In a typical round of DI, five to seven performers will each perform a "cutting" (excerpt) from a readily available, published (copyrighted or non-copyrighted) play, novel, or short story. As the name suggests, the cuttings are invariably from non-comedic (e.g., dramatic) works. Some performers select monologues, others may adopt the roles of many different characters, changing their tone, manner, and the position of their body to indicate a change in character.
After all of the competitors have performed, the judge (or judges) in the round will rank them from best to worst, and assign each of them a score. Contestants who score well will "break" out of preliminary rounds and continue to advance through octo/quarter/semi/final rounds if they continue to score well.
NSDA Nationals
National Speech and Debate Association Nationals was hosted in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2016. National Champions are awarded a scholarship of US$1,000.[2] To receive the title a competitor must have the lowest cumulative score throughout the duration of the tournament. The Dramatic Interpretation competitor to receive the lowest cumulative score in the final round is awarded the BAMA Bowl and a US$500 scholarship.[3] The National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament is the largest academic competition in the world.[4][5][6]
The set time limit is ten minutes with a thirty-second period in which a student may go overtime with no penalty, colloquially referred to as a 'grace period.'According to National Speech and Debate Association rules, a student who exceeds the ten minute and thirty-second time limit cannot be awarded the rank of 1st in the round. There is no minimum time limit.[8]
Material and material availability
A student may choose from a single work of literature to perform.
Acceptable forms of literature include:[9]
In Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, and Humorous Interpretation performers are not permitted to use any type of "physical objects or costuming."[10]
In addition, students may not:
Students may not perform the same work of literature at any National Speech and Debate Association tournament if they have already done so in a separate contestant year.
Website approval submission process
All piece selection is subject to online year-round review.
Collegiate Dramatic Interpretation
In intercollegiate forensics, a competitor may use one or more theatrical scripts to craft a dramatic narrative involving one or multiple characters.[11] The dramatic material can originate from a variety of sources, ranging from stage, screen, to radio.[12] Unlike dramatic interpretation performances at the high school level, collegiate competitors are required to use a manuscript throughout their performance.[13]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 tournament was canceled. However, the NFA permitted competitors in their senior year to submit recordings of their speeches for an asynchronous competition. The top performing student in each category was ranked as the Performance of Highest Distinction.[15] The Performance of Highest Distinction in Dramatic Interpretation was awarded to Trijae from Bradley University.[16]
^High School Unified Manual: Chapter, Rules, and Tournament Operations. 2017 ed. Vol. 1.0. National Speech and Debate Association, 2017. PDF. Updated February 2017
^High School Unified Manual: Chapter, Rules, and Tournament Operations. 2017 ed. Vol. 1.0. National Speech and Debate Association, 2017. PDF. Updated February 2017
^High School Unified Manual: Chapter, Rules, and Tournament Operations. 2017 ed. Vol. 1.0. National Speech and Debate Association, 2017. PDF. Updated February 2017 pg 43-44.
^High School Unified Manual: Chapter, Rules, and Tournament Operations. 2017 ed. Vol. 1.0. National Speech and Debate Association, 2017. PDF. Updated February 2017 pg 43-44.
^High School Unified Manual: Chapter, Rules, and Tournament Operations. 2017 ed. Vol. 1.0. National Speech and Debate Association, 2017. PDF. Updated February 2017 pg 45.
