College Forensics: Introduction to Interp

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Stephanie Alderdice

Just kidding. Working with a black book looks scarier than it really is.

Have you ever watched a sitcom where there's a class assignment that requires two OBVIOUSLY incompatible people to take joint responsibility in caring for an inanimate object like it was a baby? They're all like, "Whaaat? This is ridiculous. I don't want to carry around this sack of flour!" But they misplace the bag of flour and then they're all like, "Oh noes! I totes need that to do well!" Then they kinda, sorta, accidentally enjoy taking care of the bag of flour. It becomes their "bay-bay" not in the literal sense, but in a "I have a newly found respect for what this inanimate object comes to represent."

This is what the black book is for college interpers. Instead of a flour sack, you find yourself tasked with carrying around a black binder. At first you think, "This is ridiculous! I can barely move one of my arms! I need that arm to reach all of my #feeeelings!" But you pretty much have to carry it around because the manuscript is required in college interp and the binder (although a norm and not technically a rule) is pretty much expected.

One day you go to a coaching session, but you forget your binder in your room and you start to try to run through your performance but...but...you can't. Someone tries to hand you a different binder, but it just feels wrong. Then you realize that like it or not...you've grown attached that three ring lump of vinyl and cardboard. It's yo "bay-bay."

To compare college and high school interp as "similar but different" is vague, frustrating, and kind of accurate. Yes, there are characters, intros, and #feeeelings, but the college circuit tends to reward more nuanced and subdued performances. Yes, you keep your script in your binder, but the regulations for publication verification aren't there. Yes, you speak for 8 to 10 minutes, but no one is giving you time signals or grace periods. Yes, H.I. does not exist as an event in college, but you'll be using humor in a variety of pieces. You'll have teasers and intros - and those introductions better sound like an ivy league English lit course squeezed into sixty seconds.

I feel like I'm selling the college interps short right now. There are some really awesome things you can do! The events are based on genre of literature, not the tone. You'll see Proses and D.I.s that are downright hilarious. Program events allow you to create innovative performances by splicing different pieces together. Topics, subject matter, and language are more mature and varied than what you would typically find in the high school circuit. There is more freedom to experiment - as long as you're able to explain the reasons behind your experimentation. Plus, the movies, television shows, spoken word poetry, and online literature that may not have an ISBN number is fair game in collegiate competition.

When you add all of this together you find that college interp performances are thought-provoking, emotionally driven, and quite often life-changing performances. With this new world of literature, splicing, and argumentation - you're able to learn more about yourself and the world around you. It is one of the rare opportunities available to combine rhetoric, passion, performance, and competition.

Below you'll find a list of the interp events you'll see most often at college tournaments. Some areas may offer specialized events, experimental events, or improvisational events. For the sake of simplicity, this article will focus on discussing the descriptions, rules, and norms of the interp events as they appear at the American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament and the National Forensic Association National Tournament.

AFA = American Forensic Association, NFA = National Forensic Association, IFA = International Forensic Tournament, PRP = Phi Rho Pi, DSR = Delta Sigma Rho, PKD = Pi Kappa Delta. To learn more about each organization, click 'National Tournament and Organization' and scroll down to view the links.

Event

National Tournament

Organization

 Rules, Descriptions, and Norms

Dramatic Interp

AFA, NFA,IFA,
PRP, DSR, PKD

Dramatic refers to the type of literature and not the tone of the performance. Pulled from plays, television, film, radio plays, and videos, the goal is to create a vivid character(s) from a piece written with the intention of being performed. D.I.s can range from a singular monologue, one character addressing an audience, multiple characters addressing an audience, multiple characters in off-stage dialogue, or a combination of different styles. Use of manuscript is required.

Duo
Interp

AFA, NFA, IFA,

PRP, DSR, PKD

Similar to high school competition, Duo involves two performers. Recently, national organizations such as AFA and NFA have begun to open the doors for programs and different literature to be used in the event. This means a Duo may range from two characters in one play to multiple characters in a performance that includes plays, prose, and poetry. The goal is to utilize teamwork, highlight interpersonal relationships/cooperation, and employ effective characterization through the interpretation of literature. Use of manuscript is required.

Poetry
Interp

AFA, NFA, IFA,

PRP, DSR, PKD

Poets of the world rejoice! Be it spoken word, free verse, sonnets, haikus - if it is considered a  poem then consider it fair play. You'll find that Poetry in college is quite similar to what you see in high school competition. Without rules restricting literature to ISBN publications - you'll find a greater range of literature available for performance. From one long poem to a program of several, highlighting the use of vivid language (while maintaining a coherent and compelling theme/argument in a program) is the goal. Use of manuscript is required.

