5 Ways to Celebrate “The Story of Tonight” | #EncoreHamiltonWeek

We’ve been counting down the days until the Hamilton premiere on Disney+ and it’s finally here! Let’s look back at this week’s Hamilton theme songs:
Monday, June 29, 2020 – “My Shot”
We shared our excitement and favorite Hamilton moments on our social media handles!
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 – “Wait for It”
From adapting history into musical theatre, to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s connection to Shakespeare, there’s so much to learn about this Broadway hit musical! Read our #TechTuesday blog for our favorite Hamilton resources.
Wednesday, July 1 – “You’ll Be Back”
Do you remember your first audition or callback? “I had learned from what I did in the previous year’s audition and made sure I did my very best this time.” Trying out for shows is all about learning from your experience and perseverance! Take a look back at some of our favorite audition advice from Encore staff and students on the blog.
Thursday, July 2 – “The Schuyler Sisters”
Eliza Schuyler Hamilton was a philanthropist and gave back to the community when she opened an orphanage. We shared the many ways Encore gives back to the community with our outreach programs and how you can be a part of the impact! Click here to read the full blog post.
Friday, July 3 – “The Story of Tonight”
We’ve got 5 ways to make the premiere special! We’re sharing creative ways to set up your family in-home premiere and make this movie a night to remember!
#1 – Set up your family box office!
Design your own movie tickets or find free printables to hand out to the family! Your tickets will let the family know what time to meet in the living room so you can enjoy the show together.
#2 – Roll out the red carpet and style your Hamilton attire!
Give yourself a reason to dress up and create an outfit inspired by your favorite Hamilton character! Call the squad and coordinate together (in safe distance!). Be sure to post your photo and mention us on @EncoreArlington.
#3 – Perform your own pre-show!
Get out the karaoke microphone and perform a song or two of your Hamiltune favorites! Make it the “Room Where it Happens” and have the entire family involved or friends over Zoom.
#4 – Gather your favorite movie snacks for the “young, scrappy and (literally) hungry!
Make a themed dinner with grilled HAMilton and cheese sandwiches, or a delicious dessert bar! Try a new recipe to spice up or sweeten your popcorn!
#5 – Continue the celebration with your Encore family!
Follow Encore’s Tumblr to view our tagged Hamilton posts and re-post them! Show us your Hamilton movie night set-up and tag us @EncoreArlington!
Does the premiere have you wanting more musical theatre? Sign up for Encore’s virtual summer camps including Broadway Classics, Broadway Bootcamp, Stage Door: The Show Must Go Online!, and Center Stage: Once Upon a Mattress!
“Look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now” to experience this amazing show at home! Get creative and enjoy the show! #EncoreHamiltonWeek
Photos by Cindy Kane Photography, Aileen Pangan Christian, PBS, and Disneybound.co.
Tell (Y)our Story by Giving Back!

Hamilton premieres on Disney+ tomorrow, July 3, and we’ve been celebrating all week long on social media! Today’s Hamilton song theme is….”The Schuyler Sisters.” Eliza Schuyler Hamilton was a philanthropist and gave back to the community when she opened an orphanage. Learn the many ways Encore gives back to the community with our outreach programs and how you can be a part of the impact!
Here are 5 Fun Facts about our Outreach Programs:
#1 – Encore’s Healthy Play Initiative (HPI) was designed to instill healthy eating
and exercise habits in children from an early age, using theatre arts as a tool.
#2 – HPI enriches the lives of our most vulnerable children through the arts
and provides a safe space for creativity and self-expression for children experiencing food and housing insecurity.
#3 – We partner with Arlington Food Assistance Center on our two existing HPI sites,
Gates of Ballston and Arlington Mill Community Center. We are grateful to the John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation for a grant for HPI this year and to the Arlington Community Foundation and the Dominion Guild for past funding.
Check out our past photos of HPI in action!
#4- Encore is collaborating with Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) and AHC Inc. to expand HPI to young residents in affordable housing in Arlington and Alexandria.
While we wait for a safe time for our teaching artists to teach in person, we are reaching out in other ways during the pandemic. This includes baskets of games and crafts and virtual programming links for their young residents during this time of isolation.
#5 – Encore partners with other community-based nonprofits to support students experiencing homelessness with scholarships.
Thanks to funders like the Children’s Charities Foundation, and individual donors like you, children and youth in need receive scholarships to attend Encore camp and class.
Make a gift today to bring theatre to children in our community!
Keep the Hamilton Celebration Going!
Tomorrow’s theme song is “The Story of Tonight.” Make the premiere special! We’ll share creative ways to set up your family box office and in-home movie premiere to make this movie a night to remember! Mention us @encorearlington and be sure use #EncoreHamiltonWeek
Photos by Cindy Kane Photography, and Aileen Pangan Christian. Video by Rosemarie O’Connor