Forensics Season Begins (PODCAST)
Podcast Included!
by Angel Mendez
March 01, 2010
Click Here to Listen to Podcast!
When you see a someone gesturing and talking to a wall, what do you think? Probably something along the lines of, “Wow, that kid must not have any friends.” But, for some Hiawatha High School students, it is not an uncommon sight.
The HHS Forensics team has kicked off its season, which means it’s time to rekindle this relationship with a wall. For many Forensics members, pretending the wall is an audience is a resourceful use of practice time before performing for the judges.
Almost every Saturday, the Forensics team rises before the crack of dawn and travels to another area school where they will compete in speech-related performances. These performances include the use and practice of memorization, enunciation, characterization, and other similar techniques.
In a typical Forensics meet, there will be numerous categories for students to compete in. From reading poetry and reciting a memorized, informative speech to acting solo or in a humorous duet, there are a wide range of performances.
One of the most difficult, yet enjoyable performances is the Improvised Duet Acting. In this performance, two partners draw from a hat full of characters, settings, and situations at a certain time, have 30 minutes to create a plot line based off of their draws, and then perform it for the judges. Each round, the process restarts and new draw occurs. Normally, the performances are humorous, however, some students are known to pull-off a few enjoyable, serious performances. It’s one of the acts that takes practice and creativity.
At each meet, there are three rounds. If the student does well in all three rounds, they could “break for finals” and perform in the final round, guaranteeing at least a sixth place win. Depending on a student’s place in the finals round, a first or second place win could qualify for State Festival and Champs.
On February 13, Hiawatha hosted their own Forensics meet. The theme was, “The 70’s,” and members were encouraged to dress in 70’s attire. Some students even ordered Forensic t-shirts that were tie-died and adorned a common name from the 70’s on the back. So, for one day, the students could be, “Moon Beam” or “Altagracia,” if they wanted. All-in-all, the meet ran smooth, and it turned out to be a very successful and entertaining day for everyone who attended.
Other than hosting, the team has attended three of away meets, Royal Valley, Nemaha Valley, and Marysville. It’s still early in the year, so members have plenty of time to qualify.
But, until then, Forensic members will have to tolerate more practice and take a little advice from the wall.
Tune into the podcast to hear an inside scoop from some Forensics members and a sneak peek of performances.
