Children's Books

Thirty Short Comedy Plays for Teens: Plays for a Variety of Cast Sizes

Laurie Allen

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Editorial Review:

Real life teen dilemmas written as comedy. These thirty short plays give teenage performers a chance to portray the drama of their everyday lives. They may act crazy, push boundaries and discover themselves as the plays permit them to show off their talents. The actors can create outrageous characters in the context of situations they know so well. Sample titles include: "The Kissing Booth", "Four Boyfriends", "Last Free Summer" and "The Babysitter". Inexperienced actors will come alive as performers because they playlets offer natural dialog and believable situations. The plays are for two to six actors. It is excellent for contest use.

The Greek Plays

Ellen McLaughlin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From The Persians
"Defeat is impossible
Defeat is unthinkable
We have always been the favorites of fate.
Fortune has cupped us
In her golden palms.
It has only been a matter
Of choosing our desire. Which fruit
To pick from the nodding tree."

This chilling passage is from Ellen McLaughlin's new adaptation of The Persians by Aeschylus, the earliest surviving play in Western literature, an elegy for a fallen civi-lization and a warning to its new conqueror. As Margo Jefferson wrote in the New York Times, "The play is a true classic: we see the present and the future right there, inside the past. And when writers give us a 'new version' (a translation or adaptation) of a classic, they both serve and use it. They serve the playwright's gifts by refusing to simplify. But they can't just imitate. Every age has its own rhythms and drives. The classic must make us feel the new acutely. Ellen McLaughlin serves and uses The Persians with true power and grace."

Also included in this volume: Iphigenia and Other Daughters (from Euripides and Sophocles); The Trojan Women (Euripides); Helen (Euripides); and Lysistrata (Aristophanes), all powerfully realized and as relevant today as when they were first performed.

Ellen McLaughlin's plays include Days and Nights Within, A Narrow Bed, Infinity's House and Tongue of a Bird, which have been widely produced. She is a past finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and was the co-winner of the Great American Play Contest. Also an accomplished actor, Ms. McLaughlin is most known for having originated the part of the Angel in Tony Kushner's Angels in America, appearing in every U.S. production through its Broadway run.

The Merchant of Venice (Cambridge School Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare

List Price: $11.00 By: Cambridge University Press Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Time has made Merchant into a tragedy 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Shylock is the only sympathetic character in the play. Modernity has altered the villain in "The Merchant of Venice" from Shylock to the entire cast of characters EXCEPT for Shylock. Any sense of comedy in the play died for those with a sense of religious tolerance, and Shylock comes off as merely oppressed. I found Act 5 almost nauseating after the forced conversion. That, coupled with the happy racism makes a perversion of decency and happy endings. This play is a tragedy. The recent movie version done starring Al Pacino turned it into a tragedy, and amazingly, a play written as a comedy seems to work very well as a tragedy.

Antonio gladly spits upon Shylock and calls him a dog, but stunningly, when Antonio finds himself in a financial pinch he goes to Shylock for money. More brash is Antonio's promise to act the same in the future: "I am as like to call thee so again, / To spet on thee again, to spurn thee, too." (1.3.127-28) From this point on, sympathy for Antonio is paralyzed in a modern reader's mind, from reminders of past images, from slavery and anti-Semitism, where the dehumanizing of a group of people is accepted by a society. The entire text afterward reads like an indictment of humanity, as if Shakespeare is making the Elizabethans laugh at their own behavior.

In perhaps the best argument in Shylock's defense in the trial, he point out the fact that those who speak of mercy own slaves. "What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong? / You have among you many a purchased slave." (4.1.89-90) Shylock, as fanatical as he is over the pound of flesh, is asking for only a pound of a man, when the slaveholders own the entire person. The play is littered with prejudiced remarks that clearly show how animalistic Shylock was to them.

Every conversation involving Shylock has ridicule from the Christians, without remorse or a feeling of comedy. The Christian children are taught to mock Shylock, they run after him in the street. The merchants spit on him, the Duke reviles him, his daughter renounces her religion and robs him.

Still an amazing story, with a few of the best on mercy and prejudice ever written.

