Yardley, Pennsylvania
Lou Volpe began teaching at Harry S. Truman High School in 1969 and helped form the theatre department. He chartered ITS Troupe 5008 in 1992 and directed six main stage performances at the International Thespian Festival. Prior to retiring in 2013, Volpe was active on the Pennsylvania Chapter board, and his students were involved with the student board. He was awarded Music Theatre International’s first Lifetime Achievement Award for Theatre Education, was selected by Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., as Arts Teacher of the Year in 2014, and has been invited to White House to meet President Barack Obama. In March 2018, he was inducted into the Bucks County Hall of Fame. His career is the subject of the book Drama High, which inspired NBC’s TV show Rise.
