'Hamilton' performer to conduct class with Valley High School drama club

A member of the touring company that will be performing the musical “Hamilton” at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh is scheduled to speak Wednesday to students at Valley High School in New Kensington.

Nikisha Williams, a singer and actress, will conduct a class with students in the New Kensington-Arnold school’s drama club, offering advice on singing and acting and answering their questions.

It’s coming the morning after the first day of performances of “Hamilton” in downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Performances run through March 13.

Valley students are preparing to stage the musical “Newsies” April 21-24. It’s the musical that had been two weeks away from opening in 2020 when the covid pandemic shut everything down.

“This is a great opportunity,” said Brian Krugle, who is in charge of the drama club and producing the musical and arranged Williams’ visit. “Many times, you don’t get a chance to bring somebody in currently on tour with any show to work with students. It’s going to be a big deal.”

The drama club is covering the cost, Krugle said.

Krugle hopes an appearance by a performer in one of the biggest shows in years will reignite students’ motivation and excitement, which also took a hit during the pandemic.

“I want them to get some insight what it’s actually like to be an actor or actress,” he said. “There’s a lot more involved in that than you understand. It’s a lot of hard work to get there.”

Williams’ appearance at Valley High, through the organization Broadway Plus, was the only confirmed booking in the Pittsburgh area during this leg of the tour. More are likely in the next few weeks as last-minute bookings are common, said Nathaniel Hill, founder and president of Broadway Plus.

“Hamilton” companies travel with about 35 actors, and Hill said they work with about five to book their time doing classes.

Williams, 32, is a native of Mobile, Ala., who resides in Guttenberg, N.J., when not on the road. “Hamilton” touring companies are named after characters in the show; Williams joined the Philip Touring Company in October 2018, about 10 months after it began.

She was previously a member of the Broadway national tour of “The Color Purple,” which traveled across the U.S. from October 2017 to August 2018. Before she was touring, Williams said her “survival job” to pay the bills was working at Ellen’s Stardust Diner in New York City, which features singing waiters.

With “Hamilton,” Williams is part of the ensemble and understudies as Eliza Hamilton, Angelica Schuyler and Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds. She figures she has been in about 600 performances of the musical; the company celebrated 1,000 in January.

Williams said she started doing school visits toward the beginning of the tour and has made 50 to 60 such appearances. They started in cities where she had connections to teachers.

“I just love being a resource for kids who are trying to be in the field I am in,” she said. “I just hope I’m able to inspire them to continue on in theater and give them some tools so they can be successful and continue on their own personal journey to theater.”

Williams said she doesn’t know much about Pittsburgh and is looking forward to exploring the city while here.

“I’m excited to meet the students,” she said. “I know that in that area there will be some very talented kids.”

Performing in “Hamilton” has been wonderful, Williams said.

“I have enjoyed the cast so much. They have been so welcoming,” she said. “The show, itself, is just so nice to be a part of because of all the diversity, and the music is just wonderful. I was a fan of ‘Hamilton’ before I got into the show.

“Being able to be a part of it is kind of one of the dreams checked off my list.”