Oral Interpretation

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Oral Interpretation

• or
• The Art of Reading Aloud Well

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History of Oral Interpretation

• Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the art of
  oral interpretation.
• Wandering minstrels were a popular form of
  entertainment, and would assemble to read their
  works in public competition.
• Poetry recitations were popular in ancient Rome.
• At the turn of the 20th century, oral
  interpreters would travel around our country on
  tour, bringing entertainment to remote parts of
  the country.

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Choosing Your Material

• Anthologies useful because they include a wide
  selection of literary works in a single volume
• Teachers or librarian can give you suggestions
• Internet use specific keywords when searching
• Your own tastes your favorite pieces of
  literature make the best interpretations.

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• Look for writings that are valued both for their
  beauty and for their universal interest.
• Consider the occasion and the desires of your
  audience.

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Interpreting Your Material

• MEANING
• Know what every word means
• Be aware of connotations
• Try paraphrasing
• Make themes clear in your interpretation

• FEELING
• Identify emotions
• Mood overall feeling
• Use voice to show changes in feeling

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Interpreting Prose

• Interpretation should fit the form of the
  narrative first person, third person
• Persona fictional speaker
• Use imagination to recreate details of the
  speaker, such as vocal characteristics and facial
  expressions.

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• First person Uses I to identify narrator
• - Dramatic monologue single character
  speaking
• - Interior monologue inner thoughts of the
  narrator
• Ask yourself questions about the narrator
• What does he look like?
• Where does he live?
• What kind of accent might he have?
• How old is he?
• How does he feel about his life?

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• Third person narrator is an observer of the
  action allows story to be told through the eyes
  of more than one character.
• - Omniscient all-knowing, moves freely
  through all characters minds.
• Create unique voices for each character portrayed
  in this type of narrative. Narrator must sound
  different from any speaking character (tip use
  your normal voice).

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Interpreting Poetry

• Rhythm natural rise and fall movement between
  stressed and unstressed syllables
• - Effect of rhythm on the meaning of the poem
  should be your primary concern
• - Pace recitation to allow listeners time to
  reflect on what you have read
• - Use pauses within a line to vary rhythm and
  add interest

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• Meter measures the number of stressed and
  unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
• - Place stress on syllables based on correct
  pronunciation of words
• - Balance meaning and pattern
• - Changes in meter often signal changes in
  meaning convey this to the audience

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• Rhyme The repetition in different words of the
  last stressed vowel and any sounds following it.
  Can occur at the ends of lines, or within lines.
• - Be careful not to fall into a sing- songy
  pattern when reciting a rhyming poem.
• - Pause where punctuation and sense require
  you to (not always at the end of lines)

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• Imagery language that creates mental pictures.
• - Pay special attention to poets use of
  imagery
• - Use voice to suggest meaning and feeling of
  metaphors

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Interpreting Drama

• Suggest characters, do not fully act them out.
• Acting from the waist up
• Help listeners create a mental image of each
  character you portray.
• Provide visual and auditory clues that will
  stimulate the imagination of your audience

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Introducing Your Material

• Need to give listeners the information they need
  to understand your material
• - Identify and explain characters and
  relationships, outline important plot points
• Establish a mood consistent with the mood of the
  material itself
• Keep it brief around a minute or less

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Cutting Your Material

• May have too much material for allotted time,
  certain parts may be inappropriate, certain
  episode may lesson overall effect.
• Always cut in, not out build your selection by
  including your favorite or most important lines,
  then add lines needed to make sense of the story.

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• Eliminate dialogue tags (he said, she said)
• Eliminate stage directions in drama
• Eliminate minor characters that might confuse
  listeners
• Cut references to events that you do not have
  time to fully explain.

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Developing Your Material

• Eye contact Look at the script often enough to
  remind audience that you are sharing a work of
  literature, but do not tie yourself to the
  script.
• Scene setting Use eyes to focus the scene on an
  imaginary stage in front of you

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• Character Placement Place the characters by
  looking at a different location for each one
• Characterization Each character should be
  distinct. Use a unique voice, facial expression,
  and body position for each one
• Experiment with pitch, pacing, and dialect
• Avoid using a stereotypical voice
• Respond with face to each word spoken by a
  character

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• Word Color Must suggest denotative and
  connotative meanings of words with your vocal
  variety
• - pauses before key words, changes in pitch,
  holding vowels, manipulating tempo, unexpected
  emphasis
• Showmanship Must make it clear that you enjoy
  sharing this piece of literature with an audience.

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Practicing Your Material

• Read it aloud. Silent rehearsal doesnt allow
  you to experiment with vocal variations
• Practice it exactly as you plan to present it
• Must make the material seem fresh
• Mark your script if necessary
• Script should remain still at all times do not
  hold it too low