Cutting

Most scripts are much longer than you will perform! Most interpretation events should be between 8-10 minutes, with a hard cap at 10:30. There is no hard minimum, but it is recommended to have at least 7-8 minutes of content. You will need to cut your script to fit within this timeframe (around 1100-1800 words). 

Rules for Cutting

The NSDA specifies multiple rules about cutting. They can be condensed into the following points:

• If you change the script (by adding or removing words), you can't change the author's intention/the "voice" of the script. You can add up to 150 words, including your intro. Cutting generally involves removing words or rearranging them. Adding words is usually only for profanity and transitions. 

  • Not Allowed: replacing words to change the plot. 

    • We can't change "Bob stole the bananas" → "Bob stole the money," since this changes what the script was trying to say. Bob didn't steal the money, so we can't say that he did.

  • Not Allowed: taking words or small parts of sentences to create lines not intended in the original script. 

    • We can't take "Bob" from page 1, "ate" from page 2, "the" from page 7, and "bananas" from page 10 to make "Bob ate the bananas" if Bob didn't eat the bananas and it wasn't said in the script.

  • Allowed: changing words to remove cursing

    • Please note that cursing does have its place in Interp! It often draws the audience's attention because it is unexpected. Swear words can be used to show severity, so don't feel like you have to replace every swear word. 

Please refer to the High School Unified Manual 2025-26 for more details on cutting rules.

Start with a theme or moral!

Before cutting, identify the moral, message, or thesis of the piece. If you do not know what your piece is trying to say, the cut will usually feel scattered. The strongest pieces have a through line that is visible from beginning to end.

1. Pick the piece.

2. Decide what you want the audience to understand or feel.

3. Cut "towards" that idea.

4. Remove anything that weakens that idea.

1. The exposition gives your audience important background information about the main storyline. Most of the characters should be introduced here, either through lines or blocking.

• Cinderella example: Cinderella lives with her evil stepmother and sisters, who force her to do all the work around the house. This sets up the rest of the story.

2. The inciting incident is the event that sets the rest of the story in motion. Without it, the plot wouldn't happen. This usually appears before your intro to keep your audience interested.

• Cinderella example: The invitation to the prince's ball arrives, but Cinderella's stepmother doesn't let her go. This conflict is why the rest of her story happens.

3. The rising action is a sequence of major events that builds suspense, tension, or drama. In your central storyline, there may be multiple events in rising action. You do not need to keep all of them! Pick a few plot points/scenes that are most impactful, since we do not have enough time to do all of them.

• Cinderella example: The Stepsisters go to the ball → The fairy godmother helps Cinderella → Cinderella dances with the prince but leaves in a hurry before midnight → Cinderella loses a slipper → The Prince searches for the owner of the glass slipper

4. The climax is the most emotional, suspenseful, and impactful part of the plot. This is a pivotal point that changes the story's trajectory. Everything before the climax should be building up to it.

• Cinderella example: The prince arrives at their home, and the Stepsisters try on the slipper, but it doesn't fit. Cinderella tries the slipper, and it fits! This is a turning point, and her life changes for the better.

5. The falling action ties up loose ends and releases tension.

• Cinderella example: Cinderella and the prince get married. The evil stepmother and stepsisters get their comeuppance.

6. The resolution concludes the story, resolves the conflict, and leaves the audience with a sense of closure. While the ending doesn't need to be a stereotypical "happily ever after”, try to avoid leaving your audience on a cliffhanger.

• Cinderella example: Cinderella and the Prince live happily ever after. 

How to Cut

1. Read through your script and decide what parts are actually important for the plot. Highlight these chunks and paste them into a new document.

2. Read through your new cut and check for lines that don't add anything to the plot. If a line doesn't impact understanding or dramatic/comedic value, get rid of it!

