Meet the authors...

THE AUTHORS

Kristen Dabrowski is an actress, writer, acting teacher, and director. The actor’s life has taken her all over the United States and England. Her other books, published by Smith & Kraus, include My First Monologue Book; 111 Monologues for Middle School Actors; The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens 3, 11, and 12; 20 Ten-Minute Plays for Teens; the Teens Speak series; and the educational 10+ play series (six books, including two volumes for kids). Currently, she lives in the world’s smallest apartment in New York City.

M. Ramirez is a Miami native and a graduate of NYU’s Dramatic Writing program. His monologues and scenes for young actors have won Critic’s Choice Awards at Thespian Society Competitions at District, State, and National Levels. He is a two-time winner of the Latino Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival. His plays have been produced at FringeNYC, the Mad Cat Theatre Company, City Theatre’s Summer Shorts, and Actors Theatre of Louisville.

About the Series
My First Acting Series introduces children, ages 5 to 9, to the basic elements of acting, directing, and producing a live theatrical performance and, in so doing, teaches kids how to think critically, solve problems, and work cooperatively with their peers.

This groundbreaking new series is for truly beginning actors, designed to incorporate theater and its benefits into children’s lives at a young age by giving teachers and parents an accessible and applicable series with which to supplement their children’s reading or social studies curriculum in a fun and interactive way. Each book builds on the one before it, so skills grow as students grow.

A better alternative to Reader’s Theater, My First Acting Series is written by professional playwrights, and sufficiently engages children, encourages them to cooperate, and develops their creative expression. Within this series, the Latino/English Collection is designed to support K-3 classes that include students whose first language, or language most frequently spoken at home, is Spanish.

M. Ramirez has written accessible material that weaves commonly used Latino words and idioms into essentially English material. This Latino flavor breaks down language barriers and allows Latino kids to focus on the work at hand — learning to act — while progressing in sync with schoolmates who are more comfortable with commonly available dramatic material.

Series Breakdown
My First Acting Series contains two collections for K-3 students. The Latino/English Collection by M. Ramirez, and the Standard/English collection by Kristen Dabrowski. Each include three monologue books, two scene study books, a technique book and a teacher’s guide.

The acting technique book includes games, exercises, and acting technique lessons; the teachers guide is complete with ready made lesson plans and suggestions on how to incorporate the material into existing curriculum.

My First Monologue Book: 100 Monologues for Young Children
My Second Monologue Book: Famous and Historical People
My Third Monologue Book: Places Near and Far

My First Scene Book: 51 Scenes about Acting Out, Acting Up, Acting Right!
My Second Scene Book: 52 Scenes about Imaginary People and Places

My First Latino Monologue Book: A Sense of Character
My Second Latino Monologue Book: A Sense of Place
My Third Latino Monologue Book: Finding Your Voice!

My First Latino Scene Book: 50 One-Minute Scenes for Young Children
My Second Latino Scene Book: 50 Two-Minute Scenes for Young Children

My Teacher’s First Acting Technique Book: Opening the Stage Door for Kids K–3 with theater games, exercises, acting techniques, and information on how to be an actor
My Teacher’s First Acting Series Guide with ready-made lesson plans