INTRODUCTION TO DUO INTERPRETATION

What is Duo Interpretation?

Duo Interpretation is a Speech and Debate event where two people act out a 10-minute-long piece of literature without making any eye contact/physical contact or using any costumes/props. Unlike other interpretation categories, Duo Interpretation can be humorous, dramatic, or both. 

Getting Started: Making A Piece

Finding A Piece

The first step in creating an interpretation, regardless of the event, is finding source material to cut* from. You can use plays, movies, musicals, books, or anything else for which you can find an official script. When looking for a piece, there are many things you must take into consideration: plot complexity, subject matter, dialogue, and, most importantly, whether or not you enjoy it. I would generally recommend not choosing pieces with overly complicated plots, as you only have 10 minutes to make it make sense to your audience. Remember, cutting plot points can be necessary, as the goal is not to take a script in its entirety and try your best to shrink it into 10 minutes, but to find a 10-minute story within a larger script. 

In addition, the literature you choose will influence whether or not your piece is more humorous or more dramatic, and generally influences the tone of your piece, so decide with your partner which way you’ll want your piece to lean. It’s important that your piece connects to a strong message. Quite frequently, duos choose pieces that align with their identities, AKA “identity pieces”, e.g., both partners in a duo are Hispanic and decide to do a piece about having Hispanic heritage. So if there is a specific part of your identity or a social issue you want to bring light to, choose an aligned piece. Another influencing factor is whether you want a piece with more physical/technical opportunities or one with more acting range. I recommend finding your strengths first, then taking a piece that fits them, as some people are more physically adept or have prior dance/acrobatic experience, while others are more in tune with acting and have strong stagecraft. Overall, as you search for literature to cut, the most important thing is that you and your partner genuinely enjoy your piece. 

*Cutting (in interp) is the process of removing content from a script in order to shorten it to the desired length and/or clarify its plot.

Cutting A Piece

Once you have chosen your literature, you need to start cutting it. The first thing to look at when cutting your piece is the plot. Cut according to a plotline that’s comprehensive and makes sense; afterward, you can add back parts for comedic/dramatic value. Take out as much as possible, and really try to think of your piece as a collection of scenes that sensibly(chronologically or thematically) follow that through line. Once you have a series of events with a beginning, middle, and a conclusive ending, trim around it until you reach the desired length. I personally like to take my script, paste it into a Google Doc, and format it in standard manuscript formatting** to see how long it is. You'll generally want it to be 8-10 pages long, including your intro***. After all the aforementioned has been done, you can add back any humor/drama if you have time.

**Standard manuscript formatting is 12 pt. font, Courier New, single-spaced, 5 tabs in for character names, and every page in this format is about a minute of spoken dialogue.

***Intros are short interludes where the performers, speaking as themselves, introduce their piece, oftentimes elaborating on their theme and ending with their piece’s title and author.

Writing An Intro

The introduction or “intro” to your piece is the only part of the duo that is actually written by the performers. Intros are oftentimes used to bring the audience into the piece, catching their attention in the beginning with a topic-related statistic, quote, or definition. After your hook, try to use your intro to explain any part of the piece that isn’t self-explanatory and introduce characters and names. Then tie a deeper message into your topic. Before finally ending with the title and the author's name. Here's a very basic intro template to start:

• Make a joke about the audience.

• Allude to your true message.

• Add clarifying details.

• “So join [insert protagonist] as they learn that [insert catchy version of message].”

Getting Started: Doing A Piece

Characterization

Once you’ve finished making your piece, you must decide how you want to present it.  In interpretation, characters are distinguished by voice modulation and postures/physicality. Every character should have a distinct voice. To figure out what voices work for you, go through every impression you can do and see what fits. Next, determine your characters' postures. Give each character a unique stance. For instance, have an older character bend at the waist or have a more reserved character keep their shoulders higher. You should also use different foot positions for each character so you can pop**** in and out of characters quickly and easily. As you go about characterizing, it can be easy to oversimplify characters to the point where they feel more like archetypes than actual human beings, but that’s where you must stop yourself and make sure that your characters are well-rounded, believable characters that the audience feels connected to.

****Video that explains all: https://youtu.be/UyolaNwGG4c?si=TqrkWEtcfswzT7YL

Memorizing A Piece

This is the most straightforward part of duo interpretation. Once you have a cut, you have a few options. Some people like blocking before memorizing since the movement can jog their memory for the next line. For others, memorizing the words first works best. For this approach, consider recording you and your partner reading all the lines and listening to it on repeat. As a warning, sometimes you can get a certain inflection stuck in your head when memorizing. To avoid this, try memorizing the words with as little emotion as possible so you can change them later. 

Blocking A Piece

Blocking refers to all the choreographed movement and pantomime in a piece. For every scene, your characters should be interacting with their world in some way. Maybe they’re studying together at a desk, or talking over dinner, or maybe even beating each other up! In any case, to bring your audience into this world, you must act out whatever your characters are doing. Pantomime is the act of using your body to mime out objects and props, because you can't actually use any. Make sure all of these movements are clear and precise, as when you don't have actual objects, it can get difficult for the audience to keep track of them. In addition to movement, blocking can (and usually should) include sound effects. These can help bring the audience into your world and make your movements more obvious. Like, if you're opening a door, go “chk-rr” to indicate the doorknob to your audience. Sound effects can also be used for transitions. Some duos use beatboxing, humming, singing, or some sound related to a main theme of their piece, along with a repeated physical motion/gesture to make a clear transition between scenes. 

Running A Piece A Billion Times

This one's pretty self-explanatory, once your piece is fully constructed: run it a billion times.

General Advice 

Nothing should be edited the day of a tournament, even if there are things you want to change, you might be able to remove things or play around with your delivery but adding new things is a risky game and it’s better to just stick with what you have. Watch tons of final round videos; these are the best duos in the nation, and they can teach you a lot. However, don’t ever directly copy a piece (like the guy in HI who completely copied Leaving Iowa this past year), but take as much inspiration as possible. The first round is always the hardest, so give it your all. Every round matters, so to avoid being sluggish in the mornings, it’s good to be awake and operating for a few hours before (or just chug energy drinks). No matter what, regardless of how you think things will go, fake it till you make it. Commanding the room will always help you, so go up there every round acting like you know you’re gonna crush the competition. Lastly, remember that it’s okay to be nervous in rounds. In fact, it’s good. The second you’re not nervous is the second you don’t care anymore. 

The Beauty Of Interp

As much as this guide exists for the sake of helping you make your piece, the truth is that interpretation is all about changing your piece. It’s not just the acting, the cutting, or the blocking; it's the process. Getting the chance to continuously look at a piece and find out what works and what doesn't is what will actually take you far. 

Good luck!