DUO, HI, DI, POETRY, PROSE Resources

Hi, if you're here that means you like to act, which means you're probably really extra. That's ok though, because being extra is an art in and of itself. The five events in the title of this post are all the events that are labeled as interpretation. In other words, being extra. It's important, when being extra, to know how to absolutely own the room and know your piece. Therefore, I've broken this post down by event, because not all extra is created equal. You can scroll down to whatever type of extra you desire to perform and learn all about it through my neat links and ill-advised advice. Without further ado, let's begin...

DUO:

Ah, duo. Duo is arguably the most fascinating event in all of speech and debate to watch. It is personally my favorite event to witness and this season I plan on taking part in all the action myself by competing in it. If you're a team player, creative, and willing to weave all the intricacies that make duo great into your own piece, then you are in the right place.

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The ballot for duo can be found on the resource page, but the ballot cover, which provides an even more detailed description of the event, is here.

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ForCom actually has an entire part of their website dedicated to duo, and it offers many significant insights into how to construct and deliver a piece. Just scroll past the forum posts (or don't, if those are your thing) and you'll find the resource articles from the beginning of the speech-making process to the end. There is even a big old list of piece ideas for you to explore. You can find that right here.

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As someone researching for my own duo, I cannot stress enough how helpful the following resource is to me. It's a textbook written by the NSDA entirely dedicated to interp events, including duo. It truly includes everything you'll need when putting together your piece. It's on the resource page, but because it's so valuable I thought I should mention it on this blog post.

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Now, I may have been a little biased when I was constructing the speech example playlist, because like half of it is just duos. What can I say, I watch those suckers for fun sometimes. For the purpose of this post, I am only including my FAVORITE humorous duo and my FAVORITE dramatic duo, respectively. Here they are:

TIPS FROM THE AUTHOR FOR CRAFTING A DUO:

• Work on the relationship first. A duo cannot succeed without a strong foundation for you and your partner to work from. This foundation is trust, respect, and a willingness to cooperate and collaborate. The whole basis of duo is to showcase the relationship between characters in the piece, so it makes sense to have a good relationship with your partner in real life.

• Get into your character's mindset. A lot of the times in duo, one interpreter portrays one character while the other interpreter portrays another. If this is the case in your duo, then I suggest analyzing the script to find certain things that contribute to who your character is. If they have a favorite song, book, movie, etc., listen to it, read it, watch it. Even if you don't personally like it, try to understand why your character would.

• Be willing to experiment. If you have a crazy idea for a transition between scenes or a complex blocking sequence, don't be afraid to try it out. Double the bodies = double the opportunity to be really creative. If it doesn't work, then you can have a fun time laughing about failing with your partner.

HI:

One time I heard HI described as "pretending to have multiple personality disorder for 10 minutes." Honestly, that's so damn true. HI is an event that requires you to channel so many different things. If you think you have what it takes, then here are the resources I have gathered:

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The ballot for HI can be found on the resource page, but the ballot cover, which provides an even more detailed description of the event, is here.

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ForCom actually has an entire part of their website dedicated to HI, and it offers many significant insights into how to construct and deliver a piece. Just scroll past the forum posts (or don't, if those are your thing) and you'll find the resource articles from the beginning of the speech-making process to the end. There is even a big old list of piece ideas for you to explore. You can find that right here.

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Something you might find really helpful is a textbook written by the NSDA entirely dedicated to interp events, including HI. It truly includes everything you'll need when putting together your piece. It's on the resource page, but because it's so valuable I thought I should mention it on this blog post.

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HI's are another pretty fun event to watch, but only when it's done properly. The two examples I have for you are two that I find really great as they include really full characterization. These pieces won 1st at nationals in 2016 and 2017, respectively:

TIPS FROM THE AUTHOR FOR CRAFTING AN HI:

• Finding the right piece is so important. I believe HI is the most challenging event to find a piece for. Even watching the national finals for HI this year, I saw some less than flattering performances where even the large audience was only laughing two or three times. This isn't to say that it is impossible though, and there are ways to spice up a piece that might need some work.

• Play with the presentation. By this, I mean toy with everything. The way the character stands, the way they talk, their ticks, EVERYTHING. Give them some unique traits if the script doesn't call for any. I've seen people use their characters to impersonate celebrities, make fun of obnoxious dance crazes and other trends, and more.

• Give it some substance. Don't go overboard, but in the introduction of the piece, try to tell your audience why, while being funny, the piece also matters in the grand scheme. Don't leave your audience with the dreaded "so what?" question after all is said and done. But honestly, if your piece is nothing more than silly lighthearted fun, don't lie about it's meaning. Judges can see right through it.

DI:

Drama is more than just pipin' hot tea. Drama, in this context, is about moving your audience to feel something spectacular. This doesn't always mean making them cry like a baby, but it can mean making them reflect on themselves and the world around them through the art of performance. In order to help you conquer this challenge, here are the tools to help you along the way:

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The ballot for DI can be found on the resource page, but the ballot cover, which provides an even more detailed description of the event, is here.

