DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION
Length: Ten-min max, including max 60-sec introduction, no minimun time. Judges are to lower the ranking of students who exceed the maximum time limit.
Manuscript: None; the selection must be memorized
Props/costumes: None
Number of students: One
Material selection: The selection is to be from a published play,novel or short story that is both dramatic and of literary merit. One-character plays, monologues and soliloquies are allowed, however, judges are to consider the relative difficulty of one-character versus multi-character selections, and give more weight to multi-character selections. Most of the selection is to be dialogue between characters. ”He said”, “she exclaimed” and similar phrases are not allowed. Narrative transitions are to be kept to a minimum.
Introduction: The introduction can be creative and engaging, but must also provide the name of the author and the title of the selection.
Eye contact: Off-stage focus is to be used when one character speaks to another, and to delineate characters. Direct eye contact with the audience is allowed when a character addresses the audience.
Gestures & movement: Vocal variety, facial expressions, body language and physical suggestion are all allowed. Bending, turning and stooping are allowed, but there is to be minimal movement below the waist.
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DUET ACTING
Length: Ten-minute maximum, including maximum 60-second introduction
No minimum time. Judges are to lower the ranking of students who exceed the maximum time limit.
Manuscript: None; the selection must be memorized
Number of students: Two
Material selection: The selection is to be from a published play, screenplay or other source of literary merit. Material may be dramatic or humorous. At least two characters must be portrayed. If excerpted, the selection must be a self-contained unit that tells the audience a story without having heard the entire script.
Introduction: The introduction can be creative and engaging, but must also provide the name of the author and the title of the selection. The introduction is to be presented equally by both students.
Eye contact: The students are to interact with each other however, direct eye contact with the audience is allowed when a character addresses the audience.
Presentation: There is to be a relatively equal sharing of dialogue and acting for both students.
Props/costumes: Each student is allowed one hand prop (i.e., handkerchief, telephone...) and one stage prop (i.e., desk, chair...). No make-up, costumes or lighting allowed. The doors and walls in the performing area are not to be used.
Gestures & movement: Full range of movement is permitted.
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DUET INTERPRETATION OF LITERATURE
Length: Ten-minute maximum, including maximum 60-second introduction
No minimum time. Judges are to lower the ranking of students who exceed the maximum time limit.
Manuscript: Required
Props/costumes: None
Number of students: Two
Material selection: The selection is to be from a published play or other source of literary merit, such as a novel. Material may be dramatic or humorous. At least two characters must be portrayed. If excerpted, the selection must be a self-contained unit that tells the audience a story without having heard the entire script.
Introduction: The introduction can be creative and engaging, but must also provide the name of the author and the title of the selection. The introduction should be presented equally by both students. The manuscript is to remain closed during the introduction.
Eye contact: The students are allowed eye contact with each other only during the introduction and transitions. Off-stage focus must be used when one character speaks to another, and to delineate characters. Direct eye contact with the audience is allowed when a character addresses the audience.
Presentation: The students are each required to hold a manuscript and to have synchronized use of them, including the turning of pages. The students should neither read the manuscript, nor should it be so memorized that they do not refer to it. The dialogue between characters should reflect interaction, not a mechanical exchange of lines. Pitch, volume, rate, phrasing, vocal quality, tone, articulation and enunciation can be used to create characterizations. The characters can react to one another, but the students are not allowed to touch each other.
Gestures & movement: Gestures are allowed for emphasis, but should be limited and suggested rather than exaggerated. Body movement is to be kept to a minimum.
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DUET IMPROVISATION
Length: Five-minute maximum, including maximum 60-second introduction
Three minute minimum. Judges are to stop students who exceed five minutes and lower their ranking.
Manuscript: None
Props/costumes: Two chairs and a table may be used, but are not required. No other props, make-up, costumes or lighting may be used.
Number of students: Two
Preparation: Students will be called to the prep room to receive their topic. Students will have five minutes to prepare. A prep room monitor will time preparation periods in equal increments and dismiss each team to perform. Only competitors are allowed in the prep room. No outside assistance is allowed. Students are to remain in the prep area until called to perform.
Material selection: The students are to present an original and improvised performance. The performance must involve two or more characters. The performance is to include a resolution of a conflict, with an obvious beginning, middle and end. There should be a relatively equal sharing of dialogue between the characters. No profanity, lewdness or sexual innuendo is allowed.
Eye contact: Characters can address each other or the audience, as appropriate.
Gestures & movement: Full range of movement is allowed.
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HUMOROUS INTERPRETATION
Length: Ten-minute maximum, including maximum 60-second introduction. No minimum time. Judges are to lower the ranking of students who exceed the maximum time limit.
