Many of Volpe's students say they feel Volpe and his drama program changed them for the better. Bobby Ryan, a student who was a frequent actor in Volpe's shows, remembered one rehearsal where the teacher made him leave because he was being too distracting. "I don't know who this new Bobby Ryan is, but I don't like him," Volpe told him. "If you find the old Bobby Ryan, tell him I miss him." Ryan says that he was so affected that he felt like he was going to throw up. He says he learned that "you can have fun and make jokes, but when it's time to be on task, you have to be on task. I realized I didn't like who I was being.... When you disappoint Volpe, it's like the worst thing in the world."
Joan Marcus/Les Miserables/AP
