Staging a Comeback: Burbank looks to make bright lights shine again

At Luther Burbank High School, there hasn't been a school play or a musical for more than a decade. But this month, against many odds, Luther Burbank will put on a production of the quirky old British staple "She Stoops to Conquer." The effort is the brainchild of the school's new principal, whose charge is to lift Burbank out of the academic trenches. He believes the arts are part of the answer. Read the four-part series by The Bee's Deb Kollars.

Dec. 16, 2001: Chapter 1 -- A teacher and her students start from scratch to try to bring drama back to their campus this year.

Dec. 17, 2001: Chapter 2 -- There's joy, disappointment and dismay when students learn who was selected for the cast, who wasn't -- and how much work the winners face.

Dec. 18, 2001: Chapter 3 -- As time grows shorter before the play is to be presented, calamities large and small strike.

Dec. 19, 2001: Chapter 4 -- As premiere looms, ragged edges show.

Dec. 19, 2001: Video -- Students rehearse for the play.

Follow-ups:

Dec. 22, 2001: Burbank's drama earns its applause

Dec. 26, 2001: Editorial -- Not by academics alone