A Dialogue on Monologues in Dramatic Interpretation.

It is a surprising fact that a student of speech can compete in prose, poetry, drama, and program oral interpretation without ever needing to develop two characters, without ever needing to establish two separate focal points in the same piece, and without ever learning to adapt to a new style of writing. This can be done if the student simply picks the right type of material. Free verse poetry and prose sound very similar. Monologues and soliloquies sound very similar to prose also. Part of the reason that so many performances appear to cross genre lines is because students watch what is being done in competition and then seek out pieces that emulate the qualities they see in winning performances. This develops trends, which become norms, which then become rules. Ballots often tell students they need to conform to the norm in an event or that the selection is not right for the competition. Another reason for the crossing of genre lines is that students take the path of least resistance and so do educators: why not have a student perform the type of work they are best at? The damage this trend causes is significant because it undercuts the most basic premise of forensic studies: the need to educate students, to push them toward new, challenging, and growth-inducing experiences. The solution to this problem is not a correction to the event descriptions but a commitment among educators to drive their students toward learning experiences. (TB)