Oral+Interpretation+Tips

Oral Interp #1 Some Tips
 * English 9: Oral Communication**

Sample Intro (From Gail Schroers):

Sometimes things happen for a reason that, at the time, makes you question your faith in God or whatever your religious beliefs are. A few years ago, my younger sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She battled that and was fine for awhile, but then it came back again two years later which resulted in her passing. She left behind four children and a family that was brokenhearted. In Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Burns, Wil Tweety questions God about his grandmother's death. . . . (continue providing CONTEXT of the situation and who the main characters are that you will portray in your reading). ..

Other ways to start an intro (pique their interest, attention getter) 1. personal anecdote (Gail Schroers) 2. hypothetical question ("Have you ever had . . .") 3. Statistics ( use numbers only if it applies -- don't force it) 4. Quote or saying

Your last sentence should be a natural TRANSITION into the piece:

THEN, drop your head, collect yourself and become your character, and begin your interpretation.

CUTTING: Cut out sections of a passage as long as the beginning and end BLEND. This may be a paragraph or parts that seem to drag. Never cut out dialogue just because you don't want to do the dialect. If that's the case, choose a whole new section where there isn't the dialogue at all.

Dialect/dialogue needs to stay true to the character and the author. Never "adjust the words or change" anything said since the author meant it to be said that way.

PRACTICING: 1. ALWAYS Practice READING YOUR SECTION ALOUD!!! (when you read in your head, the pacing, the expressions, etc., are not authentic and certainly not preparation for the real thing.) 2. PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT PERFORMANCE 3. Practice standing 4. Look up as much as possible. Practice in front of a large mirror so you are aware how much you are looking up. If you can easily count the # of times you looked up, YOU ARE NOT LOOKING UP ENOUGH!!! .

YOUR “SCRIPT” ∑ Glue your typed (16 pt. font, triple spaced) "script" to a more rigid backing such as a manila folder ∑ If two or more speakers: Color code so you know how to switch back and forth between voices/dialect ∑ Use director cues in parentheses with italics (such as turn body, or point to left) ∑ Bold any words that need to be shouted ∑ Get rid of speaker tags or descriptions that will be re-enacted through nonverbal cues (such as "she squinted far into the distance.")