DEALING WITH LIFE’S DILEMMAS Exploring Values through English and Drama Sally-Anne Milgrim Paper, $27.95 224 pages, 5˝" × 8˝" ISBN 0-89390-537-2 View Table of Contents View Excerpt Quantity:

Dealing with Life’s Dilemmas is a collection of nine plays designed to help young people explore the emotional and moral conflicts that arise as they seek independence, look for jobs, try romance, relate to family members, contend with a drug scene, make decisions, fight prejudice and cope with violence. To aid the student’s exploration, each play concludes with an extended series of discussion questions and suggested ways to “play with” the play, including rewriting the ending. One play includes music, another mime — and all come with stage directions. Plays are short enough to be completed in one class period. Dealing with Life’s Dilemmas is a revised version of Plays to Play with in Class and includes an additional play, one inspired by the 1999 tragedy at Columbine High School in Colorado.

Reviews

“In her short plays — some with music, one with mime, all with detailed stage directions and descriptions — the author considers problems of family, school and social adjustment. The plays are marked by their humor and their lack of pretension. As a fillip, each is followed by questions and study guides that could lead students into allied avenues of expression, such as playwriting, directing and criticism. The book should be valuable both as an educational instrument and as an introduction to the pleasures of participating in the theatrical experience.”
— Mel Gussow, drama critic, The New York Times

“Sally-Anne Milgrim has written a wonderfully original book for the classroom. Dealing with Life’s Dilemmas is one of the finest learning tools I have seen that can instill a real interest in students.”
— Theodore Mann, artistic director, Circle in the Square Theatre

“The audience was totally involved with listening to the varying highly creative endings that emerged during this 75-minute venture. Everyone reflected on how their experience in crafting the ending to the Columbine play engaged them in being part of a character and civics learning endeavor, as well as part of a student-centered learning enterprise.”
— from a National Council of Teachers of English response to the author’s seminar, “Becoming a Playwright and Performer in 75 Minutes,” based on one of the plays in Dealing with Life’s Dilemmas

About the Author

Sally-Anne Milgrim, currently a professor of English education at Hunter College in New York, began her career as a high-school English teacher. She received her master’s degree from Hunter College and her Ph.D. from New York University. She is an active member of the New York State Theatre Education Association, is a fellow of the New York State English Council and is past president of the NYC Association of Teachers of English.

Table of Contents

I. Preface—To the Reader

II. Plays

 1. “Columbine Copycats”
 Director’s Checklist
 Questions and Activities

 2. “Responsibility: To Whom?”
 Director’s Checklist
 Questions and Activities

 3. “Tell It Like It Is”
 Director’s Checklist
 Questions and Activities

 4. “Happy Birthday?”
 Songs
 Lyrics
 Director’s Checklist
 Questions and Activities

 5. “The Disappearance of Linda Lopat”
 Director’s Checklist
 Questions and Activities

 6. “Oatmeal Cookies, Anyone?”
 Director’s Checklist
 Questions and Activities

 7. “Decisions of Tom Morrison”
 Director’s Checklist
 Questions and Activities

 8. “The Telltale Bookcase”
 Director’s Checklist
 Questions and Activities

 9. “Pick a Seat; Pick a Pocket; Pick a Flower and Pick up a Girl (A Partial Pantomime)”
 Director’s Checklist
 Questions and Activities

III. Glossary of Drama Terms

Following is an excerpt from Dealing with Life’s Dilemmas. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2001, Resource Publications, Inc. This play may not be reproduced or performed on stage without permission from the publisher.

Click on the link to see the complete play: Responsibility: To Whom?