Born out of the necessity Pannell recognized during her years of teaching theatre to young people in community centers and public and arts schools, here at last is a collection of monologues and scenes that today's inner-city kids can relate to. Both literally and figuratively, these brief dramatic works speak the language of contemporary pre-teens and teens (ages 8-18), bringing to light the reality of their city lives. Not only for theater instructors and their students, REAL will be useful to counselors, group leaders, teachers working with urban youth – and anyone searching for a means of involving young people in discussions important to their lives.