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Drama High: The Incredible True Story of a Brilliant Teacher, a Struggling Town, and the Magic of Theater Audiobook
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The inspiration for the NBC TV series "Rise," starring Josh Radnor, Auli'i Cravalho, and Rosie Perez — the incredible and true story of an extraordinary drama teacher who has changed the lives of thousands of students and inspired a town. By the author of The Last Temptation of Rick Pitino. Why would the multimillionaire producer of Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, and Miss Saigon take his limo from Manhattan to the struggling former steel town of Levittown, Pennsylvania, to see a high school production of Les Misérables? To see the show performed by the astoundingly successful theater company at Harry S Truman High School, run by its legendary director, Lou Volpe. Broadway turns to Truman High when trying out controversial shows such as Rent and Spring Awakening before they move on to high school theater programs across the nation. Volpe’s students from this blue-collar town go on to become Emmy-winning producers, entertainment executives, newscasters, and community-theater founders. Michael Sokolove, a Levittown native and former student of Volpe’s, chronicles the drama director’s last school years and follows a group of student actors as they work through riveting dramas both on and off the stage. This is a story of an economically depressed but proud town finding hope in a gifted teacher and the magic of theater.
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“A good reporter can make almost any story interesting. A great reporter makes it blossom. With the kind of diligent, thorough and imaginative reporting not seen enough these days, Sokolove not only brings a teacher, his students, and their community to life, he also opens the story to larger matters.”
— Washington Post
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“Both provocative and heart-warming…An excellent book for teachers or anyone interested in education and the power of theater.”
— USA Today -
“An extraordinary book…A viscerally real reminder of the pain and excitement of being a teenager, an honest and compassionate discussion of class in America, a wondrous, lightning-in-a-bottle book.”
— Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Prep -
“What makes a great teacher—the kind who truly transforms lives? The answer lies between these covers, in Michael Sokolove’s intimate portrait. This book ripples with emotion, with humor, with heart. Like a great performance, Drama High won’t just move you. It will inspire you.”
— Jonathan Mahler, author of Ladies and Gentleman, the Bronx is Burning -
“A bravura performance, the true story of that teacher we all remember or wish we did, the one who pushes us to be better than we thought possible. You’ll clap and cry at the end. Sokolove deserves a standing ovation.”
— Elizabeth Weil, author of No Cheating, No Dying
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About Michael Sokolove
Michael Sokolove is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, as well as the author of the books The Ticket Out, Hustle, and Warrior Girls. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
About Mark Deakins
Mark Deakins is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator and actor whose television appearances include Head Case, Star Trek: Voyager, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His film credits include Intervention, Star Trek: Insurrection, and The Devil’s Advocate. He wrote, directed, and produced the short film The Smith Interviews.