This collection of contemporary scenes provides the student actor, as well as professional and untrained performers, with material from some of the best plays ever written. Each selection contains critical information on characters, setting, and background to give a clear sense of what the play is about. Contemporary Scenes for Student Actors accommodates a wide variety of acting styles, from naturalistic to poetic to highly stylized, spanning a range of ages and a variety of locales, and incorporating excerpts of various lengths.

Includes scenes from plays by
- Woody Allen
- Maxwell Anderson
- Jean Anouilh
- Simon Gray
- John Guare
- Lillian Hellman
- Albert Innaurato
- David Mamet
- Mark Medoff
- Arthur Miller
- Miguel Pinero
- David Rabe
- Sam Shepard
- Tennessee Williams
- And many more