Center Stage - Softcover

Gallo, Donald R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0064470784 ISBN 13: 9780064470780

Publisher: HarperTeen, 1991

Synopsis

The house lights dim. The curtain begins to rise...

...on ten original one-act plays by some of today's best writers of young adult fiction; Some of the plays are funny, some serious; all offer special insights into the problems and triumphs of teenagers;

• In Alden R. Carter's Driver's Test, a boy sets a new record by flunking his driver's test even before leaving the lot;

• In Walter Dean Myers's Cages, a group of teenagers is suddenly given the chance to decide their own destinies.

• In Robin F. Brancato's War of the Words, two gangs slug it out, one group with lofty poetry, the other with slang--and the reader, actors, and audience get to supply the ending;

So settle back in your seat, and let the words of Quida Sebestyen, Lensey Namioka, Susan Beth Pfeffer, and others move and entertain you, as the lights come up on Center Stage"A fine idea generates exceptional results in this collection of ten plays . . . [that] focus on teens' courage, convictions, resourcefulness, and compassion. Among the contributors are Alden Carter, Ouida Sebestyen, Walter Dean Myers and Robin Brancato. The plays will appeal to students [and] teachers can use them in numerous ways." —SLJ.

1991 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)

About this title

About the Author

Although he almost always had a lead role in elementary school plays as well as church pageants, Don Gallo's dramatic interests ended abruptly one Easter Sunday when he was unable to recall a single word from a memorized passage he was attempting to recite at the morning church service. Any theatrical talents he may possess have since been utilized only in English classroom and lecture halls.

Dr. Gallo, who has been a junior high school English teacher and reading specialist, is a professor of English at Central Connecticut State University, where he supervises student teachers and teaches courses in writing and in literature for young adults. He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut.

He has edited three collections of short stories written by Famous writers of books for young adults; Sixteen, Visions, and Connections; and he has written a critical biography of author Richard Peck. His most recent book is a collection of autobiographies of notable young adult authors called Speaking for Ourselves.

From School Library Journal

A fine idea generates exceptional results in this collection of ten one-act plays. Among the contributors are Alden Carter, Susan Beth Pfeffer, Ouida Sebestyen, Walter Dean Myers, and Robin Brancato. The plays will appeal to students whether they're in drama, in English or social studies class, or in the library at lunch time. Teachers can use them in numerous ways, and certainly drama coaches can generate some excitement with them. For humor, try Carter's "Driver's Test," in which Ben bungles his second attempt to become licensed before getting out of the parking lot. There is pathos in Forshay-Lunsford's "Riding Out the Storm," as siblings and friends coming to terms with a boy's attempted suicide, and in Pfeffer's "World Affairs" that takes Terry through the discovery of her mother's affair. Myers' "Cages" is a powerful allegory in which the characters' fear of life's uncertainties prompts them to build imaginary cages in which they hide from life. All of the plays focus on teens' courage, conviction, resourcefulness, and compassion. This collection will nicely complement Wendy Lamb's Meeting the Winter Bike Rider (1986) and Sparks in the Park (1989, both Dell), both of which are collections of plays written by young adults. --Ellen Ramsay, Amphitheater High School, Tucson, AZ
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0064470784
• ISBN 13: 9780064470780
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384
• Illustrator: Saylor David