"Rise" is a new show that has premiered on NBC about a group of high schoolers coming together to perform provocative Tony award winning musical "Spring Awakening". If you were a fan of the FOX show "Glee", which was about an aspiring high school show choir, you will want to stick around and see why you should watch NBC's "Rise"!
1. "Rise" is based on a true story.
"Rise" is based on the true story of the now retired Pennsylvania theater director Lou Volpe. He was a voice to his students to keep going for what they believe in, and inspired author Michael Sokolove to write a book about his career, which is what led to the show "Rise". Volpe pushed the boundaries of theater education and with his dedication, Harry S. Truman High School became the first school in America to produce raunchy and risky shows "Rent" and "Spring Awakening", and even got music and lyricist of "Les Miserables" to come to the high school's production of "Les Miserables".
2. The show includes a transgender character.
Michael, played by non-binary actor Ellie Desautels, is a transmasculine boy who joins the cast and plays Moritz in "Spring Awakening". The writers worked with both Ellie and GLAAD, an organization dedicated to promoting acceptance in the media to LGBTQA characters, to be sure that they were creating Michael with as much accuracy as possible. They specifically wanted to cast a trans person in the role of Michael, unlike other creators in the media. Most trans characters in movies and TV shows are played by someone who is not trans, so it is refreshing to see some representation! The best thing about having Michael is that his storyline is just about him being Michael, going by his everyday life and finding a community of friends who love him for him.
3. Auli'i Cravalho, voice of Disney's "Moana", makes her TV debut in "Rise"!
Auli'i, best known as Moana in "Moana", plays Lilette, the girl with no experience in theater. She is pressured by her friend Simon to audition for the drama club show, and without hesitation, the new drama director puts her into the lead role of "Spring Awakening"! If you loved her as Moana, you will love her as Lilette in "Rise"!
4. If you were a fan of "Glee" and a fan of theater, this show is perfect for you!
Sure, they did a few musicals on "Glee" while they were in high school, but it just wasn't enough. Us theater kids needed a show with more high school theater representation, and thus, "Rise" was born! 5. Josh Radnor is everything you'd ever want and more.
5. The messages brought into "Rise" are still accurate to theater education today.
The directors of the drama department talk about how they struggle to get money from the school, yet the football team just had a new football field put in that cost thousands of dollars when there was nothing wrong with the field. When the principal finds out about switching the fall musical to "Spring Awakening", the principal is furious about the content and the amount of money it will cost to run the show and refuses to let them perform it. It's not until the starring football player, who was casted as the male lead in "Spring Awakening", threatens to quit the football team that makes the principal allow them to do "Spring Awakening". Their journey to a better theater education does not end there.
Rise is on every Tuesday on NBC at 9pm, and you can catch up on the NBC app or website, and on Hulu! A season 2 has not been announced yet, but fingers are crossed it will happen!