What+is+Forensics


 * What is Forensics? ** Forensics gets it name, not from CSI MIAMI, but rather form the ancient study of speech and language. Forensics means to break things, like speeches or plays, down to their most basic elements, study them to understand how they work, and then put them back together. I guess you could look at it like a kid pulling apart a computer to see how it works on the inside and then trying to piece it back together to make it work again. On the team we have several categories to choose from, so we can pretty much find a performance style you would enjoy. There is...

Sort of like a one-person show; the competitor memorizes a 7-minute script that could have one character or multiple characters, and he or she performs all of the characters. A challenge for any student whose parents are always thinking they have multiple personalities.
 * Dramatic Performance: **

Very similar to Dramatic Performance, but the student is telling a story, so their story does not have to be memorized, but rather, in a binder that they hold. They still perform for 7 minutes and play multiple characters, but the characters are more suggested than "embodied" like in Dramatic Performance.
 * Prose Interp: **

Just like Prose Interp, a poetry interp competitor holds his or her binder with their script in it. Their script? Can you guess? YEP! Either one or several poems of the same theme that convey a strong message and lesson to the audience. Sorry, young poets, the poetry has to be published, so no original work.
 * Poetry Interp: **

**Declamation:** Are you a future valedictorian, CEO, or even president of the USA? Why not practicing those speech skills by memorizing a famous speech and delivering it as if you were the writer. Another 7 minute category where the competitor takes a famous speech and delivers it in first person as if they were the original speaker.

**Original Oratory:** Beyond just memorizing someone else's speech? You want to try writing on of your own! Original Oratory, or "O.O." in the forensics league, requires the skill and finesse of a dramatic performance, but the control and articulation of a Declamation. In 7 minutes, the competitor delivers their own, well-crafted speech that presents a problem and establishes ways to solve it. This category is great for any students you may have at home that can argue their way out of being grounded!

Back to the interp categories for just one last one. Duo is one of the hardest categories to explain. Their are two actors, holding the scripts in hand, talking and acting with each other, but they cannot touch and they cannot look at each other. Think of it like watching a movie and seeing split screen where the camera is showing both characters. A 7-minute script can be funny, charming, scary, or even heartbreaking. The challenge is making sure you and your duo partner both stay for practice on the same day!
 * Duo Interp: **