Dramatic Interpretation (often called “DI”) is an event in debate.
In a typical round of DI, five to seven performers will each perform an excerpt from a published play, novel, or short story. As the name suggests, the cuttings are from non-comedic (e.g., dramatic) works.
Some performers select monologues, others may adopt the roles of several characters, changing their tone of voice, manner of speaking, and bodily position to indicate a change in character. Performers are constrained in their acting repoitore: the use of props, for instance, is forbidden.
It is important to stress that the overall goal of the competitor in this event should be to invoke emotion in the viewers. Humor is accepted but is not the overall goal.
