A play about Van Gogh's life from the time he worked in the coal mines as an apprentice preacher through the time of his father's death. It's about family relationships, genius, passion and its toll both on the passionate artist and those around him.

(Applause Acting Series). 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 attitudes and 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 new company 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 for performers 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 a young actor's development. From "Getting Started: Simple Situations and Circumstances" to "Intermediate: Adding Elements of Character" to "Advanced: Character Counts," each chapter includes pieces that will test the young actor's ability, while making use of the lessons presented in each.

(Applause Acting Series). This foray into the deeply serious and deeply funny (sometimes at the same time) world of life after 40 focuses primarily on scenes that depict the struggles of contemporary characters to come to terms with disappointment and obsolescence or to redeem their lives from the mistakes or miscalculations of their youth. It draws heavily on American classics like Long Day's Journey into Night, Death of a Salesman, The Price, Glengarry Glen Ross, Fences, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, as well as more recent classics-in-the-making like August: Osage County, Good People, and God of Carnage . There is also ample representation from British playwrights like Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Simon Gray, and Peter Nichols, whose work also explores this territory of growing older in a society obsessed by youth and novelty.

(Applause Acting Series). While contemporary culture may be fixated on youthful sex appeal, the most complex and interesting characters in dramatic literature have been (and still are) those over 40 years old. Whether it's Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, Gorgeous Teitelbaum in Wendy Wasserstein's Sisters Rosenzweig, or Troy the former big leaguer in August Wilson's Fences, these characters have a texture and a gravitas that can't be found in younger roles. This volume selects from classical sources like Euripides' Medea and Shakespeare's King Lear, as well as contemporary ones like Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage, Christopher Durang's Vonya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and David Lindsay-Abaire's Good People, to provide a challenging and enriching experience for both the dedicated professional and the inquisitive amateur.