Manuscript: None; the selection must be memorized
Props/costumes: None
Number of students: One
Material selection: The selection is to be from a published play, novel or short story that is both humorous and of literary merit… One-character plays, monologues and soliloquies are allowed, however, judges are to consider the relative difficulty of one-character versus multi-character selections, and give more weight to multi-character selections. Most of the selection is to be dialogue between characters. ”He said”, “she exclaimed” and similar phrases are not allowed. Narrative transitions are to be kept to a minimum.
Introduction: The introduction can be creative and engaging, but must also provide the name of the author and the title of the selection.
Eye contact: Off-stage focus is to be used when one character speaks to another, and to delineate characters. Direct eye contact with the audience is allowed when a character addresses the audience.
Gestures & movement: Vocal variety, facial expressions, body language and physical suggestion are all allowed. Bending, turning and stooping are allowed, but there is to be minimal movement below the waist.
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ONE-ACT PLAY
Length: 25-minute maximum, including maximum two-minute introduction. No minimum time. Judges are to lower the ranking of any cast who exceeds the maximum time limit.
Manuscript: No
Props/costumes: Yes
Number of students: Three minimum/no maximum
Number of judges: One-act play is a single-round category, evaluated by 3-5 judges.
Material selection: A one-act play or selection from a longer play, either published or unpublished. Musicals are allowed, but judges are to consider dialogue more heavily than the music. Material may be dramatic or humorous. At the conclusion of each performance, cast members are to introduce themselves and the names of their characters.
Introduction: The introduction can be creative and engaging, but must also provide the name of the author and the title of the selection.
Judging considerations: One-act play is a contest of the elements of a theatrical performance: acting, direction and staging. Judges are to emphasize the performance of the students (such as character development, blocking/movement, and the interpretation of the material) over the technical elements (such as sets and costumes). In addition to the ranking of each cast, judges are to select the top three actors from each cast and award speaker points to each of the three.
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ORIGINAL ORATORY
Length: Eight-minute maximum, including maximum 60-second introduction. No minimum time. Judges are to lower the ranking of students who exceed the maximum time limit.
Manuscript: None
Props/costumes: None
Number of students: One
Material selection: A persuasive or informational speech that is the original work of the student. Quotations from authors other than the student are to be limited. The speech is to demonstrate good organization, including an: introduction, body, and conclusion. Subjects are to be of contemporary significance and offer solutions or alternatives when appropriate. Judges are to evaluate the student’s ideas and presentation skills. Judges are to disregard any personal bias for the opinions expressed by the student.
Eye contact: Directly with the audience.
Gestures & movement: Appropriate gestures, facial expressions and vocal variety should all be used to emphasis the student’s performance. Movement appropriate to speech-making is allowed.
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PANTOMIME
Length: Five-minute maximum, including optional introduction of up to 60-seconds. No minimum time. Judges are to lower the ranking of students who exceed the maximum time limit.
Manuscript: None
Number of students: One
Material selection: The performance is to be prepared, not improvised. Material can be taken from a published work, or created by the student. There is no limit to the number of characters that can be portrayed.
Introduction: The student is required to give the title of his/her performance. Other introductory remarks are optional.
Props: No hand or stage props are allowed. The student may dress in all black clothing, but no portion of the clothing can be removed and/or used as a prop. No stage make-up or costumes are allowed.
Gestures & movement: The performance is to be given within a 9 x 9 square area that has been taped off, or otherwise outlined by the host school. Students should display precise movements which clearly communicate both the situation and action, and characterizing posture and movements to differentiate characters. There is no restriction to the type or amount of physical movement within the performance area.
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INTERPRETATION OF POETRY
Length: Eight-minute maximum, including maximum 60-second introduction. No minimum time. Judges are to lower the ranking of students who exceed the maximum time limit.
Manuscript: Required
Props/costumes: None
Number of students: One
Material selection: The selection is to be from a published poet or poets of literary merit. One poem or a collection of poems may be used. The selection can include narration and/or dialogue, and does not have to rhyme.
Introduction: The introduction can be creative and engaging, but must also provide the name of the author and the title of the selection. If more than one poem is used, the introduction is to address them all. The manuscript is to remain closed during the introduction unless an excerpt of the selection is included in the introduction. In this case, the manuscript must be opened, read directly from, and then closed when the excerpt is concluded.
Eye contact: Off-stage focus is to be used when one character speaks to another, and to delineate characters. Direct eye contact with the audience is allowed when a character addresses the audience.
Presentation: A manuscript must be used by the student. The student should neither read the manuscript, nor should it be so memorized that s/he does not refer to it. Transitions must be provided for a collection of poems; however, book closure is not necessary between poems.
Gestures & movement: Vocal variety and facial expressions are allowed. Gestures and bodily movement should be kept to a minimum, with no movement below the waist.
