Monday, February 23, 2015

Impressions of a Forensics Judge (Pt. 2) - Dramatic Interp

This is the second in a series of posts about my experiences over the past several weeks serving as a Judge at high school Speech/Debate tournaments. Part 1 (Duo Interp) can be found here.

Today's event is Dramatic Interp. This contest requires students to present a dramatic work of up to 10 minutes (with a 30 second grace period). It is a fairly straight forward concept. Here's what you can expect if you ever see a round: Somebody has died or is going to die and/or somebody has or will develop a physical or mental disability and in either scenario, it is usually the narrator's fault, OR somebody has been or will be raped.

Yep, that may sound more than a little cynical, but just because it's cynical doesn't mean it isn't true.

For those of you who compete, here are two things to consider: 1) Don't be afraid of silence; and 2) Sometimes getting quieter has far more emotional strength than yelling.

That said, if a piece/performance can make me cry (and only one I've seen has), it has a good chance to advance.

No comments: