Show Based On Truman Drama Program Picked Up To Series By NBC

The NBC TV pilot based on retired Harry S. Truman High School teacher Lou Volpe and his nationally-recognized theater program has been picked up to series by the network.

The news broke late in the week via several trade publications and is expected to be followed by a trailer early next week, a source connected to TV pilot (an industry term for a test episode made before any commitment by a network is made) production business told LevittownNow.com.

NBC is expected to preview the show and release more information on the upcoming series during its upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Monday, May 15.

The series has been retitled from “Drama High” to “Rise” and features a cast of mainly new characters similar to some in the Michael Sokolove’s New York Times best-selling 2013 book “Drama High: The Incredible True Story of a Brilliant Teacher, a Struggling Town, and the Magic of Theater.” Volpe’s character has been renamed Lou Mazzuchelli, who is portrayed by Josh Radnor of “How I Met Your Mother” fame.

The series follows Mazzuchelli as he turns around his school’s sagging drama program in a working-class town.

Earlier this year, Deadline Hollywood reported that “Friday Night Lights” and “Boston Public” producer and writer Jason Katims has teamed up with “Hamilton” and “Rent” producer Jeffrey Seller to create the script for the pilot episode. Katims is known for his realistic portrayal of high school football in small town Texas in NBC’s “Friday Night Lights.”

The New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment confirmed that “Rise” was filmed in New York City and the surrounding area. As of this week, the show was still undergoing some production work.

Deadline Hollywood reported that NBC greenlighted “Rise” to begin extending job offers to writers for the series last month, a pretty firm sign the show will move to series.

Sokolove’s book tells the story of Volpe and his drama program that featured a group of extraordinary students from working-class Bristol Township. Sokolove, a Levittown native, spent plenty of time with students and Volpe to get the book together.

Under Volpe, Truman’s theater program won dozens of awards and was the first high school in the nation to perform “Rent” and “Les Misérables.”

Through his groundbreaking work in Bristol Township, Volpe learned the players in the musical theater world in New York and often had first dibs on high school-level productions of Broadway shows.

“Rise” stars Radnor, Rosie Perez, Marley Shelton, Auli’i Cravalho, Damon J. Gillespie, Amy Forsyth and Rarmian Newton. Cravalho, 16, signed on to “Rise” after her acclaimed role as the lead in Disney’s 2016 film “Moana.”

In addition, NBC picked up “For God and Country,” a series that focuses on undercover military intelligence officials and stars Warminster native Mike Vogel.