Interpers are no strangers to making strange noises. When you're forced to perform without stages or props, you have to get creative to get your audience engaged. We've all certainly heard our fair share of odd sounds coming from classrooms.

Bleep Blap Boop is a charming short film that turns sound effects into a battle of the sexes. With a variety of prompts, the filmmakers ask people to do their best to replicate the sounds. They're not professionals, but they certainly try their best. 

Which team do you think did a better job at making sound effects? What was the most creative sound effect you've heard in a performance?

Memorizing a new piece or speech is one of the least glamorous parts of forensics (next to waking up at 5 a.m. on a Saturday). People have different methods. Some folks record themselves reading it aloud and listen to it on repeat. Others try writing lines over and over until it sticks. Memorizing smaller sections then adding new ones on is another strategy. 

If you're lucky, memorizing lines comes quickly and easily to you. However, that doesn't mean some of us don't struggle with remembering tricky lines of poetry or certain statistics in an oratory. That's why this list of strategies to improve memory can be really helpful early in the season. From self affirmations, associations, and grouping to proper nutrition, mental exercises, and breathing techniques - there are plenty of ideas on how to make more room in your brain for your events.

Happy memorizing everyone!

Yesterday afternoon, news broke that actor Michael Clarke Duncan had passed away due to complications from a heart attack that occurred earlier in the summer. Affectionately known as a 'gentle giant,' at over six feet tall and 315 lbs, Duncan appeared in films such as Armageddon and his voice to Kung Fu Panda. His presence was hard to miss. 

His most recognized role, however, was his breakout performance alongside Tom Hanks in The Green Mile. An adaptation of the Stephen King novel about a death row prisoner with supernatural abilities, Duncan's portrayal of the sensitive Coffey earned him numerous awards and an Oscar nomination. Though the events of the film were set during the Great Depression, it struck a nerve with modern audiences. Viewers left not only talking about the performances, but the complicated message regarding the death penalty. 

Duncan's legacy is an important one for forensics. It is proof that powerful performances find a place in our hearts and minds. It is a reminder that performances are an opportunity to entertain, educate, and spark discussion. Even if we disagree on how we would "rank" a round or even interpret a text, pieces with a message force us to go from passive viewers to active participants in the discussion. Trophies are nice. But changing someone's mind about how they see the world is so much more impressive. 

So tell us: Have you witnessed a performance that changed your outlook on the world? (It can be an interp, speaking event, or even a debate round.) Have you ever discussed the message of a topic or piece when you went home? As a competitor, what subject matters are you interested in exploring?

Think you excel at vocal distinctions when performing multiple characters? Or do you get comments that your voices sound a bit 'similar'? Celebrity impressionist Jim Meskimen has built a career off of his ability to bring characters life using his voice. In this video, he performs an excerpt from Shakespeare's Richard III and switches voices every five seconds. The distinctions are subtle yet undeniably distinct. Watch it and take notes on how he not only uses accents, but makes choices in volume, fillers, pauses, speed, rate, emphasis, pitch, and tone to create believable and distinguishable character voices.

 WATCH THIS is a new series that presents you with videos meant to spark ideas and discussions (and in some cases – can be used for competition).

“Maybe there are cartwheels in your mouth.
Maybe your words will grow up to be gymnasts.
Maybe you have been kicking people with them on accident.” – Andrea Gibson

 You may want to cover your chin with bandages before you watch poet Andrea Gibson perform. What is amazing on paper becomes jaw-dropping when you watch her speak with vibrating passion and urgency. Though many of her poems deal with complicated topics such as gender, identity, diversity and adversity – her “Letter To A Playground Bully…” speaks to anyone who has had to cope with an unpleasant or aggressive person. Unfortunately, that may apply to more of us than we'd like to admit.

A quick search on YouTube will allow you to watch several of her performances. If you're interested in reading more of Andrea Gibson's poetry (or using it in competition), you can order her books and cds through her website, Amazon or Write Bloody Publishers.