Daniel S Kehde

35 pages

2 w

Tina has fallen hard for Greg, an upperclassman, but her best friend, Margie, is worried about the relationship with its subtle and not so subtle bullying. Greg meets Tina after every class, gets her to quit the soccer team because it takes too much time away from him, and basically manipulates her to do exactly what he wants to do. Soon his controlling personality leads to violence, and Tina's family gets a restraining order against him. But he's determined to see Tina one more time. With Margie as our narrator, we see how a girl's youthful dream of love can...

2 pages

By Dan Kehde

What girl hasn't daydreamed of marriage, scribbling her possible, maybe, wanna-be future new name? Sigh! So romantic.until another guy steps into view!

76 pages

Resource Book

These 22 dialogues present unique acting challenges that will stretch your teen thespians. The anthology is divided into two sections. "Then" features historical pieces such as Mary Surratt shortly before her execution for her involvement in the assassination of President Lincoln, and Marie Antoinette's maids on the eve of the French Revolution. "Now" offers contemporary situations such as the excitement and anxiety of a first date, how to deal with one's reputation, and difficulties with parents. Each scene requires investigating the characters' specific tim...

2 pages

By Dan Kehde

An older sibling laughs about the anticipated reaction Alex will cause in her new kindergarten class. Based on her behavior at home, the little demon sister will probably make her whole class go running and screaming into the street.

5 pages

By Dan Kehde

An older servant directs a younger one in preparing the king's body for burial. After specific procedures and treatments with special oils and herbs, the body is ready. The older servant then tells the younger one how to die peacefully herself as the two servants are finally sealed in the royal tomb to serve their master in the afterlife.

69 pages

9 m, 9 w

When Jeremy Wong, a 15-year-old gay student, is savagely beaten and killed by two fellow students, the whole school reels from the blows. Reporters from all over the country descend on the town. Deep divisions among the students emerge as the student council debates whether or not to hold a memorial service. The brutal murder forces each student to search his or her own conscience and beliefs. Some react with denial, some make excuses, some are outraged, and some are frightened. Others respond with courage and caring, while a few start to question and change ...

5 pages

By Dan Kehde

A Yankee soldier describes his dread before and during a fierce battle against waves of Reb soldiers. The sounds, the sights, and even the smell of battle assault him as he tries to survive while shooting from a small hole in a low rock wall. He wonders what is the difference between bravery and sheer stupidity.

45 pages

3 m, 11 w

What happens when a high schooler brings a pistol to biology class? In this tense drama, Wesley, a 17-year-old boy with a handgun, holds 13 of his fellow students as voluntary hostages as he tries to come to grips with the events that brought him there. In the 24 hours that follow, the tension of the stand-off outside mixes with the casual attitude of the students inside. By the end, we see these rich characters relate their own experiences with violence, parental authority, peer pressure, high school and the pains of outgrowing childhood. Finally, too, we le...

2 pages

By Dan Kehde

A 17-year-old male, panhandling on a freezing winter day, gets frustrated by an unseen reporter trying to learn his story.

3 pages

By Dan Kehde

A young man waits by a romantic spot at the river for Janice, a young woman he's recently seen and instantly fallen in love with. He thinks it was destiny that they were at the jazz club at the same time. He wonders and hopes, even though he's never called her, will destiny bring them together now at the river?

2 pages

By Dan Kehde

A friend tries to comfort a crying teen girl who's just been dumped. The friend points out Jeremy's bad points, especially his need to control. She finally gets her to smile.before more tears start.

67 pages

Monologue Collection

Monologues are traditionally used for auditions and classroom work, but they are an overlooked form of performance art, epsecially for teenagers. This collection brings this usually standard genre into the performance spotlight. Like other collections by Dan Kehde, this one was developed and performed in what has now become an annual, and ever more popular, event at the playwright's theatre. Funny, hard-hitting, and poignant, these are honest portraits of young Americans searching for freedom, love and self-worth in the labyrinth of adolescence. Titles includ...

54 pages

Monologue Collection

Here's a nifty companion piece to "1400 Boxes of Jello." It's a passel of 25 monologues about pre-teen and adolescent fears and fantasies. Full of clever humor, they reveal the passions and dreams, worries and doubts of students as they fret about grades, dating, drugs, peer group pressure, identity questions, and, of course, the future. From the amusing dismay of "My Teacher's an Alien," to the serious self-doubts of "Maybe I'm Gay," to the hilarious title piece, these confessions all reveal the concerns and confusions of today's young people.