Deadline is reporting that actress Shannon Purser, who portrayed fan favourite character Barb in Netflix’s Stranger Things, has signed on to star in Drama High, a new NBC pilot from Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights) and Jeffrey Seller (Hamilton).
Inspired by the true story of high school drama teacher Lou Volpe and based upon the Michael Sokolove book, Drama High “revolves around an extraordinary working-class high school drama department and the incredible students who come alive under a passionate teacher and family man whose dedication to the program galvanizes the entire town.”
Purser is set to play the part of Annabelle, which was created specifically for the actress after meeting with Jason Katims; she is described as ” one of the students in the town who works harder than anyone else to make the cast of Spring Awakening despite not fitting the exact mold of what everyone has in mind”
Also featuring in the cast of the pilot are Roisie Perez (Fearless), Auli’i Cravalho (Moana) and Rarmian Newton (The Family).
Originally published March 9, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
