Participating in one Cultural Convention event is already strenuous and time-consuming enough, with a number of practices per week, if not more. For that reason, when students are involved in not only one but two events, it is always fascinating to find out who or what got them interested in participating in both events.
Many Oral Interpretation (OI) delegates were also involved in IASAS drama. Both OI and drama rely heavily on public speaking skills including accents, enunciation, and volume. However, OI “limits all arm movement and facial expression has to be pretty controlled,” said TAS delegate Leah G.
“The voice is the most important part of acting,” said ISB delegate Marian S. who read Roald Dahl’s short story Lamb to Slaughter.
“[Marian] was really good at keeping her neutral voice when changing characters, and she had really good emphasis on voices when characters were angry and sad,” said TAS student Sarah W. “Her piece was creative.”
TAS delegate Sanders M. said, “In drama, one of the key skills is vocal characterization. I felt this skill really helped me find the different voices for my piece. OI also helped me with drama a lot as well… I was able to focus on clarity and diction.”
OI focuses on bringing a piece of text to life, as opposed to portraying a specific character, like in drama.
“[With] drama, I’m one character, while in OI [there are many] layers and dimensions,” said SAS delegate Olivia A.
There are certain aspects of OI that are difficult for delegates who also take part in drama.
“As a drama person, one big problem for me was controlling my movement and facial expression,” said Leah.
When asked about difficulties he had during OI, since he was also a drama person, Sanders said, “I was used to acting with my not only just my voice, but also with my body and face. At times I felt there was something missing to my recitations.”
Although both OI and drama share numerous similarities, perhaps the most important is the similarity of story telling. Drama is about acting out a story, just as OI is focused on telling a story through words.
“During OI, I’m communicating a story,” said Olivia.
Delegates involved in both OI and drama have the advantage of applying knowledge and skills from one event, such as drama, to OI. Some components include the emphasis of particular words, accents, and volume. Both OI and drama provide delegates with the opportunity to express stories through actions and words. In fact, OI is acting with the voice.
-Meg
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