Bob Shuman

One On One for Young Actors

Kids of today face a different world - and a different set of challenges - then did the children of even 15 years ago. Playing with a Purpose features a collection of monologues that reflects these new attitudesand circumstances. Highly diversified in its view of the family and the child's place in the world, the monologues have been chosen from several sources: from contemporary playwrights and screenwriters; from YouthPlays, a newcompany that specializes in publishing cutting-edge plays for the youth market; and from such conservatories for young actors as The Playground, the Los Angeles-based training center run by Gary Spatz, the leading acting coach forperformers ages 6 to 16.

'Playing with a purpose' is an idea that arose from Fife's work with young actors over the course of several decades. The included monologues have been chosen and arranged to allow for ayoung actor's development. From 'Getting Started: Simple Situations and Circumstances' to 'Intermediate: Adding Elements of Character' to 'Advanced: Character Counts, ' each chapter includespieces that will test the young actor's ability, while making use of the lessons presented in each.