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Ahh this took me BACK. If you ever did theater in high school or community theater - this could be fun - otherwise - I imagine it would be a hard no. Apparently there is (although recently retired) prolific high school drama teacher (Lou Volpe) in a poor middle class suburb outside Philly who puts on these incredible professional level plays and musicals. His notoriety is not based on large budgets or big stages - apparently he is just an incredible teacher. So much so that several Broadway productions were first showcased at the high school level by him including Les Mes, Rent and Spring Awakening. The book is a gushing homage to him and a tribute to the power of theater for teenagers who are leaning to express themselves.
Quotes: p. 19 Mobility, reinvention, identity: These themes are central to the American story, and, in fact, were threaded through the literature I read in Volpe's classroom.
p. 180 "It's not like the people who used to live around here left and a bunch of poor people moved in. It's the exact same people. They just got poorer."
p. 180 "It's not like the people who used to live around here left and a bunch of poor people moved in. It's the exact same people. They just got poorer."
As soon as I started seeing previews for the show Rise on NBC (marketed as a show for fans of Friday Night Lights and Hamilton, and I’m obsessed with both!), I knew I wanted to watch it. But I quickly heard the show was based on the book (this book!) and I first knew I should read it. It’s a great read (super similar to the Friday Night Lights book) that highlights students, the drama teacher, their shows, and their stories so well. It felt long at parts and I admittedly skimmed some chapters and skipped ahead, but I’m glad I got a foundation for the show before starting to watch.
Ugh, I loved this so much. I did notice one mistake (Rent definitely did not win a Tony in 2006). I do not care. This book was so inspiring and made me appreciate so much the magic that is theatre.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
i bought this book and obviously read it because of the NBC show Rise based off of it. i found that the story was interesting to a point but dragged quite a bit. for a short book i thought that there was a lot of information that we didn’t need as readers. overall it was okay, i much prefer the TV dramatization.
I don’t think I have ever enjoyed a non- fiction book this much; if I have, I do not remember. “Drama High” was riveting from beginning to end and I found myself incapable of putting it down. To anyone considering picking up this book: absolutely do it! Lou Volpe’s story is incredibly touching, something I won’t forget about any time soon. This book is proof that there is magic and beauty in theater, trust and hard work. I wonder why I had not read this sooner....
It wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Every other chapter goes into the hardships of the town and school. Okay we get it, they're not the town or school that would have such a great theatre program. But you know what thy do have a great theatre program and somehow pull off some of the best shows. I wish I had gone to school that had a theatre program that Truman does.
Side note, Rent won best musical in 1996, not 2006. The author and editor missed a pretty important detail especially when the author just said a paragraph or two the show was coming off a 12 year run on Broadway.
Side note, Rent won best musical in 1996, not 2006. The author and editor missed a pretty important detail especially when the author just said a paragraph or two the show was coming off a 12 year run on Broadway.
A highly inspirational story that had me engrossed all weekend. I loved reading about Volpe's teaching practice in particular. He was a teacher who set high expectations for his students, cared for them and challenged them. It was so good to read some of the struggles that I as an Arts Education have encountered is also felt by other educators. I think what I most respected about his story was the determination to stage shows that others would deal inappropriate or risky all for the student's benefit. It really hit homw to me the purpose of theatre and that it should be a wheel, a driver, for change.