Dramatic Interpretation - Definition and Overview

Dramatic Interpretation (often shortened to "Dramatic Interp" or just "DI") is an event in National Forensic League (and NFL-related) high school forensics compeitions.

In a typical round of DI, five to seven performers will each perform a "cutting" (excerpt) from a published play, novel, or short story. As the name suggests, the cuttings are invariably from non-comedic (e.g., dramatic) works. Some performers select monologues, others may adopt the roles of several characters, changing their tone of voice, manner of speaking, and bodily position to indicate a change in character. Performers are constrained in their acting repoitore: the use of props, for instance, is forbidden.

After all of the competitors have performed, the judge (or judges) in the round will rank them from best to worst, and assign each of them a score.

See also: Humorous Interpretation