Program
Oral
Interp

AFA, IFA,PRP,
DSR, PKD

Program Oral Interp (a.k.a. P.O.I. or "Poy like boy") allows performers to craft a program on a particular theme, concept, or argument through the use of a variety of literature from drama, prose, and poetry. P.O.I. requires a fair amount of skill. Not only do your poems need to sound different than your prose, but you need to piece everything together in a clear, coherent, and compelling fashion. The opportunities for creativity and personal connection are endless. Use of manuscript is required.
Prose
Interp

AFA, NFA, IFA,

PRP, DSR, PKD

Prose is all about stories and narratives and can include novels, short stories, articles, memoirs, and essays be it fiction or non-fiction (though children's literature is virtually non-existent.) Some Prose performances have a single narrator addressing the audience while others may include different characters. You'll find that some stories lend themselves to using a different point of view, and performers exploring narration in first-, second-, or third-person. Your basic goal is to 'tell a story.' Use of manuscript is required.

These are very basic overviews of the various interp events. Consider it a very quick introduction. In future posts, we'll explore each event in more depth.

For many high school competitors, college interp may appear to lack the appearance of fun to which they are generally accustomed. Carrying around a binder and attending a tournament where H.I. doesn't exist sounds like...well...I don't know what it sounds like but I've seen people scrunch their faces like they just drank bad milk. You're going to have to trust me when I say that college interp is FAR FROM BAD MILK. Once you realize that the packaging is just a little different, you open up a carton of college interp and you're like, 'Woah! This tastes like chocolate/strawberry/vanilla/soy/almond awesomeness!"

Everything you enjoy about interp - making people laugh, performing for a crowd, doing something different, making audiences think and feel something - is all there in college interp. Getting familiar with the different events is the first step to finding your niche on the collegiate circuit. Just remember to keep your black book handy, it's your new bestie that will be with you in all of your rounds.

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All Of the Out Round Participants At the 2014 AFA-NIET

Posted on April 07, 2014 by Stephanie Alderdice

We'd love to title this something exciting like INDY SWEEPS CONTENDERS!! But, without having the original entry, we don't know who qualifies.

PLUS, we wanted to celebrate everyone who made out rounds but only gets one clap at awards.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

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2014 AFA-NIET Semi-Finalists

Posted on April 07, 2014 by Stephanie Alderdice

Things are heating up in Arizona as the following competitors advance to semi-finals. NOTE - We've color coded each of the quarter-finals sections so you can better see which competitors are going 'head-to-head.'

 

 

 

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Former NFL H.I. Finalist's New Role On MTV's 'Underemployed'

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Stephanie Alderdice

  

Nothing makes those of us at SpeechGeek geek out more than seeing former forensicators find success in the “real world.” After all, what could be more fun than pointing to a television screen, magazine page, or news site and being able to say, “I saw them at a tournament!” or “I competed with that person!” Speech is a wonderful community and it’s great to celebrate the competitors, alumni, and coaches who go on to do cool and amazing things.

That’s why we were happier than getting straight ones in finals when we learned that Dan Johnson, an H.I. finalist at the 2006 NFL National Tournament, was cast in MTV’s new scripted comedy, Underemployed. In an exclusive interview with SpeechGeek, the Chicago actor talks “Trash,” pursuing acting, and some tips for competitors who want to make performing their profession.

 

SPEECHGEEK: Thanks for joining us! Let’s start off with your forensics origin story. How did you get involved in speech?

DAN JOHNSON: I was introduced to speech in 8th grade via a visit from the speech team where I would later go to high school, Harry S. Truman High School in Independence, Missouri. There was a small assembly where my two best friends and I sat in awe of all these individuals who got to perform in front of people, and be all these different characters. I was definitely drawn to the individual event side of speech. After the assembly my friends and I looked at one another and basically swore an oath to join the high school speech team.

Later on in the year there was an activity fair held at Truman High where I met the speech coach, Kimberly Lenger. I immediately fell in love with her, and what I failed to picked up on was that she was immediately over me. She told me, years later, one of the first questions she asked herself was, “Who does this obnoxious kid with the ‘fro think he is?” Luckily I used my charm to win her over in the years following.

 

SG: It’s good to know that first impressions aren’t always lasting ones. Once you joined the team, what events did you compete in?

DJ: While at Truman, I dabbled in Duo, Storytelling, had a mighty brief stint in D.I., but mostly lived in the land of Humorous Interp. After Lenger (the name I will never not call my high school coach) showed us a DVD of one of the final rounds of H.I., I was hooked. I made it my goal to be in the final round of H.I. at some point in my high school career. H.I. became my main squeeze. This was the event that made it less weird for me to showcase my “schizophrenic” tendencies.

