It takes reading ten to fifteen plays to find one script. That will work in speech tournaments for dramatic or humorous interpretation. And about two to six hours to cut the text to fit the time frame.Using some basic techniques will help that process, but contrary to popular belief, scripts do not win, students themselves win. It’s up to the competitor to breathe life into the words that an author has painstakingly compos and publish. As and actor your soul must be big enough to play any part and make it real and accessible to an audience.
Basics in cutting your Dramatic script:
Your cutting must contain all of the proper dramatic structure. The audience must sense that they have been taken on a journey as a result of watching your selection. The person you are at the start of a selection is not who you become at the end.
Read the entire script. Look at the general story of the script and characters. The entire script again beginning to look for the story that you will tell. Map out the dramatic structure of the script.
Ask yourself:
What is the story you are going to tell from this script that sticks with the author’s intent and proper dramatic structure. You may find a scene(rarely) or you may have to splice the whole script to get the story.
If you haven’t read the entire script, you will find it more difficult to keep your performance new and fresh because you have no back story, no depth, from which to work.
What kind of Dramatic script will win?
Overall themes are universal, and scripts will closely resemble one another in theme. The thing that separates first place and sixth place is the ability of a competitor to bring to life the universal them of the play. In other words, you must perform your selection in a way that makes each judge and the audience member see themselves or people they know in your performance. This ability, talent, and hard work are what separate a champ from a chump. The main goal in finding that national championship piece is — does this selection speak to your heart and soul. When you have a selection that speaks to you about your life, people you have met, and experiences that you have had, you have found a winning selection.
In addition does the selection:
Highlight the talents that you have: singing, dancing, multiple character voices, old age etc. I say, find a selection that highlights your abilities because what works for one student will not necessarily work for another.
Just because a student Dramatic performs the selection that just won nationals, does not guarantee a National Championship. Scripts are not one size fits all! Even national champions have question if their selection was strong enough to win the championship. The best advice it what I learn from a coaching friend, “Work on it, until you feel it.”
Dramatic The Perfect:
Performance is committ to producing high quality cuttings, consulting, and curriculum tools for Forensics and Theatre Arts nationwide. We are a unique and reliable one stop shopping experience for students, who participate and compete in Forensics and Theatre Arts, and for teachers who coach:
Dramatic / Humorous Interpretation, Duet / Duo Acting, and Original Oratory. We are dicat to assisting our clients in finding the perfect selection, structuring the perfect lesson plan for success, and bringing a fresh perspective to competitive speaking and theatrical events.
