. A spokeswoman for the New York-based Rockefeller Foundation believed their grant only covered the tickets of New York schoolchildren, and a spokeswoman for Chicago Public Schools did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Amanda Meyer, a spokeswoman for Broadway in Chicago, said the hit musical "plans an education program available in Chicago," but details will be determined in the next few months. Individual tickets to the show have not yet been released for sale. 

The musical based off a biography of founding father Alexander Hamilton has seen massive success since its New York premiere last year, and won a Pulitzer Prize in April. The show is also up for a record 16 Tony Awards next month. Notable figures including President Barack Obama, rapper Jay-Z, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel have already seen the show in New York. 

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