The theater of the 21st century, in many ways, is expanding to require new muscles of its actors, and so should their scene choices. Today, amid flourishing new play resources, it can be difficult to nail down contemporary scenes for two people. These scenes, all culled from plays written between 2000 and 2016, are useful to actors between the ages of 15 and 30. They range from about two to seven minutes' running time – appropriate for different classroom explorations – and are grouped by scenes for two males, two females, and one male and one female. Contemporary Scenes for Twentysomethings offers the opportunity for emerging actors to explore work by playwrights, both emerging and established, that is truly contemporary. Jessica Bashline, adjunct professor of acting at New York University, has assembled a comprehensive collection, featuring work written by Samuel D. Hunter, Liz Duffy Adams, Timothy Mason, Nina Raine, and many more. Every playwright in this book is currently writing. The characters included in this compilation come from a variety of backgrounds with different stories to tell, giving you the chance to explore those who are close to you and those who may come from someplace else. When perusing this book, look for scenes that instantly draw you. There is more than enough material to find something that speaks to you, and your passion for a piece will strengthen your final performance!

The theater of the 21st century, in many ways, is expanding to require new muscles of its actors, and so should their monologue choices. Contemporary Monologues for Twentysomethings is a compilation of monologues for actors ages 15 to 30, incorporating characters from a variety of backgrounds with different stories to tell, giving you the chance to explore those who are close to you and those who may come from someplace else. These monologues are compiled in order of length, with the shortest coming in a little under a minute and the longer pieces running closer to four minutes. All from plays written between 2000 and 2016, the monologues in this book are useful both for exploration in a classroom setting as well as for auditions. Jessica Bashline, adjunct professor of acting at New York University, has assembled a comprehensive collection, featuring work written by Neil LaBute, Sarah Ruhl, Zach Braff, Naomi Iizuka, and many more. Every playwright in this book is currently writing. Some of these plays have been produced on Broadway and some in tiny theaters in New York, Minneapolis, San Diego, or other cities around the country. This book offers a chance for emerging actors to explore work by playwrights, both emerging and established, that is truly contemporary.

The first anthology of poetry, prose, and drama by second-generation Cuban American writers. Let’s Hear Their Voices brings together works by ten distinguished and emerging Cuban American writers of the “second generation”—writers who were born between 1960 and the mid-1980s in the United States to Cuban parents or have a mixed ethnic background. Called “ABCs” (American-Born Cubans) or“AmeriCubans,” these writers experiment with different formal approaches and lace their work with Cuban Spanish to give voice to hybrid identities and cultural legacies within the contemporary multicultural United States. An introduction by Iraida H. López identifies key tropes in their poetry, prose, and drama, and provides an overview of Cuban American literature since the 1960s. With both original and previously published pieces by award-winning authors—including President Obama’s Second Inaugural Poet, Richard Blanco—the volume makes a welcome contribution to the fields of Latinx and American literature, as well as critical discussions across disciplines about the intersections of latinidad with race, class, gender, and sexuality. “The selections chosen are excellent across the board. Collectively, they give a sense of the directions in which second-generation Cuban American writing is moving, as well as of its abiding concern with the country of origin of the first generation. The writing is impressive, strong, and compelling.” — Marta Caminero-Santangelo, University of Kansas

In 10-Minute Plays for Kids, young thespians will find terrific plays by some of our most prominent playwrights – such as Sharyn Rothstein, Alex Broun, Jenny Lyn Bader, Claudia I. Haas, and Mark Harvey Levine, and by others less well known but equally terrific such as Sharai Bohannon, Suzanne Bailie, and Shirley King. The characters and situations portrayed are perfect for the kid actor. Some of the plays explore relatable tales of friendship and family, while others allow the actors to take on the personas of nonhuman characters, such as fish and chess pieces! 10-Minute Plays for Kids is ideal for theater students, youth groups, and acting classes.

This method is designed for teens who still enjoy music and want to continue their study but have limited practice time. Each book includes solo pieces in varied styles, a Hanon study to develop technical skills and a duet that students can play with a friend. A Study Guide for each piece helps the student practice efficiently. The guide contains four sections: 1-Minute FYI, 5-Minute Warm-Up, 15-Minute Practice Plan and 5-Minute Finishing Touches. Titles: * Ballade (Burgmüller) * Ecossaise (Beethoven) * Exercise No. 2 (The Virtuoso Pianist) (Hanon) * Gypsy Rondo (duet) (Bober) * In the Hall of the Mountain King (Grieg) * Jazz Stomp (Bober) * Maple Leaf Rag (Joplin) * Minuet in G Major (Petzold) * Swingin' the Blues (Bober) * Sonatina in C Major (Third Movement) (Clementi) * Toccata (Bober) * Twilight (Bober)

Every Catholic teen will be evangelized in the coming year. That is a fact. The question is this: Who will evangelize our teens, and to what will they be converted? Ironically, most "evangelization" is being done not by the Church but by contemporary American culture. A variety of voices are vying for the attention and allegiance of our youth. Many of those voices, often electronically piped into our unsuspecting households, proclaim relevantly, creatively, and persuasively a message contrary to our Catholic faith. Yet the Church possesses a message that addresses the most significant hunger of every teen's heart. We have exactly what young people are searching for. We struggle, however, in constructing an environment that teens find attractive, and we often fail to proclaim the Gospel in a creative and culturally relevant manner. Make It Real: A Practical Resource for Teen-Friendly Evangelization is all about building evangelistic ministry that not only is worth teens' time but also addresses the issues that are real in their lives. This book provides fresh, clear, and test-driven principles for building an effective and teen-friendly ministry for evangelistic outreach. The fully designed sessions help the busy youth worker implement dynamic and spiritually powerful evangelistic gatherings.