Humorous Interpretation
In Humorous interpretation, one performer interprets a 10-minute humorous selection. Long plays, musicals, even movies may be “cut” to fit into this time constraint, but the plot must remain understandable to the audience. The title and author of the piece must be mentioned during the introduction to the selection
One of the main objectives of this event is to cause the audience to laugh, but that does not necessarily mean that performers are solely judged on the amount of laughs they receive from their audience. Most importantly, performers must convey a coherent plot in their selection, speak clearly, have well-defined characters, stay in character, and use effective body movements.
In selections with more than one character, each character must be distinct from the others in three ways: voice (high/low, accented), body (movements, stance, gestures, posture, position) and face (expression, mannerisms).
A student may portray as many characters as the selection calls for. A single character in a monologue may also be performed. When interpreting several characters, one needs to work at distinguishing each, and practicing swift transitions between each.
Thus, performers may appear almost schizophrenic, having to jerk from one personality into another. It is imperative that performers practice in front of a mirror — only then can they judge whether their characters need to be more defined, and most importantly, the students can work on creating genuine reactions for each characters’ lines.
HI is a wonderful event for students to participate in because they have an opportunity to engage their peers in wit and laughter.