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INTERPRETATION OF PROSE
Length: Eight-minute maximum, including maximum 60-second introduction. No minimum time. Judges are to lower the ranking of students who exceed the maximum time limit.
Manuscript: Required
Props/costumes: None
Number of students: One
Material selection: The selection is to be from a published narrative, description or expository prose of literary merit. The selection can contain both narration and dialogue. Material can be humorous or dramatic.
Introduction: The introduction can be creative and engaging, but must also provide the name of the author and the title of the selection. The manuscript is to remain closed during the introduction unless an excerpt of the selection is included in the introduction. In this case, the manuscript must be opened, read directly from, and then closed when the excerpt is concluded.
Eye contact: Off-stage focus is to be used when one character speaks to another, and to delineate characters. Direct eye contact with the audience is allowed when a character addresses the audience.
Presentation: A manuscript must be used by the student. The student should neither read the manuscript, nor should it be so memorized that s/he does not refer to it.
Gestures & movement: Vocal variety and facial expressions are allowed. Gestures and bodily movement should be kept to a minimum, with no movement below the waist.
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STORYTELLING
Length: Eight-minute maximum, including maximum 60-second introduction. No minimum time. Judges are to lower the ranking of students who exceed the maximum time limit.
Manuscript: None; the selection must be memorized
Props/costumes: None
Number of students: One
Material selection: The selection can be a published legend, tall tale, myth, children=s story, ghost story, folk material, or may be authored by the student. A complete story or an excerpt from a longer story is allowed. Most of the selection is to be narrative, but some dialogue is allowed.
Introduction: The introduction can be creative and engaging, but must also provide the name of the author and the title of the selection.
Eye contact: Off-stage focus is to be used when one character speaks to another, and to delineate characters. Direct eye contact with the audience is allowed when a character addresses the audience.
Gestures & movement: Vocal variety, facial expressions, body language and physical suggestion are all allowed. Full range of movement is permitted.
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IMPROMTU SPEAKING
Impromptu is a limited prep event in which the speaker prepares and delivers a speech based on a selected topic. The speaker demonstrates the ability to prepare a well-organized speech in a limited time. The speech is not a monologue or stand-up comic routine or a “canned speech. The student further demonstrates the ability to speak without a fully prepared speech and notes. The speech may be serious and/or humorous, but must reflect the student’s ability to organize and use communication and public speaking skills.
1. The Topics
(a) Host school will provide 3 topics to be selected:
1. single topic (e,g. apples, math class)
2. historical event/ historical or fictional character
3. quotation or song lyric
(b) A new selection of these three topics will be used for each round.
2. Selection
(a) The judge will run the selection in the classroom.
(b) The speaker will see three topics and choose one on which to speak.
(c) After the speaker has chosen a topic, prep and speaking time will begin.
3. Preparation
(a) The student may use up to, but not exceed, three minutes of the event’s total seven (7) minutes to
formulate the speech. However, the speaker may begin speaking at any point after time begins.
(b) No research or source materials, including electronic retrieval devices may be consulted during preparation.
(c) The speaker may make notes while preparing the speech, but notes may not be used during the speech.
4. The Speech
(a) The student must speak for a minimum of three (3) minutes.
(b) The speaker may not exceed a total time of 4 minutes.
(c) Penalties will be imposed for exceeding time limits.
(d) Time card signals will be held up for the contestant during the
prep time and the speaking time. 1min/2 min/3 min/ 30 sec/4 min
5. Judging Criteria
The contestant will be evaluated on his/her ability to organize and deliver a clear and concise speech based upon the selected topic. The contestant will also be judged by his/her original and creative approach to the topic. Utilization of prep and speaking time should be considered, as well as communication skills- a good, clear voice, natural gestures and movement, etc. – are also very important.
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AUDITION - NOTE - New Rules for 2009-2010
Length: Host school provides a script 3-5 minutes in length.
There is no penalty for time.
Script: The script will be provided by the host school. No binder is required. Student reads from the script as in an audition.
Number of students: One
Preparation for all rounds:
* Students will be called to the prep room to receive the script.
* One piece will be provided. Students will have a total of 5 minutes to prepare this piece before the performance.
* A prep room monitor will time these preparation periods in equal increments and dismiss each student to perform.
* Only competitors are allowed in the prep room with monitor. No outside assistance is allowed.
* Students are to remain in the prep area until called to perform.
* After performing, student must return the piece to the judges.
* A different piece is provided for round 2.
Introduction:
* Student simply states the title of selection and author.
Presentation for all rounds:
* Students will read directly from the script as in an audition.
* No editing or ad lib is allowed.
* Students should make eye contact with the audience several times during the performance.
Gestures and movement:
* Minimal full-body movement is allowed.
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