VHSL Regions 5C and 6A Forensics 2023
2023 — Midlothian, VA/US
6A Prose Interpretation
Event Description:
Purpose of Contest: To encourage appreciation of the full meaning of the printed page and the oral communication of that meaning to others with apparent spontaneity, and with directness, simplicity, and sincerity without distracting the audience through faulty pronunciation or indistinct enunciation.
Contest Regulations:
1. Each contestant shall read one prepared prose selection of his/her own choice with a total reading time of not more than ten minutes. Adjudicators will not provide time signals, and students may not time themselves. In a prose selection, there may be dialogue, but most of the story may be told by a narrator. Usually, the prose is also a bit more subdued in its delivery than a serious dramatic interpretation and making the story (rather than the characters) come to life is more important. No reader may use a prepared prose selection, adaptation, or cutting that he/she has read in a regional, super-regional, or state contest in a previous year, a selection he/she has written or a selection written about his/her own experiences. The contestant may preface his/her reading with an introductory statement that will give the audience a better understanding of the selection read, provided his total time does not exceed ten minutes. Visual contact with a manuscript is required. Any contestant who exceeds the established time limit by more than 30 seconds may not rank first or score highest in the round. There is no minimum time requirement. Contestant must present the same selection in each round of a given tournament.
Examples of Judging Criteria
Appearance: speaker’s appearance is appropriate for competition
Poise: speaker is prepared, confident, composed
Choice of Selection: selection is appropriate, and fitting to speaker, category and audience
Organization: selection flows; editing/cutting is coherent
Interpretation: speaker’s interpretation is intelligible, effective, engaging, and entertaining
Communication: speaker presents material effectively in a way audience can understand story, characters, and character(s) motivation; establishes mood
Articulation: speaker enunciates, pronounces words correctly, and is understandable
Projection: speaker uses appropriate volume
Vocal Characterization: speaker clearly and thoughtfully creates different voices/accents for characters and is consistent when transitioning between/among characters
Physical Characterization: speaker clearly and thoughtfully creates and presents characters by incorporating appropriate and distinct gestures, body postures, behaviors, and other relevant physicality, and is consistent when transitioning between/among characters
Pace: pacing is appropriately varied, is not too fast or too slow
Freshness: speaker presents material with an “illusion of the first time” as if it were brand new; presentation is not stale or rote
Energy: speaker presents material with appropriate energy level, is not monotonous
Impact: presentation is impactful and arouses emotion in audience
Eye Contact: appropriate, focused, balance between audience and manuscript to convey dramatic reading