Amazingly, after almost four years of honing, I made it to the final round in H.I. at the 2006 NFL tournament held in Dallas, TX. My piece was called “Trash” by and Australian man named Andy Griffiths. It was about a kid whose parents were crazy about their son, aptly named “Andy,” taking out the trash. A cute story where Andy goes on a quest after waking up late, missing the trash man, somehow winding up INSIDE the trash truck, and finally being spit out in front of his boyhood crush, “Lisa.”

 

SG: Ouch, poor Andy. What was it like performing in the final round of H.I. at the NFL National Tournament?

DJ: After the postings for finals came out, Lenger and I went to a Mexican fast food chain where I ate, I think, two bites of my food. I was nervous. I had gotten out of my suit to relax before I had to go to the sound check at the stage where I would be performing. I hadn’t thought to put my suit back on, mostly because there were still 3 or so painstaking hours of waiting before I would have to take the stage in the ballroom of some big hotel in downtown Dallas. So, when I showed up in my plaid shorts, white polo, and flip flops, everyone looked at me like I was DEFINITLEY in the wrong place. The man conducting the sound check session asked where the sixth competitor was, and when I raised my hand, he gave me a look as if to say, “…well, good luck, pal…”

I didn’t mind much, especially after I saw the reassuring look Lenger gave me. I don’t remember a darn thing about the round itself, aside from the moment when I turned to the side, while performing, and saw myself on the big screen that was next to the stage. It was a “WOAH” moment. I ended up getting fourth place in the round and couldn’t be happier about it.

 

SG: That sounded like an amazing way to end your senior year. What happened after you graduated from high school?

DJ: I went on to compete for two years at Western Kentucky University on the collegiate level. I found some of my best friends at WKU and I also learned a TON there. Not only more technique but also the intangible stuff that will stay with me for the rest of my life - the number one thing being a strong work ethic. The amount of travel and practice helped me realize that I’m working not only for myself, but also for the team, and ultimately for the sport of speech and debate as a whole. Everyone who participates in this amazing art form is keeping it alive and thriving. After my second year at WKU, I decided to transfer to The Theatre School at DePaul University. I came to the conclusion that I needed to focus more on the craft of acting for the stage and for the camera.

The work ethic that I developed while at Truman and WKU also helps me in my professional life today. Every time I get a script or a side to memorize and breakdown, all the ideas, techniques, and exercises that were instilled in me over the years goes into that work.

 

SG: Which brings us to today. What can you tell us about the MTV comedy Underemployed and your character on the show?

DJ: The show is written and produced by Craig Wright. It’s about five recent college graduates who are working low/no-paying jobs and maneuvering life in that circumstance. My character, “Jamel,” is a recurring character that gets involved with one of the main characters over the course of the season. “Jamel” is a drummer in a band and a computer game designer. Although the show is called a comedy, it also deals with some drama and some of it includes some adult situations like sex. But, it’s done in a tasteful way – nothing too raunchy at all! The show is 12 episodes total and airs every Tuesday at 9pm central on MTV.

 

SG: What tips would you give to forensicators who want to pursue a career in television, film, or theater?

DJ: Some things that forensicators who want to act should do in order to start: JUST DO IT. Research classes that seem interesting, read plays (which most of you are already doing a lot of), write, and get a group of friends together and just play. Being in the speech realm is a great place to be because you’re already surrounded by a bunch of artists. Just be brave enough to get together and do something new. The biggest revelation I came to while at The Theatre School was that good actors are fearless ones. Speech begins to breed the fearlessness through the nature of the sport: you get up in front of a room of people, by yourself, and you speak – which according to… well, the world… is the world’s most terrifying thing. And not only are you speaking, you’re speaking about things that are new, things that are controversial, but above all else – you’re speaking about things that you believe in.

 

SG: Finally, what is the best advice you’ve ever received that you’d like to pas along to our readers?

DJ: Greatest piece of advice anyone has ever given me EVER, whether it was before I entered a round, went into an audition, or stepped on stage was, “Have fun.” It’s simple, but it’s the best way to walk into any situation and succeed.

 

SG: Thank you so much for chatting with us, Dan! Best of luck!

 

You can catch Dan on MTV’s Underemployed airing Tuesdays at 10/9 p.m. CST. Full episodes of the show are also available online. As Dan pointed out, Underemployed tackles situations for young adults, so some language and content may not be appropriate for all viewers.

 

Photo by Anna Ruch Photography

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