I have to admit that Drama High: The Incredible True Story of a Brilliant Teacher, a Struggling Town, and the Magic of Theater is a bit of an unlikely read for me, seeing as I have never been involved in high school theater of any kind. However, after seeing a very positive review on one of my favorite blogs, I decided to give this one a chance, and I’m so glad that I did! Read on for my review of this sensational book!
Laura‘s Review
What an inspiring book! Although I am not really a “theater” person, I found myself totally immersed in the drama program at Harry S Truman High School in Levittown, Pennsylvania. The book is ostensibly a biography of Lou Volpe, the legendary drama teacher at Truman. But it is so much more than just the story of Volpe’s life. Michael Sokolove, a former Volpe student, has done an amazing job telling both Volpe’s story and the story of the students who make up Truman’s drama program.
Throughout the book, we follow two separate casts performing two plays during the last few years of Volpe’s career at Truman (one is a play called Good Boys and True and the other is the musical Spring Awakening). I felt so connected to the casts of these shows! Sokolove takes the reader through the audition process, the early rehearsals, the dress rehearsal, up until opening night. Whenever I read about an opening night I would start getting nervous about what would happen when the curtain went up—that’s how invested I was in the success of these kids!
I was so invested in their success partially because these kids don’t have a lot of resources at their disposal to help them succeed. Levittown is a town that’s past its prime, to say the least. A “planned” suburb of cookie-cutter houses, Levittown’s heyday was in the ’70s and ’80s. Since then it has slipped into hard times with the closing of the large steel factories that provided jobs for much of the blue-collar middle class population. Many of the students come from poverty, few can afford to think about college, and lots of them juggle school, extracurricular activities, and one or more part-time jobs.
So how does this high school in a has-been steel town have arguably the best drama program in the country? Enter Lou Volpe, who has taught drama at Truman for more than 40 years. Volpe does better shows with fewer resources than anyone in the country. He has been fearless in his choices of material (never shying away from the controversial) and ultimately trusting in his students’ ability to handle mature themes. Sokolove posits that the students’ life experiences make them better actors: more mature, more willing to take risks, and more vulnerable.
Over the years, the play has literally become the thing at Truman High. Volpe has created such an expectation of excellence that it has become a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy—it is not unheard of for varsity athletes to quit their sports because they got a lead in the play. When they held auditions for Rent, 300 students showed up (1 out of 5 at the school). At Truman, drama is serious business, and for many kids it is their saving grace. As one cast member says, “It makes me be able to look at myself and say, ‘Here’s something I do well.’ I never felt that way before.”
Sokolove does an excellent job providing context for Volpe’s (and his students’) achievements in the setting of the current state of arts education in America. As everyone probably knows, funding for arts, music, and theater is not exactly a priority in today’s schools. This is in part due to the focus on standardized testing, which offers an easy way of measuring students’ progress. The arts are less able to be quantified, leading some to believe they are not as important. I dare you to read this book and come away thinking that’s the case. And there is actually evidence that arts education transfers over to success in other more “traditional” subjects.
Overall this book is a testament to the power of a single teacher to change literally thousands of lives. At the same time, it’s a tribute to the students who have overcome so much to succeed.
Bottom LineI really, really, really liked this one! Highly recommended and a must read for anyone who is a fan of the arts or theater or who is interested in a compelling underdog story.
Rating: A-
Wine/Beverage Pairing: Some sparkling cider to toast opening night success! (Remember, we’re talking high school students here…)
Buy Digital: Kindle | Nook Buy Print: Amazon | B&N
Drama High Giveaway
Riverhead Books is generously giving away a print copy of Drama High to THREE lucky Kindles & Wine commenters (U.S. residents only).
To enter for your chance to win, you must:
- Be a follower of our blog (click HERE to subscribe), AND…
- Hit the comments and give a shout-out to a teacher who influenced your life in a positive way. Let’s pay tribute to all of those great teachers out there! (For privacy reasons, you don’t have to give real names, “my eighth grade science teacher” “Mr. S” etc. is fine.)
Please note: All entrants must review and adhere to our official giveaway policy. This contest will close on Thursday, January 16, 2014 at 11:59 PM (CST) and the three winners will be notified via email on Friday, January 17.