The Old Duo Discussion

[airpezman]

I do not want this to be a formal debate, but I'd like to hear feedback on this.


There seems to be a trend toward the humorous and showier material selection versus the realistic fiction. In fact- there seems to be a push in duo interp to "pack tightly" as much PUNCH as possible, meaning to put as many emotions, levels, flash, bells and whistles, whatever you name it in a 10 minute selection...

I once heard a good coach declare, "MAKE SURE you nail that showstopper"...


well, in realistic fiction the performance relies on awesome acting (interp, whatever) but not on the bells and whistles.

Are you able to honestly without one bit of hesistation be able to compare a "Bells and Whistles" duo versus a "Realistic Fiction" Duo?

EXAMPLE: Can you with good faith compare "The Cat in the Hat" with "Careless Love"?

Does it just come down to personal preference to either the Realistic Fiction or the Bells and Whistles?


I am interested in what you think here!!

PEZ

[jman255]

I think keeping them combined is what makes Duo so much fun. It also gives you a good opportunity to have a bit of humor and drama.

I vote keep them together!

[tgjdlc]

I think keeping them combined is what makes Duo so much fun. It also gives you a good opportunity to have a bit of humor and drama.

I vote keep them together!

FOR EMPHASIS

[GlobalLlama]

Personally, I vote to keep them combined because it would be a logistical nightmare to seperate them. Can you imagine how much trouble it would be for the NFL? In the end, they aren't different enough to warrant the pain, and they are more interesting combined.

[nirorivers6]

i think they should stick together, to beat the dead horse, they really aren't that different, just different styles, besides who doesn't like an oraplle?

[Chewie]

Personally, I vote to keep them combined because it would be a logistical nightmare to seperate them. Can you imagine how much trouble it would be for the NFL? In the end, they aren't different enough to warrant the pain, and they are more interesting combined.

I don't really think that's a good argument for it. While the NFL doesn't add or disband new events every year, it does so on a semi-regular basis. Duo itself wasn't an event until just over a decade ago. And PF (which is really much more complex to create, being a debate event) seems to have come about fairly well in the past few years.

That said, I believe they should stay combined for the reasons stated above.

[dwhite]

My biggest problem with splitting them up would be the pieces (and there are many of them) that have the strong humorous element mixed with a strong dramatic one.

For instance, "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" that got 2nd at NFLs this year, or "Feiffer's People" which got 3rd last year. Most of the VERY good duos, in my opinion, incorporate both elements. (I also believe the best dramatic duos are the ones that are hysterical for the first 6 or 7 minutes - you never see the serious coming). If you put those pieces/performances in either a Dramatic or a Humorous category, it's bound to create strife and/or give away the ending...

My thoughts.

~Dillon