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Section 1007: PROSE INTERPRETATION (2008-2009 Constitution)
(a) PURPOSE OF THE CONTEST.
The purpose of this contest is to encourage the student to understand, experience, and share prose works through the art of oral interpretation.
(1) Oral Interpretation. Oral interpretation, or the study of literature through its performance, can be defined as a combination of analysis, performance and communication skills offered publicly on behalf of literature.
(2) Goals of Oral Interpretation. Oral interpretation focuses on literature in performance through expressive oral reading. The goals of this contest are to encourage the contestant’s exploration of a variety of literary selections and to enhance the performer’s and audience’s appreciation of literature through the performer’s interpretation of the work.
(3) Questions. The oral interpreter should work from these questions:
(A) What elements of the work are important to performance?
(B) What physical, vocal, intellectual, and emotional resources can the performer bring to the work?
(C) How can this work best be communicated to the audience?
(D) What kind of introduction will be most effective?
(b) ENTRIES.
(1) Representation. Each participant school in all conferences may enter three students in the contest.
(2) Eligibility. Each contestant must be eligible under Subchapter M. Only students in high school are eligible for this contest. Prose contestants shall not compete at district in poetry interpretation or in Lincoln-Douglas debate. See Speech Plan, Section 1000, for specific speech eligibility rules.
(c) CONTEST RULES AND GUIDELINES.
(1) Selection of Categories. Categories are chosen by the UIL staff and the Prose and Poetry Advisory Committee utilizing suggestions from high school speech coaches and university speech faculty.
(2) Category Restrictions. Material chosen for use in either category of Prose Interpretation shall meet the following restrictions:
(A) all selections shall be published, printed material; Internet material must be published concurrently in hard copy;
(B) selections from plays or screen plays shall not be used in either category;
(C) speeches shall not be used in either category;
(D) no contestant shall use an individual writer in more than one category in the contest;
(E) no contestant shall use selections from the same literary work more than one year at UIL State Meet; and
(F) selections shall be read in the English translation; however, incidental use of foreign language words and phrases in any selection may be used as in the original.
(3) Category Guidelines. The categories are designed to encourage contestants to explore the wide variety of points of view and feeling available in prose. The contestant shall prepare a selection from both categories A and B. The categories are discussed and defined in more detail in the UIL Prose and Poetry Handbook available through the League office and on the UIL web site. Coaches are responsible for reviewing these publications in advance of the contest.
(4) Category A: Exploring the Southern Experience. The contestant shall perform a single selection from a printed, published work written in prose by a single author. The selection should explore the experiences that depict the culture, heritage, struggle, triumph or mystique of life in the South. In addition to the literary work being about the South, the author shall be born in one of the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia. Only a prose work by an author born in one of the twelve states listed is acceptable. The selection may be fiction or non-fiction, but may not include speeches, one-person theatre or theatrical monologues. Works by anonymous authors are not permissible. The author used in this category shall not be used in Category B of prose.
(5) Documentation for Category A. In order to meet category restrictions, the contestant shall provide proof their selection is published. Examples of acceptable proof include the original published source or a photocopy of the Library of Congress cataloguing information. If the selection is drawn from a literary collection, the contestant must supply the original source or a photocopy of the table of contents that designates the title of the book, as well as proof that the specific selection is included in that book, or a printout from an online source proving the selection is included in the published collection. For Category A, the contestant shall also provide documentation that the writer was born in one of the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia. Examples of acceptable documentation include the original or photocopy of an encyclopedia or reference book, or other published biographical information that verifies the author’s place of birth. Also acceptable is correspondence from the author or publisher, or a published newspaper, magazine article or book jacket that verifies the author’s place of birth. If an online data service is used for documentation, contestants should print the home page/main index page of the site from which the documentation was retrieved. Printouts of the documentation and the home page should include the URL of the web site. The author in this category shall not be used in Category B of prose. See the UIL Prose and Poetry Handbook and the official UIL web site for acceptable and unacceptable online documentation. Contest directors will be instructed to ask for this documentation and proof the selection is published in hard copy prior to the beginning of the round. Students shall not be allowed to compete without sufficient documentation. Documentation check may be done in advance of the meet, in a general assembly for contestants in the prose contest, or in the room(s) where contestants will be judged.
(6) Category B: Exploring Prose Fiction. The contestant shall perform a single selection from a printed, published piece of prose fiction. The literary work may be written by a single author or be a collaborative work by two or more authors. A literary work by an anonymous author is permissible in this category. The goal of this category is for the student to explore the many diverse realms of prose fiction. The selection for this category may include but is not limited to short stories, novels, science fiction, fantasy or folklore. The selection may not include speeches, one-person theatre, or theatrical monologues. The author used in this category shall not be used in Category A of prose.
