Prose Rules

[soten355]

What are the exact rules for Prose Interpretation? I am having a hard time finding them on the NFL website, does anybody know where I can find them?

[mkayb17]

National Tournament Prose Rules
Prose: Prose expresses thought through language recorded in sentences and paragraphs: fiction
(short stories, novels) and non-fiction (articles, essays, journals, biographies).

Selections: Only published, printed works may be used. No plays or other dramatic materials
may be used. In Prose, a student may not use the same source s/he used in Duo,
Dramatic or Humorous at any NFL tournament.

Time: Presentations shall not last more than five minutes. Other than brief overtime may be
penalized.

Presentation: Performances must be from a manuscript (which may be in a folder). Reading from a
book or magazine is not permitted.

Prose is writing which corresponds to usual (ordinary, common) patterns of speech. Unlike poetry,
which emphasizes emotions and/or ideas expressed through figurative language recorded in verse and
stanza, prose expresses thought through language recorded in sentences and paragraphs. Prose includes
fiction (short stories, novels) and nonfiction (articles, essays, journal entries, biographies). Cuttings from
plays (dramas) may not be read in this contest.
The purpose of this contest is to encourage the student to find, understand, experience, and share a prose
work through the art of oral reading.
The contestant will have prepared a presentation which will not last more than five minutes, including a
required introduction which will state at least the title(s) and the author(s).


At local tournaments the only difference is that the time limit is ten minutes.

You also can’t walk around in prose like you can in HI and DI. You use limited movement.

The national rules are at http://www.nflonline.org/uploads/AboutNFL/ntman102007.pdf

[soten355]

So there are no official rules on book tech, correct?

[justine]

So there are no official rules on book tech, correct?

No, but you can't have props. If you're using your book as a prop judges will call you out on it. End of story.

[Josiahzacks]

Wait, it's really five minutes at NFL?

That sucks.

[Cinderella]

Yep. Its a supplemental event. And it sucks beecause its SO HARD to get a good story arc in 5 minutes without sacraficing a TON of story and character development and stuff

[soten355]

So there are no official rules on book tech, correct?

No, but you can't have props. If you're using your book as a prop judges will call you out on it. End of story.
But where does it say in the rules? I understand no props, but a person should be able to use a book in any which way they want as long as compliments the story.
If you don't mind me asking, why will they call me out on it?

[justine]

So there are no official rules on book tech, correct?

No, but you can't have props. If you're using your book as a prop judges will call you out on it. End of story.
But where does it say in the rules? I understand no props, but a person should be able to use a book in any which way they want as long as compliments the story.
If you don't mind me asking, why will they call me out on it?

The book really is only there to hold the story that you're reading because you "don't have it memorized".
A prop is (according to wikipedia): any object held or used on stage by an actor for use in furthering the plot or story line of a theatrical production.
So, if you're using your book for anything other than holding the story *technically* it's a prop.

By the way, I'm all for limited book tech. LIMITED book tech. I'm just saying that judges do have the right to call you out on it if you do anything really huge with book tech. Because then your book really does turn into a prop. I just wanted to warn you about that.

[soten355]

So there are no official rules on book tech, correct?

No, but you can't have props. If you're using your book as a prop judges will call you out on it. End of story.
But where does it say in the rules? I understand no props, but a person should be able to use a book in any which way they want as long as compliments the story.
If you don't mind me asking, why will they call me out on it?

The book really is only there to hold the story that you're reading because you "don't have it memorized".
A prop is (according to wikipedia): any object held or used on stage by an actor for use in furthering the plot or story line of a theatrical production.
So, if you're using your book for anything other than holding the story *technically* it's a prop.

By the way, I'm all for limited book tech. LIMITED book tech. I'm just saying that judges do have the right to call you out on it if you do anything really huge with book tech. Because then your book really does turn into a prop. I just wanted to warn you about that.
Why, then, do you have to hold a book?

[Seabass08]

its a read event.

[oHIo]

Why, then, do you have to hold a book?

Because many people have it memorized, it's more than just the "it's a read event" explanation.

The answer I've heard many times is that it's to remind the audience and yourself that this is not just your work, you are paying respect to the author who has taken the time to create this piece of art.

