Your teen comes home from speech practice and says they are doing "DI" this season, or maybe "HI." They need a script and a ten-minute cutting, and the first tournament is five weeks away. Here is what your teen has signed up for.
Dramatic Interpretation (DI) and Humorous Interpretation (HI) are speech events run by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). The details below come from the NSDA's Competition Events Guide and its judging materials. Tournaments can add their own rules, so read yours too.
What DI and HI Are
In both events, a student performs a cut-down version of a play, short story or other published work, alone and from memory. The student can play one character or several, switching between them with voice and body. There is no set.
The difference is the material. Dramatic Interpretation uses serious literature. The NSDA's guide lists topics like terminal illness, historical events and discrimination, and past DI selections include Fences by August Wilson. Humorous Interpretation uses comic material, and the NSDA says the humor should be "tasteful and motivated." For both events, the NSDA says a student should choose a piece that fits their age, maturity and school standards.
The Rules That Matter Most
1. Ten minutes, with a 30-second grace period. A performance can run up to 10:30. A student who goes past that cannot be ranked first in the round. 2. Memorized. The student performs without a script in hand. 3. Published source. The piece has to come from published literature, and local rules decide what counts. Ask the team coach before your teen gets attached to a script. 4. An introduction in the student's own words. Most performers open with a short teaser from the piece, then give an introduction that explains why the story matters and states the title and author. 5. No props or costumes. Everything the audience sees comes from the performer.
How Judges Score a Round
Judges watch every performer in the room and rank them, often from first to sixth. The NSDA's interpretation comment sheet asks judges to look at three things:
1. Characterization. Is each character believable and distinct? 2. Blocking. Can the judge tell what the performer is doing and which character is speaking? 3. Cutting. Is the story easy to follow, and do the events happen in a sensible order?
The same sheet tells judges not to comment on a student's clothing or appearance.
The Mistakes First-Time Performers Make
Picking a script that is too long. The NSDA's guide suggests a DI script of no more than about 1,200 words, so most of the early work is cutting.
Characters who sound alike. In a multi-character piece, the judge has to know who is talking within a second. In HI, the quick switch between characters is called a "pop," and a clean pop takes practice.
Melodrama in DI. The NSDA's guide warns that overly sad selections are not ideal choices. The goal is a believable person going through something real.
Jokes with no story in HI. A string of gags wears thin over ten minutes. In our experience, the HIs that do well make the audience care about a character who keeps getting into trouble.
Memorizing by staring at the page. The NSDA's guide recommends learning lines out loud and on your feet, with the movement attached, a section at a time.
How You Can Help at Home
1. Read the script aloud together. You read one character and your teen reads another. Clunky lines stand out, and those are the first to cut. 2. Time a full run every week. If it runs over 10:30 at home, it will not get shorter under tournament nerves. 3. Be the audience. In HI, laugh where it is funny and stay quiet where it is not. Your teen learns where the jokes land. 4. Ask "who is that?" Stop a run and ask which character is speaking. If you hesitated, a judge will too.
How TalkMaze Fits
TalkMaze offers 1-on-1 online public speaking and debate coaching for students ages 5 to 17. Interp is a solo event, which makes it a natural fit for 1-on-1 coaching. In weekly sessions, a coach can help your teen cut a script to time, give each character a distinct voice and stance, drill pops until they are clean, and time every run against the real limit. Founder Ghalia Aamer is a national debate competitor, TEDx speaker and Princess Diana Award recipient, and every TalkMaze coach trains on the method she built for speaking with confidence in front of a room. If your teen is also writing a speech this season, read our guide to Original Oratory. For the day itself, see preparing for a first speech and debate tournament.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a Dramatic or Humorous Interpretation performance?
DI and HI performances have a 10-minute limit with a 30-second grace period under NSDA rules. A student who goes past 10:30 cannot be ranked first in the round.
Can you use props or costumes in DI or HI?
No, the NSDA does not allow props or costumes in Dramatic or Humorous Interpretation. Performers build the scene with their voice, face and movement.
What is the difference between DI and HI?
DI uses serious literature and HI uses comic literature. Both share the same time limit, the same no-props rule and the same judging criteria: characterization, blocking and cutting.
Where do students find DI and HI scripts?
Most students find scripts through their team coach, play publishers' websites, the library and published short stories. Check your state and tournament rules first, because the rules on eligible sources vary.
The Bottom Line
DI and HI come down to a well-cut script, characters a judge can tell apart, and a memorized performance that stays inside 10:30. If your teen wants a coach to help them choose a piece and get it ready for the first tournament, book a free assessment and bring the script they are considering.
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