The entire incoming first-year class will receive free tickets to see “Hamilton” in Chicago as part of Northwestern’s One Book One Northwestern program, the University announced Tuesday.

According to a news release, the class — which has approximately 1,900 students — will be split in half to attend two showings of the musical. The first half will attend a matinee performance Oct. 4 and the second half will attend a matinee Oct. 11, the release said.

“We felt that the chance for our students to see ‘Hamilton,’ which also considers the issues raised in ‘Our Declaration,’ presented a unique opportunity,” history Prof. Geraldo Cadava, faculty chair of the 2017-18 One Book Steering Committee, said in the release. “Both the book and the play have injected new perspectives into the study of the American Revolution, and both unquestionably will challenge and engage our students.”

Written and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the award-winning musical combines hip-hop music, dance and dynamic storytelling to narrate the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers.

According to the release, all students in the incoming class will receive a copy of “Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality” by Danielle Allen. The book re-examines the Declaration of Independence and argues that liberty and equality are interdependent, the release said.

“Every year the One Book program provides the Northwestern community, especially students who are new to campus that fall, an opportunity to join in a shared experience,” said Nancy Cunniff, director of the One Book program, said in the release. “I’m confident that next fall’s experience will be one those students will remember.”

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