League Policies
Below are some things to consider as you prepare for competition in the interpretation category.
Story Elements
Literature Selection
All interp speeches present an author’s story in a personalized way. The first step is to pick the literature selection. Competitors have the freedom to choose any literary selection they wish within the boundaries of the specific event rules, but they should choose a piece of literature that warrants literary merit. Literature becomes noteworthy as an artistic form through using vocabulary and style for rich linguistic choices, classic and universal theme choices, and clever or insightful character development. Books with literary merit are books we think are worth reading again and again.
Please note that any copyrighted works may be used under the “fair use” doctrine for the purposes of interpretive competition events in an educational setting. Speakers are responsible for satisfying any requirements set forth by the publisher. For more information on copyright law, visit www.copyright.gov.
Cutting
Once chosen, competitors will need to “cut” a script. Cutting is a method of adapting an author’s work to fit time constraints and to give the speaker creative license to draw out preferred aspects of the author’s work. For example, a longer novel may have an overarching storyline and several subplots. A competitor might choose to explore the selection by telling the overarching story or choosing one or more of the subplots. Perhaps a competitor is drawn to one particular character’s development or one particular theme from the book. Cutting the lines to convey that part of the author’s work is part of the creative process when preparing an interpretation speech.
Limitations are placed to preserve the integrity of the author’s piece. Because competitors are presenting someone else’s work, no words may be added to the selection, only taken out.
Note: Original Interpretation speeches are not cut literature selections, since they are written by the competitor.
See samples of how the rules apply to actual excerpts from a published work of literature.
Click Here > Interpretation Script Cutting Examples
Narrative Sections
Narrative sections are original words added by the competitor to verbally mention the literature references and to allow development and cohesiveness of the theme. Narrative sections are also opportunities to include supporting material and should follow the same academic integrity guidelines as the other speech categories. Duo, Open, and Original events are limited to an Introduction and/or Conclusion for the narrative sections, but Biblical Thematic speeches will include a narrative selection before each literature selection, if only to name the literature’s reference.
Delivery
Interpretation speeches bring the author’s work to life by drawing out the audience’s imagination through the creative vocal and physical delivery of those words. We think of these through two main methods: characterization and blocking. Telling the story is important, but showing the story is the superpower of the interpretation speeches!
Characterization
Characterization includes the vocal variations and body language that create a character distinct from the competitor’s real self. Vocal variations may include accents or other idiosyncrasies appropriate for a particular character. Body language choices include things like posture, gestures, and facial expressions. All of these should be considered when creating a character to show the audience mood, attitude, country origin, age, likability, and more!
Blocking
Blocking consists of actions the competitors do to create an imaginary scene and bring life to the story they are telling. Competitors may pretend to sit in a rocking chair, for example, or reach out to pick up a potted plant. More instruction and ideas for blocking can be found in our Speech Curriculum, which can be purchased in the NCFCA shop.