by Scenes for Teens
Mike Kimmel’s heartfelt written words are making a difference in teens through scenes!
Scenes for Teens, written by acclaimed actor, comedian and acting coach Mike Kimmel, is a “must have” for young actors and parents who have children begging to act!
This scene book is not like any other that I know of, it’s smart, simple, inspirational, and teaches young adults life lessons in a world that is bombarded with negative TV programming, bullying, peer pressure, drinking, smoking, unhealthy eating, and way too much texting!
Mike shared that this book was a labor of love and it shows. “I decided to write a scene book for teens when I couldn’t find anything out there I liked. The scenes were either too short, so I would have to add on, or they were filled with bad language and bad manners in argumentative, even mean-spirited, scenarios.” So Mike took pen to paper and three years later, Scenes for Teens was born.
The scenes are simple, yet conversational. There are no props, no costumes, no entrances, no exits, no complicated stage directions, no extraneous characters and no bad language. The focus is for performers and acting coaches to use the book’s scripts to explore scenes with realistic dialogue and pacing, so they’re able to develop natural conversation skills for film, stage and television.
Mike asked if I wanted to read a few scenes with him over the phone and with that excitement of being back in an acting class, I said, yes! Because the scenes are gender-neutral, I had the choice to be either character A or character B. After we read through once, we switched roles very easily. Here is what I found to be fascinating. After just one read, I was not only being educated and inspired but I was hopeful. What if young adults grew up talking about the good in situations, instead of the bad? What if they became more educated on difficult topics so they understood the consequences of their decisions? Would this encourage young actors to be inspiring role models rather than modeling out their bad behaviors?
By repeating and conversing these messages back and forth with Mike, I clearly saw the potential of developing natural conversational skills as an actor, while gaining confidence to voice positive messages in the “real world.” This is largely credited to Mike’s compassionate writing, as he touches on important scenarios teens face today.
“Got a Light?” “Are you dating?” “Drama Club,” “Driver’s Ed,” “Democrats and Republicans,” “Anything Good on TV?” “Tattoo and a Nose Ring,” “Please Rate Your Customer Service,” “Never Complain, Never Explain,” “How many Presidents?” and “No More Texting!” are just a few of the comedic scenes.
Dramatic scenes go from “Adopted,” to “Helping the Homeless,” to “Rehab,” “Is that Bullying?” “Splitting up,” “I Don’t Drink,” to one that first caught my eye, “Cheerleading Tryouts.” Mike threw a touchdown with this one! Being a cheerleader most of my life, I know all too well, with those pompons…comes judgement. If I had listened to what others thought about cheerleaders, I would have never had one of the best experiences of my life cheering for the Raiders. In the few lines I grabbed from “Cheerleading Tryouts,” Mike shows how one peer helps another deal with a sudden loss of excitement towards cheerleading tryouts because “everyone” says cheerleaders are stupid, not serious, and big partiers.
A: If you live your life to please other people then you’re not being real. You’re not the person you’re supposed to be. You have to be the real you.
B: What do you mean, “the real you?”
A: There’s only one of you in the whole world, and you have to be the real one. No one else can do it for you.
I know cheerleaders are stereotyped, but that never stopped me from being a straight A student. If anything, cheerleading strengthened the friendships I have to this day from high school to the NFL.
Just imagine young adults learning lessons while doing what they love—acting? Brilliant.
Scenes for Teens is more than a book filled with 50 original comedy and drama scenes; it’s a book filled with wisdom, love and compassion. Scenes that educate and teach teens the importance of listening and communicating while becoming not only a better actor, but a better human being.
It doesn’t surprise me that in 2014 Mike was awarded “Excellence in Teaching,” from Upper Iowa University.
Mike’s heartfelt written words are making a difference in teens through scenes! Bravo!
To get a copy of Scenes for Teens and to learn more about Mike Kimmel, click on these links.
Scenes for Teens: 50 Original Comedy and Drama Scenes for Teenage Actors – Barnes & Noble
Scenes for Teens: 50 Original Comedy and Drama Scenes for Teenage Actors – Amazon
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