Desperate for Magic

by Chambers Stevens

ere are 12 monologues which capture the gut feelings of teens, their longings, dreams and wishes as well as their frustrations of trying to reach for the stars. From Wendy, who'll do anything to look good as Duane's girlfriend, including vomiting the food she eats, to Michael, the class valedictorian whose inspiring words don't begin to tackle the problems new graduates face, we see the idealism of teens and their first look at reality. Some subjects include fame, drinking, shyness, and others. An excellent resource.

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Emmy Nominee Chambers Stevens has ten books in print. His Hollywood 101 series is published by Sandcastle Publishing. In the last eight years, Chambers has toured the country, doing workshops for over 100,000 actors across forty states. The playwright is a member of Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.

When at home, Chambers is one of Los Angeles’ top acting coaches. Actors he has coached have appeared on Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, plus countless films, theatre productions, including Broadway shows, commercials, and videogames. Chambers is a graduate of The Conservatory of Theater Arts at Webster University & the founder of The Nashville Shakespeare Festival now in its 25th year.

As a television actor, Chambers has appeared in over fifty commercials and many television show.. He’s starred in The Steve Spots, which received six Emmys and a George Peabody Award, Funnybones, which received an Emmy for “Outstanding Children’s Program”, and Geoscout, for which he received a personal Emmy nomination as “Outstanding Actor in a Children’s Series.”

As a theater actor, Chambers has performed in over a hundred theater productions. He is the recipient of the Geoffrey Award for his portrayal of Drew in Eastern Standard. He also received the prestigious Backstage Garland Award for his one-man show Desperate for Magic.

As a playwright, he has won both the Ingram Fellowship and the Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Award. Chambers latest play Twain and Shaw Do Lunch has already won numerous national awards including the Long Beach Playhouse Award for Best New Play as well as Best Comedy from The Palm Spring Int'l Playwriting Contest. It received it’s world premiere at the prestigious New Theatre in Florida. Chambers lives in Hollywood. He’s married to Betsy Sullenger, who produces the Disney hit series Liv & Maddie. They have a 6-year-old son, Twain. Twain and Chambers are attempting to play in all 450 parks in Los Angeles Country. You can read about their adventures at the tumbler site: Raising Twain.

Reviews

[Danielle Janco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor to perform a monologue from Chambers Stevens' Desperate for Magic as Wendy, the girl who vomits to look good for boyfriend. This monologue captured the struggle we see too frequently with young girls today; the want to be "perfect" and the lengths girls will go to achieve such. Chambers' Desperate for Magic allows an actor/actress to embody the trials and tribulations teens go through and provides strong monologues that teens can relate to, whether they struggle with the same issue or not. From the struggles and successes, Chambers Stevens incorporates it all into these twelve strong monologues for teens that are great aids to any actor or actress!

[Mark Beatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

12 is the magic number. In this play we go through the life of 12 very different people and that's the key word: people. Chambers Stevens has a way with story telling that keeps it real. He gives a situation and puts the character in it and makes them react naturally to it which i love about his writing and characters because above all they are believable and of course fun to watch.

[Tyler Kahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic one man show.

[John Rutledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chambers is in touch with what teens face and combines that with a sense of humor and a "dark" (or realistic) view of what a lot of kids go through. Well done!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are a series of remarkably moving monologues written by a very talented playwright/actor/teacher.