3. Read through your new cut and check for words or line segments in lines that don't add to comprehension.

4. Time yourself saying your script (aim for 8-9 minutes, since you will have blocking) and check the word count (aim for 1100-1800 words)

A good cut usually only keeps the moments that do one of the following:

• Advance the plot

• Reveal/develop character

• Support the theme or moral

• Create humor or emotional weight

Finally, time yourself reading the cut version. Aim for 8–9 minutes since blocking adds to your piece's length, and check that your word count is between 1,100 and 1,800 words.

Characters

As you cut your piece, consider both scenes and characters. You can't include every emotional moment or joke, so choose wisely which ones you think will be the most impactful. Start by removing minor characters whose absence won't interfere with the plot. Aim for 1-7 characters in total, depending on the event. Generally, drama pieces have fewer characters (1-3), while humor pieces have more (3-7). Too many may make the storyline difficult to follow, and the audience will struggle to keep track of who is speaking. 

Introduction

Your piece will also need an intro, which is a short text (around 100 words) that comes after your teaser and briefly introduces your piece to the audience. It should tell them what your piece is about, the message or moral you want to convey, and the title and author of your piece. It should include a hook, premise, theme, and state all the sources you used, their authors, and the title of your program. The hook grabs your audience's attention. In humor pieces, this is usually a joke; in dramas, it's usually a statistic. The premise tells your audience why this story is happening and why they should be invested, without spoiling the plot. Your theme statement should be the central idea of your piece (you can use the one you brainstormed above). You can also add a bit of exposition here if it wasn't made clear in your teaser. Finally, state all the sources you used, their authors, and the title of your program. See Introduction to Intro Writing for more in-depth information.

Piece-Specific Tips

Humorous Interpretation (HI)

For humor, organize your cut into three types of lines:

• Advancement lines that move the story forward and help the audience understand what is happening.

• Moral lines that support your thesis or message.

• Humor lines that are primarily there for comic effect.

A strong HI cut should still tell a story while being funny, rather than prioritizing humor over coherence. 

Characters: Aim for 3-7 characters in total! His plays generally tend to have more characters than drama pieces.

Dramatic Interpretation (DI)

The goal of DI is to have your audience connect to your character(s) and their story. Thus, DI cutting usually requires the most attention to making your character's POV understandable and emotionally focused.

Point of view: If the source uses third-person narration (like "He said, 'I like tomatoes'), you can cut around this by preserving the dialogue ("I like tomatoes")

Storyline: Many dramatic pieces contain more material and storylines than you can perform. Choose one central conflict that aligns with your preferred theme/moral and build around it!

Characters: Remove unnecessary characters unless they are essential to the emotional structure. Aim for 1-3 characters. Most DIs will have fewer characters (many are monologues!).

Duo Interpretation (DUO)

DUO is a middle ground between HI and DI. Many successful DUOs combine humor and drama to convey their message most effectively. Remember that humor and drama complement each other! Comedic contexts make tragedy seem more acute, and tragic contexts make comedy seem more acute. For example, good dramatic DUOs may use humor to build comfort and help the audience relate to the characters, then pull out the rug with an emotional climax, allowing the contrast between humor and tragedy to generate greater emotional impact.

In a DUO, try to preserve and select for:

• A strong theme or moral

• Conversational dialogue! A DUO is two people; the center of the piece is the interaction between your characters. So select for good dialogue!

• Enough narration to support the story when needed

• Clear character relationships

Program Oral Interpretation (POI)

Choose a source (often prose or drama) to be the "backbone" of your piece. It should strongly support your theme! Look for something that will resonate with the audience, something that they can relate to and understand. 

Then, use other sources to build around your "backbone". The majority of your other sources will express a sentiment similar to that of your backbone source. 

POIs can also include a countervoice, a source that provides contrast to your central storyline and other supporting sources. An example of this can be found in Isabella Royer's NSDA 2023 POI National Champion piece, “Can You Hear The Screams Now?”, where the speaker uses an operating manual for a gun to provide an impassive, direct description, which contrasts with her main storyline about school shootings. 

Good luck!