This proceedings presents 19 papers delivered a National Developmental Conference on Individual Events, addressing individual events, Lincoln-Douglas debate, and parliamentary debate. After presenting the conference schedule, the list of attendees, and resolutions, papers in the proceedings are: "The Ghostwriter, The Laissez-Faire Coach, and…

Suggestions are offered in this paper for adapting C. S. Lewis's poems for oral interpretation. A discussion of Lewis's lifelong correspondence with his friend Arthur Greeves provides insights into Lewis's perceptions of his own writing. Eighty poems selected from Lewis's "Poems" as appropriate for oral interpretation are classified…

Outlines common abuses that occur when students first use dramatic analysis in oral interpretation. Offers guidelines to help make students' efforts more productive; uses William Carlos Williams's poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" as an example. (PD)

Outlines an exercise that gets students to experience the oral composition of poetry. Describes methods for implementing the exercise; discusses results and advantages. (PD)

Explains how oral interpretation is uniquely communicative and how the double bind theory of communication can include creativity. Discusses (1) double bind and oral interpretation, (2) creating aesthetic text, and (3) the performance of double bind. (PD)

Uses contemporary language theorists to argue that texts considered nonliterary by traditional standards share properties that theorists praise in literature, such as complexity, richness of language, and potential for interpretation. Insists that performance and literature have a historically sanctioned symbiotic relationship so strong that to…

This paper presents an outline of rehearsal procedures designed to provide instructors and students of the beginning interpretation class with a concrete, consistent framework for preparing literature for solo classroom performance. The outline offers a five-step process, and discusses each step in the process. First, the student must select a…

Solomon Henry Clark's 1895 address entitled "The New Elocution," focused on the denigration of elocution as an academic discipline, its fall from favor with universities, and the worn, tired, and reductive methods of teaching which he saw around him. Clark's vision--as he stated in his 1915 address and book entitled "Interpretation…

Charles Dickens was not only a master novelist but was also a master in the art of performance. His distinctive reading style was in marked contrast to the standard practices of mid-nineteenth century elocution, but his unique readings and performance philosophy closely resemble the text-centered approach of modern oral interpretation. Considered…

The ideas of four contemporary poets--Ann Deagon, Lyn Lifshin, Marge Piercy, and Alice Walker--concerning the oral interpretation of poetry are presented in this paper. The poets' ideas relate to the following topics: (1) the importance of reading poems aloud; (2) reasons why they give poetry readings, and effects of their poetry readings on their…

Reaffirms the position of directors (Peter Brook, Tyrone Guthrie, Peter Hall, and others) concerning the "balance of power" between director and playwright in transforming a playscript into a theatrical performance. (PD)

Presents four professors' views on whether contests or festivals are the more valuable formats for developing the art of oral interpretation in students. (PD)

The purpose of this article is to enunciate some principles and techniquea of oral interpretation and to suggest their possible application in the elementary classroom. (Author)

Shows how teachers can begin with the sound of a poem in performance as a springboard to a critical understanding of the writer's art. Provides suggestions helpful in staging performances. (GT)

Finds that students reported lower communication apprehension after both oral interpretation and public speaking classes, with no significant difference in reduction between the two classes. (SR)