Editorial Review:

A new look at Shakespeare's play in accordance with the work of the Shakespeare and Schools Project, the National Curriculum for English, developments at GCSE and A-level, and the probable development of English and Drama throughout the 1990s. Cambridge School Shakespeare considers the play as theatre and the text as script, enabling pupils to inhabit the imaginative world of the play in an accessible, meaningful and creative way. Cambridge School Shakespeare approaches the plays in a new way, encouraging students to participate actively in examining them, to work in groups as well as individually, to treat each play as a script to be re-created, and to explore the theatrical/dramatic qualities of the text. The editorial comments cater for pupils of all ages and abilities, providing clear, helpful guidelines for school study. The format of the plays is also designed to help all teachers, whether experienced or inexperienced.

Scenes for Teenagers

Roger Karshner

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

MY STUDENTS LOVE THIS BOOK 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a great tool for new and advanced actors. I have been having my acting students use it to retreive audition material for the past nine months and they have been very sucesfull in getting those hard to get roles. The author has written the material so even a new actor performing in their first audition can be sure that they have left a strong impact. If you haven't had any luck in the past using someone elses material, then give this one a try and i am sure you will be very surprised at the result.

This book is a joke, 1 is the lowest rating I can give it 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I recently picked up a copy of this book at a local bookstore and laughed in the aisles. If any actor seriously considers using material found in these books, they should not be auditioning. 1. The monologues are not from actual plays, they are monologues just written to be monologues. 2. If any director or casting director buys this garbage during an audition, you should seriously debate the respectability of those people.

The characters and monologues in these books are stereotypical and poorly developed. In acting school and even high school, we were warned to stay away from these kind of books because they are laughed away from auditions. Because when directors ask "What is your monologue from?", they do not want to hear, "A book of monologues." If you seriously are looking for monologues to perform, read plays and look for monologues in there. Another option is to get a book of monologues that are from ACTUAL PLAYS, then you can find one you like and go read the play so you have more of a reference for that character. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!

Editorial Review:

Comic and dramatic scenes for boy/boy/, girl/girl, boy/girl. These scenes cut with uncompromising frankness to the heart of issues relevant to today's teenagers. This scene-study collection sparkles with original, provocative material that is written in modern language. Each scene vibrates with authenticity and externalizes in real speech many of the problems facing of today's youth.

I Want to Be Jesus: Over 150 Easy-To-Use Gospel Plays for Children (Over 150 Easy-to-Use Gospel Plays for Children)

Carol Camp Twork, Carol Camp Twork

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

Not Better than Nothing 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this book unseen as a Sunday School resource. Since receiving it, I've spent quite a bit of time considering whether or not to keep it, on the basis of it being better than nothing, and I've finally decided that it is not. "Plays" is a grossly overstated misrepresentation of the contents. They are not plays at all -- no attempt is made towards dialogue, characters or action. It is simply the words of the text divided up among a couple of readers. In terms of making the gospels interesting and accessible to young readers, one would be much better off getting a simple book like "The Family Story Bible" and letting the children make up the plays themselves. Really disappointing.

Blasphemy! 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This video is wrong in so many ways, I didn't even know where to begin. So I thought I'd do it alphebetically:
1. ARROGANCE: Where do these kids get off wanting to be Jesus?
2. BLASPHEMY: It's blasphemous to want to be Jesus.
3. CHURCH: I think certain people need to spend more time there!
4. DEVIL: He wrote this book, not Ms. Twork.
5. ENVY: The only reason someone would want to be Jesus is because they're jealous.
6. FEAR: I fear kids who want to be Jesus, and so should you. It's not right.
7. GREED: The only other reason someone would want to be Jesus is because they're greedy for fame.
8. HOLY: is one thing this book is not.
9. INTELLIGENCE: Use your's and stop wanting to be Jesus if you do.
10. JESUS: What would he do?
11. KIDS: Why on earth would one want to be Jesus?
12. LOVE: Is conspicuous in its absence from this book.
13. MONEY: Another reason someone would want to be Jesus is because they're greedy.
14. NO: Just say no to this item.
15. OPINION: This is just my opinion but kids wanting to be Jesus is wrong.
16. POOR: Donate the price of this item to them instead.
17: QUEEN: This isn't some innocent fantasy like a girl wanting to be queen. It's not!
18. RESPECT: This book shows a lack of respect for Jesus.
19. SALVATION: Think about it!
20. TELEVISION: T.V.'s influence allows books like this to exist. First MTV, now this.
21. UNFAIR: It's unfair to children to make them believe that they can be Jesus.
22. VENGENCE: Think about it!
23. WHERE: Where are the parents??
24: X: (none).
25: YOU: Have the choice to not buy this item.
26. Z: (none).

