Duo impromptu

Duo impromptu is an unofficial interpretive speech event offered at some tournaments, but which is not an official event in either the NCFCA or Stoa. Some efforts have been made to add duo impromptu as a regular event or wildcard in one or both leagues, sparking varying degrees of controversy.

Overall Premise
In the Duo Impromptu category, the speakers are given five minutes to prepare a scene about a randomly drawn setting, conflict, and set of people. 

Specific Rules
The rules for Duo impromptu have never been officially codified due to the unofficial nature of the event. Rules for the event can vary widely based on regional and tournament administration differences. However, some tournaments who have offered it do provide guidelines for that tournament which can give an overall scope of duo impromptu. The Stoa 2011 Tulip Cup rules included the following: In duo impromptu, two students work together to create an impromptu scene from three prompts. A judge in each room will have three containers of topics for the round. One will be the setting, one the conflict, and the final one the characters. The speakers will draw three topics from each container, choose one from each, and return the other two to the container. The timekeeper will start the stopwatch when the speaker draws from the FINAL container and give auditory countdown signals every thirty seconds until five minutes have elapsed. The speakers may write notes on a blank sheet of paper during preparation time, but he or she may not use or refer to the notes during the scene.

The speakers may use the topics in any way they choose but the topics must be the central theme of the speech. Scene creation may be humorous, dramatic, or a combination of the two. The scene should provide a balanced performance between the two students. The students are not permitted to look at each other or touch each other. Each speech should be a fresh, unique, original presentation, developed from the chosen topic and prepared on the spot.

The students must state their chosen topics prior to the speech. A one rank penalty is required for failure to do so.

Students must adhere to the setting, conflict and characters. A one rank penalty is required for failure to do so. 

Controversy
The usefulness of duo impromptu as an event is controversial, and despite some efforts to make it a regular or wildcard event in NCFCA or Stoa, it remains relatively uncommon. Proponents argue that duo impromptu is fun, teaches valuable teamwork and interpretive skills, and helps reinforce on-the-spot thinking. Opponents argue the event does not have any real-life application and would further crowd the already extensive list of speaking events; some may consider it fundamentally unprofessional and likely to give a bad name to the speech and debate community. An example of this debate playing out can be found on the HomeSchoolDebate.com forums here.