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ForCom actually has an entire part of their website dedicated to DI, and it offers many significant insights into how to construct and deliver a piece. Just scroll past the forum posts (or don't, if those are your thing) and you'll find the resource articles from the beginning of the speech-making process to the end. There is even a big old list of piece ideas for you to explore. It is right here.

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Something you might find really helpful is a textbook written by the NSDA entirely dedicated to interp events, including DI. It truly includes everything you'll need when putting together your piece. It's on the resource page, but because it's so valuable I thought I should mention it on this blog post.

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Next I have a Goodreads list of possible books to use for a DI piece. Some are well known, some are not. Most contain at least something you can use as inspiration on your hunt. Here it is.

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TIPS FROM THE AUTHOR FOR CRAFTING A DI:

• Don't be hopeless. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use DI to make the audience want to kill themselves. Pieces shouldn't just be sad for the sake of being sad. You can show the harsh realities of life, but also give the audience hope. Make them think, do not just make them depressed.

• Be comfortable. Set limits for yourself on what you think you can adequately portray. Some topics are just too intense for an interpreter to show, and that's ok. Just because the piece packs an emotional punch doesn't mean that you can deliver that punch properly, due to your comfortableness with the subject matter. And like I said, that's ok. It's better to watch a DI about something not as serious that is executed well than one about really important subject matter that has awkward presentation.

• Use silence to your advantage. Especially when dealing with dramatic situations, silence really does speak louder than words. Pause and choke up between words if your character is relaying something that affected them deeply. Really allow the depth of your presentation sink in with the audience.

POETRY:

Poems: you either love them or hate them. If you're fresh out of a certain Honors English class, you probably hate them. But have no fear, because there's a good chance that watching a really good poetry round could restore your faith in the art of "saying the most with the least amount of words." If you want to help redefine performing poetry to mean more than just that one scene in 22 Jump Street, here is what you will need...

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The ballot for poetry can be found on the resource page, but the ballot cover, which provides an even more detailed description of the event, is here.

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ForCom actually has an entire part of their website dedicated to poetry, and it offers many significant insights into how to construct and deliver a piece. Just scroll past the forum posts (or don't, if those are your thing) and you'll find the resource articles from the beginning of the speech-making process to the end. There is even a big old list of piece ideas for you to explore. It is right here.

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TIPS FROM THE AUTHOR FOR CRAFTING A POETRY:

• If you're up to it, write your own poetry. Even if none of it will ever be good enough to take to tournaments, it is still valuable to search for your authentic voice. By writing poetry, if you've never done it before, you can discover what it is you are looking for in poetry pertaining to style, topic, point of view, etc.

• Really believe in the theme you present. This seems like a given, but honestly, you'd be surprised. I have a story from a tournament where this dude did his poems on privilege... and then proceeded to act like the most privileged person ever. That's for another day though, all I have to say right now is that you should pick a theme that isn't widely covered and one that you actually stand by.

• Just because you're reading doesn't mean that you can't have non-verbals. In fact, it's beneficial to memorize at least part of your piece. This way you can focus on adding body movement and eye contact to add more to your performance.

PROSE:

I competed in prose the second half of the season last year, and I had a great experience with putting together my piece. Prose is a very open-ended event for the most part, and there's a lot of ways you could go with it. Here are the tools I used (or wish I had used) when I had my stint with prose:

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The ballot for prose can be found on the resource page, but the ballot cover, which provides an even more detailed description of the event, is here.

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ForCom actually has an entire part of their website dedicated to prose, it offers many significant insights into how to construct and deliver a piece. Just scroll past the forum posts (or don't, if those are your thing) and you'll find the resource articles from the beginning of the speech-making process to the end. There is even a big old list of piece ideas for you to explore. It is right here.

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I haven't really found any superb video examples of a prose reading, so I've linked the original doc of my prose cutting right here. It won 3rd at districts and 4th at a non-league college tournament.

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TIPS FROM THE AUTHOR FOR CRAFTING A PROSE:

• Pick something with a strong voice. Prose is about narration. Dialogue can be present, but monologues and strong narration are what the event is about. Plus, pops with books are hard.

• Funny or serious, make sure it has meaning. There have been too many moments in prose where I just didn't see the point of the piece. Most of the proses are definitely dramatic leaning, but that doesn't mean they have significance. If you can find a funny piece that tells a good story, then by all means, do it.

• Use the illusion of reading. This doesn't mean that you have to memorize your piece, but the presentation should be at least 50% in the book and 50% away from the book. This way you can focus on adding body movement and eye contact to add more to your performance.

This brings me to the end of this post. I hope you gathered at least something helpful as you work on your pieces this summer. If not, here's an obligatory Taylor Swift gif to make your trip here worth at least something: