Gustavus Adolphus College

 

• Event Category: Interpretive Event
• Time Limit: 10 Minutes
• Delivery Style: Manuscript

Dramatic Interpretation

Drama interpretation of a cutting which represents one or more characters from a play or plays or literary merit. This material may be drawn from stage, screen or radio. The use of a manuscript is required. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes, including transitions and the delivery of an original introduction.

Competitors are reminded of AFA-NIET General Rule 6-K, which states: "Coaches and/or students must have available at the District and National NIET tournaments copies of all interpretive and original events used at the tournaments." Further, the AFA Code of Ethics specifies that "Competitors are expected to bring to tournaments a copy of the original inclusive text along with the student's script."

Drama interpretation should be based on a cutting from a play written for stage, screen or radio performance. Alternatively, cuttings from two or more plays may be arranged in a theme-inspired program. All selections should be of literary merit and suitable to the performer and the audience. The cutting should develop some relevant and significant theme, conveying a spectrum of emotion, conflict and resolution through multiple levels of thought and interpretation. Furthermore, the cutting should be loyal to the playwright's original script. Credit should be given for finding fresh literature, realizing that it is difficult to provide an individual interpretation of literature which is frequently performed. The selection of material for which a definitive interpretation has been widely seen, such as in elimination rounds of recent national tournaments, should be avoided. Students are encouraged to consult the Drama Digest or Play Review Index or major literary magazines for summaries of recently produced plays. The New Yorker, for example, is an excellent source for reviews of recent work.

Multiple characters should be developed and used to aid plot and action. Characterizations should be consistent with performance theme and style, and should be distinct from each other, embodying definite gender, age, height, and other distinguishing characteristics which enliven authentic characterizations. Caricatures or stereotypes should not be penalized if appropriate to the literature. Delivery should be unaffected, fluent and create a sense of presence for the audience.

Allowing for the demonstration of excellence in public speaking as well as in organizational and interpretive skills, the performance should include an original memorized introduction composed by the student, delivered with manuscript closed, in accordance with the standards of good public speaking. Any transitions should be smooth and add clarity and coherence. The introduction should set the stage, enhancing the interpretation by relating the literature to the audience, providing necessary information about the genesis or the theme of the drama. The use of alternative performance or interpretation styles should be justified, and multiple characters and any use of multiple plays or authors should be clarified and thematically linked.

Performances ranging from 8 to 10 minutes are recommended; deviations from the time limit should be penalized appropriately according to the severity of the violation.

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Drama interpretation is one of the most popular individual events, routinely attracting a wide variety of students and an equally diverse set of plays. Drama interpretation is not "acting," and students are reminded to use gestures rather than acting out scenes and to avoid singing or the use of props (each of which is against AFA rules). Traditionally, drama interpretation was used to train students for careers in radio theater, but it is now primarily of interest to students considering careers in theater.