We’ve all had that horribly awkward conversation with a friend, classmate, or coworker about forensics.  Generally, the first statement out of their mouth will be something like “So…you see a lot of dead bodies?” If you tell them you’re on the speech team, then folks will probably ask “Is that like debate?”  If you do LD, PF, CX, Parli or other forms of debate, well, it is like debate.  If you compete in interp, public address or limited prep events, no, it’s not like debate.  The PG-13 video above demonstrates the frustrations of sharing our favorite activity with the world.

I’m just surprised someone who is on the speech team has such a monotone voice.

SpeechGeek Staff Report

This season, all eyes are on the fashion hubs of the world. Tokyo. Paris. New York. Kansas City. The city known for its smooth music and smoky barbecue is playing host to the most well-dressed group of people under the age of 18 in the nation this week. Nowhere is the couture more haute and the threads more avant-garde than in the rounds of Duo Interpretation. Great minds may think alike, but great performers dress to impress.

What is it about this event that makes dressing complimentary draw so many compliments? Perhaps it is the appearance of coordination and unity that inspires so many partners to color coordinate. Before competitors utter their first lines and the first ‘swish’ of shoes popping in character takes place, the first thing judges and audience members notice are the partners’ appearances. After spending nine months working on blocking and character development ensuring that every gesture and emotion is in sync, coordinating tournament attire adds the final touch of polish to the overall effect. Much in the same way that sports teams wear matching uniforms, complimentary Duo partner attire shows that both individuals are focused on creating a unified, seamless performance. The last thing anyone wants is for a judge to be distracted by your hot pink and olive green suits.

Click through the slide show to see a sampling of some of this week’s most colorful (and coordinated) Duo partners.

Blogging the Supplemental Events may prove a bit more tricky than the Main Events, as information has been a bit more hard to come by.  We apologize for any misspellings of names and welcome corrections from our readers.

Speaker 1 —  A. J. Tallow
performing “Being that Guy” a program by Tony Damico

Speaker 2 — Malcom Minor
performing “Knock, Knock” by Daniel Beaty

Speaker 3 — James Videl
performing “The Butter Battle”  by Theodor (Dr. Seuss) Geisel

Speaker 4 — Durrell Jamerson
performing “Fallen Heroes” a program by Will Bell and (unknown).

Speaker 5 — Taylor Walker
performing “Somewhere There is a Poem” by Gina Loring

Speaker 6 — Andrea Platt
performing  ”My Thick Heritage” by Barry Solas (sp?)

Blogging the Supplemental Events may prove a bit more tricky than the Main Events, as information has been a bit more hard to come by.  We apologize for any misspellings of names and welcome corrections from our readers.

Speaker 1 — Michael Mosella
performing “Commercial Break” by Augustin Burrows

Speaker 2 — Zachary Eisenstein
performing “Rest Area” by Clay Chapman

Speaker 3 — John Reynolds
performing  ”Under the Wolf, Under the Dog” by Adam Rapp

Speaker 4 — Johari Mackey
performing “Show Business” by Martha Southgate

Speaker 5 — Robert Jackson
performing “I, Dred Scott” by Sheila Moses

Speaker 6 — Nat Zegree
performing  ”The Santaland Diaries” by David Sedaris

SpeechGeek Postings is proud to announce the final placing of the national semifinalists in Duo Interpretation. You can also check out the selections performed by the finalists and their speaker order.

National Finalists

Speaker 1 — 162   Geoghan/Marcel
performing “The Front Porch Chronicles” by Sidney Ryan

Speaker 2 — 317   Schmitto/Rocero
performing “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks” by Richard Alfieri

Speaker 3 — 318   Williams/Pough
performing “The Little Tommy Parker Celebrated Colored Minstrel Show” by Carlisle Brown

Speaker 4 — 197   Sulam/Phillips
performing “Sticks and Stones” by Scott Swan and Drew McWeeny

Speaker 5 — 235   Groves/Wilson
performing “The Wiz” by William Brown

Speaker 6 — 141   Evans/Stopfer
performing “Anonymous” by Naomi Iizuka

National Semifinalists

14. Claus/White
13. Johnson/Dufree
12. Wilkins/Wilkins
11. McManigell/Milligan
10. Kozminksi/Beatti
9. Wong/Liu
8. Perry/Duke
7. Carano/Hobby

SpeechGeek Postings is proud to announce the final placing of the national semifinalists in Dramatic Interpretation. You can also check out the selections performed by the finalists and their speaker order.

National Finalists

Speaker 1 — Michael Dahlgren
performing “My Autobiography” by Charles Chaplin

Speaker 2 — Michael Carone
performing “Jails, Hospitals and Hip-Hop” by Danny Hoch

Speaker 3 — Bryan Porter
performing “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde” by Moises Kaufman

Speaker 4 — Jedidiah Duarte
performing “Telephone Man”  by Chris Crutcher

Speaker 5 — Cory Williams
performing “Life is So Good” by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman

Speaker 6 — Sarah Brazier
performing “Second Lady” by [Unsure, M. Gilbert Creedy?]

National Semifinalists

14. Chandler Rosenthal
13.  Arika Jeter
12.  Jamaque Newberry
11.  Wade Johnson
10.  Rachel Evans
9.  Jonathan Tyree
8.  Anthony Hopkins
7.  Hayden Padgett

National Semifinalists

14. Pranay Yeturu
13. Spencer Bergman
12. David Snodgrass
11. Caleb Snyder
10.  Sarah Khasrovi
9.  Adam Iverson
8.  Kellen Reusser
7. Tommy Waas

National Finalists

Speaker 1 — Zade Shakir
performing “Finding Ryan”

Speaker 2 — Lindsey White
performing “Fat Kids on Fire”

Speaker 3 — Andrew Langdon
performing “Jewtopia”

Speaker 4  – Adam DeGonda
performing “Snappy’s Happy Half-Hour”

Speaker 5 — Tyler Rife
performing “Miss Nelson is Missing”

Speaker 6 — Harris Alterman
performing “008″