To enrich Miami-Dade Schools eighth- through 12th-grade students, Actors’ Playhouse Productions will make 3,000 seats available to the Tony-winning musical In the Heights, and engage them through a rap-writing contest. Students will prepare with study guides on the show’s plot line and will participate in discussions with the director, actors and creative team to better understand the performance and possibilities for arts careers. Students will then write their own personal or family story that mimics the play’s musical score or is in a style appropriate to their cultural background. Finalists will perform their works at the Miracle Theater.

Actors’ Playhouse is the nonprofit resident theater company and managing agent of the historic Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables. Winner of 75 regional Carbonell Awards for artistic excellence, Actors’ Playhouse is a Florida Presenting Cultural Organization and one of 22 major cultural institutions in Miami-Dade County. In addition to its Mainstage season, Actors’ Playhouse offers Musical Theatre for Young Audiences, a National Children’s Theatre Festival, a theater conservatory and summer camp program, as well as outreach programs for underserved youth. It is led by executive producing director Barbara S. Stein and artistic director David Arisco.