[Cinderella]

Why, then, do you have to hold a book?

Because many people have it memorized, it's more than just the "it's a read event" explanation.

The answer I've heard many times is that it's to remind the audience and yourself that this is not just your work, you are paying respect to the author who has taken the time to create this piece of art.

If that's the case, why don't all interp events require books?

The answer I've always been given is that its technically classified as "a reading event." The reason I would assume that it IS a reading event is because when prose and poetry are put together as OI in CFL style tournaments, that's two pieces in one event and the book is an excuse, I suppose, to not expect students to have to memorize both pieces (though most do anyway). In the case of the NFL tournament, prose and poetry are both supplemental events, and I'd assume that the NFL would expect students to work really hard on the main events they qualified for and use their supplementals as an afterthought "just in case." In this case, isn't it a courtesy to allow/require the manuscript so you can spend more time working on your main event and not having to worry about memorizing supplementals?

[oHIo]

If that's the case, why don't all interp events require books?

Look at College Forensics. Maybe the NFL just hasn't caught up. Either that or they just don't view the activity the same way that the NFA and AFA do.


The answer I've always been given is that its technically classified as "a reading event." The reason I would assume that it IS a reading event is because when prose and poetry are put together as OI in CFL style tournaments, that's two pieces in one event and the book is an excuse, I suppose, to not expect students to have to memorize both pieces (though most do anyway). In the case of the NFL tournament, prose and poetry are both supplemental events, and I'd assume that the NFL would expect students to work really hard on the main events they qualified for and use their supplementals as an afterthought "just in case." In this case, isn't it a courtesy to allow/require the manuscript so you can spend more time working on your main event and not having to worry about memorizing supplementals?

A courtesy? I think it goes deeper than that. I've yet to hear of a region that does not require a book in Prose, Poetry, OI, P/P, etc. There must be a reason other than "you don't have to memorize this."

Maybe I'm just thinking too hard.

[Cinderella]

If that's the case, why don't all interp events require books?

Look at College Forensics. Maybe the NFL just hasn't caught up. Either that or they just don't view the activity the same way that the NFA and AFA do.

Maybe. But keep in mind the fact that college forensics allows and encourages mulitiple entry on a much broader level than high school forensics. While again, most competitors DO memorize every piece, expecting someone to be able to memorize six pieces for at least the first few tournaments of the year is just insane, thus you need the binder. While there may be a deeper origin for or reason behind having the binder be required beyond simply having it as a courtesy, its hard to deny the idea that its convenient.

[soten355]

So, should how a person holds the book and uses it be a criterion for scoring, or should it be the performance?
I received numerous judges giving me bad ranks, not because of my acting, but because my "page turn as sloppy" or "book tech is bad", but do not even touch base on the foundation of the event: acting.
I believe that a person should be able to use their book to get a point across, since they have to have it. A good example would be: "Reading the book as a book that the character is reading". A bad example would be: "Using the book as a puppet and talking to it".
The point I'm trying to get across is that a judge shouldn't judge a performance and drop ranks because a kid has bad book tech, but in fact uses the book with the acting. These days, people are nick picky about tech and not about the important part: acting (interpretation if you must). In fact, book tech should not even be a criterion for scoring unless the competitor is relying on the book tech to win (ie: talking to the book as if it were a puppet).

[mkayb17]

Well, at a local tournament, if you can perform well and have bad book tech, then you can place well. But when it comes to higher level tournament there are a lot of amazing performers and book tech. is an easy way to decide who is better.

Also, the book separates prose into a different interp category. The book is a huge part of prose. You are suppose to convince the audience that you are reading them a story. The main reason for the book is that prose is a story. Other interp events are typically plays or at least preformed as if they are plays. People read prose and perform plays, that is my reasoning behind the book. And just how a judge can judge even the littlest movement you make in HI, DI, and Duo, a judge can mark down bad book tech. All performances need to be crisp and if your book tech is not crisp, it looks sloppy all together.

And it is ok that there are no particular rules on book tech. Because other events don't have particular rules for similar things. For example, nothing in the rules tells interpers how to "pop" from character to character, but people get marked down for sloppy pops constantly. Transitions are treated the same way. It all comes back to the same thing; no performance in any event should look sloppy.