Scenes for Kids

Roddy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

If you find humor in poorly written scenes, buy this book! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

My friend and I are drama instructors, and we got this book hoping to use it for our younger kids for basic scene building. We read the scenes, however, and they were horrible. The poorly written vignettes, featuring recurring and awful dialogue in various scenes, show a total lack of understanding of any actual human being. But you know what? It was freaking hilarious! Roddy's incompetence as a writer produced what may be some of the funniest scenes, based on the awkward, frank, and stupid dialogue. If you ever need a good laugh, or want to perform a scene that is so ridiculously bad that it makes your sides hurt from laughter, this book is a great investment.

Editorial Review:

Thirty modern scenes for boy/boy, girl/girl, boy/girl. These scene-study pieces deal with real issues relevant to boys and girls. To facilitate memorization and presentation, each scene is presented in a larger-type format. These pieces have been "memory-tested" in the classroom, and are proven winners for children with a theatrical bent.

The Sign of the Seahorse: a Tale of Greed & High Adventure in Two Acts

Graeme Base

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Graeme Base 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The Book I read was called The Sign of the Seahorse. This book was one of the most detailed picture books I have ever read. It is about fish that own a bar called the Seahorse and how some of them have to save the town from a villain and his thugs. In the book the bar owner's daughter falls in love with one of the heroes, and his son tries to fight the thugs. Will they be able to stop the villain before it's to late? You will have to read it to find out. I would recommend this book to a young child who enjoys adventure, fantasy, or likes reading about fish. This fishy tail was written by Graeme Base. -Jake

Excellent book! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent book...magnificent illustrations! Excellent story but a little too lengthy for a small child. Would recommend for children 5-10 years old.

Graeme Base is a genius! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not only is the book cleverly written, the illustrations are exceptional! I stayed up for hours pouring over the pages. None of his books has yet to bore me. No matter how many times they're read, there is always something new to be discovered. GB is my FAVORITE children's picture book author! Extraordinary! This mystery aspect of this book will interest older children with more advanced thinking skills. But, as a book by itself it still is a fun adventure for kids of any age.

One Fine Day: A Radio Play

Elizabeth Van Steenwyk

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A powerful narrative and mood-filled color artworks 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The collaborative effort of author Elizabeth Van Steenwyk and illustrator/artist Bill Farnsworth, One Fine Day: A Radio Play is a distinctive and unusual picture book that presents a radio play of how the Wright Brothers changed the world at the beginning of the twentieth century, with their historic first flight. A powerful narrative and mood-filled color artworks combine to showcase One Fine Day as a distinctive and memorable accounting which is enthusiastically recommended for all young readers of all ages.

Editorial Review:

In the form of a radio play, portrays the Wright Brothers' first successful flight.

Shakespeare: 40 Minute Tempest (Plays for Young People)

Lesley Ross, William Shakespeare

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Editorial Review:

The Forty Minute Tempest recreates the world of Shakespeare's great play as told by Prospero and Ariel as they journey towards Prospero's retirement and Ariel's freedom. King Ram, based on King Lear, is the story of an old king with a foolish plan to split his lands between his two daughters, and of a ten-year-old boy's search for a baby's father.

The Chrysalids (Connections)

John Wyndham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 140 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

>>NOTICE= This book is also published as : RE-BIRTH 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

While looking for more books by this writer, I found a copy of "Re-Birth".
The words are exactly the same!
Watch that you don't buy a copy if you already have this one.

My 100-word book review 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Chrysalids has my vote for best novel by John Wyndham; I loved it as a teenager and still find it an excellent story, as fresh and evocative as ever. Set in the future after an apocalyptic war has ravaged the earth, this is about a group of unusual children, who find themselves dangerously at odds with the fundamentalist community into which they have been born. As well as being a tale of adventure and survival, The Chrysalids is also about difference, and what happens when society draws an arbitrary line between normal and deviant. Watch Thou for the Mutant!

Editorial Review:

In the community of Waknut it is believed mutants are the products of the Devil and must be stamped out. When David befriends a girl with a slight abnormality, he begins to understand the nature of fear and oppression. When he develops his own deviation, he must learn to conceal his secret.