(7) Documentation for Category B. In order to meet category restrictions, the contestant shall provide proof their selection is published. Examples of acceptable proof include: the original published source or a photocopy of the Library of Congress cataloguing information from its source or from the Library of Congress web site. If the selection is drawn from a literary collection, the contestant must supply the original source or a photocopy of the table of contents that designates the title of the book and proof the specific selection is included in that book, or a printout from an online source proving the selection is included in the published collection. For Category B, the contestant also shall provide published documentation that the selection is classified as fiction. Verification may consist of one of the following: Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal classification systems that designate the selection as fiction; other published sources such as The New York Times fiction bestseller list; or a published source that designates the selection as one of the approved literary forms for this category. Approved online sources may also be used for documentation purposes. If an online source is used for documentation, contestants should print the home page/main index page of the site from which the documentation was retrieved. Printouts of the documentation and the home page should include the URL of the web site. See the UIL Prose and Poetry Handbook and the UIL web site for acceptable and unacceptable online documentation. Contest directors will be instructed to ask for this documentation and for proof the selection is published in hard copy prior to the beginning of the round. Students shall not be allowed to compete without sufficient documentation. Documentation check may be done in advance of the meet, in a general assembly for contestants in the prose contest, or in the room(s) where contestants will be judged.
(8) Standards. In selecting material to be read in the contest, the coach and student are challenged to explore literature of high quality and are encouraged to prepare selections of literary merit that the same student has not performed in a previous year. Students shall not use selections from the same literary work more than one year at UIL State Meet and are strongly discouraged from repeating the same selection at district or regional contests that they performed in a previous year. Selections used by contestants should not offend the moral standards of the community nor be in bad taste. Academic coaches should revise or reject all selections that in any way fail to meet these qualifications as not all material by an author is appropriate for contest material.
(9) Bibliographic Information. Students are urged to take to the contest site the original published source of the selection and/or to add bibliographic information for selections in the form of a footnote on their manuscript copy indicating the source of the material and the page numbers from which the selection was taken. This information is not to be confused with the documentation requirement of categories A and B.
(10) Introductions. An introduction is required in both categories. The introduction and/or commentary during the performance should include the name of the writer and the selection to be performed and should prepare the audience to listen to the selection. The introduction should reflect spontaneity, though it should be prepared ahead of time.
(11) Manuscripts or Copies. The contestant should perform the selections reading from manuscripts or copies of the selections that are in a folder or notebook. Students shall not read from books or magazines or perform without a manuscript or copy of the selection.
(12) Style and Delivery. Contestants should not use costumes or props.
(A) Responsive use of the body (i.e., spontaneous changes in posture, gesture and place-to-place movement) is permissible. However, this active use of the body should:
(i) be appropriate to the demands of the selection;
(ii) be a natural outgrowth from the literature to be performed, and
(iii) be limited in scope.
(B) Only incidental singing in the introduction and/or selection may be included.
The judge’s opinion regarding style and delivery is final. Coaches are encouraged to prepare contestants for the fact that perceptions of style and delivery will vary from judge to judge.
(13) Time Limit. The time limit for each performance including introduction and any transitional material may not exceed seven minutes. There is no grace period allowed. See Section 1003 (b) (4). The penalty for exceeding seven minutes is disqualification from the round by the contest director.
(d) CONDUCTING THE CONTEST.
(1) Selecting the Category. The director in charge of the contest will determine the category by chance and, once the category is drawn, must use that category for that round. The contestants will be bound by this one category; i.e., in any one contest they will all present selections belonging to one category. The other category will be used if finals are necessary. Contestants who fail to read material from within the selected category shall be disqualified.
(2) Rooms. In conducting this contest, one room will be needed for each preliminary section, as the sections should be run simultaneously.
(3) Audiences. Students should be offered the educational opportunity to experience the variety of literature and performances available through UIL participation. Therefore, it is permissible for contestants to listen to each other. Additionally, coaches of the contestants and anyone else interested in listening to the performers are allowed to be in the contest room.
(4) Timekeeper and Signal Standards. A timekeeper should be provided for each contest to notify the contestants of the amount of time remaining from their total allotted time. The timekeeper should sit where they can be seen by contestants and should demonstrate before each contestant begins reading the type of time signals to be used. The responsibility for keeping within the seven-minute time limit rests with the contestant. See 1003 (b) (4).
(e) DUTIES OF THE CONTEST DIRECTOR.
(1) Sections. If more than eight contestants are entered, preliminary and final rounds shall be held. See 1003 (b) (1).
(2) Speaker Order. The contest director shall assign or conduct a drawing for speaker order among the contestants.
(3) Interruptions. No coaching shall be permitted during the contest. The contest director, or the monitor, shall prevent any interruption of a speaker during a contest. Cheering is prohibited.
(4) Recording. Schools and/or individuals are prohibited from recording (audio and/or video) speech contests. The UIL reserves the right to record for educational purposes.
(5) Questions. Questions must be made to the contest director before the decision of the judges is rendered. The decisions of the meet officials in these matters are final.
(6) Judging. Judging must be by an odd number of judges or by one critic judge. At minimum, judges should be high school graduates. A copy of the judging instructions and category descriptors provided by the League office should be given to each judge. Contest directors are responsible for explaining these instructions and categories to the judges. Judges should be instructed not to discuss their decisions with other individuals or judges while judging a given contest. See 1003 (b) (2). Coaches may request copies of judging instructions from the League office.
(7) Ranking Contestants. See 1003 (b) (3).
(8) Unofficial Results. Until students and coaches have had a chance to look at the rankings and the individual evaluation sheets, during the announced ballot verification period, results should be announced as unofficial.
(9) Ballot Verification Period. See Section 1003 (b) (6). This procedure is mandatory.
(10) Official Results. See Section 1003 (b) (7).
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