Dramatic interpretation

Dramatic Interpretation is an Interpretive Event where students take a piece of literature and create a serious and original rendition which captivates and moves the audience. This is a former NCFCA event, which was replaced by Original Interpretation in 2011. Stoa continues to use this event as of the 2013-2014 speech season.

Goal
The goal of Dramatic Interpretation is to analyze literature and bring it to life with facial expression, blocking, and accents in a way which draws in the audience.

Preparation Rules
The competitor’s presentation must be taken from a single published work, and may be from any genre of literature: Plays, Prose, poetry, or otherwise. Media transcripts are not allowed, so the piece may not be a transcribed script from a live or recorded performance, or be a pirated script.

The literature the competitor chooses for their presentation may be cut to fit the 10-minute time constraint. Dialogue from one character can be directed at another character. The competitor may also quote material other than the chosen book, but in the introduction only. The competitor is allowed to add a maximum of 150 words for introductions, transitions, and whatever else is needed. Changes of pronoun and verb tenses (I.E. changing “him” to “her” or “it”) do not count as added words. The statements of the title and the author also do not count as added words.

The interpretive selection may be used in any league during the competitive year, but once the competitor has competed with the selection, it may not be used in any future years of competition. The speech also may only be used in one category per tournament, but the competitor can switch the speech to another category in a later tournament. The competitor may only do one Humorous Interpretation - They cannot enter two speeches in one category.

For script submission, the competitor must submit a photocopy of the original source - which would include all pages used in the book, as well as the copyright page. The student must also submit a completed Interpretive Speech Script Submission Form and a typed copy of their script, following the guidelines for script submission which can be found on the Stoa website.

Presentation Rules
Near the beginning of the speech, the competitor must cite the author and source of his story. Failure to do so means the competitor will incur a 1-rank penalty. Singing and dancing is allowed, if it fits with the story. No visual aids of any kind may be used. The competitor must must wear tournament attire, and only feet may touch the floor at any time. Gratuitous vulgarity is forbidden. No notes or script may be used by the competitor. If a script is used, the competitor will incur a 2-rank penalty. The time of the speech starts when the speaker begins speaking and ends when the speaker is finished. No time signals will be given. Speaking time limit is 10 minutes, and there is no minimum time.

Primary Judging Areas
Judges tend to rank based off the blocking, characters, and the emotional content of the speech presentation. Many judges also rank speeches higher if they have a moral or a redeeming quality to the speech.