Center Stage

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)

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.