When I started teaching high school, I was full of energy and believed that education could empower young people to create a better society. Twenty years in, my idealism had been replaced by cynicism. Living paycheck to paycheck and pining for weekends, I began to envision an early retirement. Then one afternoon, after the building had emptied, I heard voices coming from the auditorium. A fellow teacher, Blake, was rehearsing a Sam Shepard play with a group of kids who were known for their disruptive classroom behavior. I was curious whether the stage might help them change course.