By ; Hayley and Deborah . 
BEGINNING YOUR
PRESENTATION .
 In the analysis of narratives you should locate all key situations and
climaxis
 In drama you will find not only key speeches but scenes and key
actions as well
 The key actions often are handled best as narration and given to the
audience directly
 Often when there are one or more subplots, the scenes will alternate
with those that move
CUTTING STAGE
DIRECTIONS .
 Stage directions can be paraphrased, put into appropriate style, and
then used as narrative inserts, which you speak directly to the
audience in your own person
 If you keep insertions brief, and give them directly to the audience
as a narrator they will not seriously interrupt the flow of the scene
VOCAL AND PHYSICAL
TECHNIQUES .
 Both the actor and interpreter pay particular attention to the style
of dress, agem and physical condition that affects the way a character
sits down, gets up, enters and leaves the room,and handles objects
within the room
MUSCLE MEMORY .
 Actually moving about as the character would on stage, adds
vitality to the real performance
 You can get so involved in moving about that you take the scene
right out of the audience’s minds where it ought to be and move it up
on stage with you
 Let your muscles get the feel of each big open action until they are
accustomed to it
FINAL STAGES IN YOUR
PRESENTATION .
 Actors begin to add exterior details to make their characterizations
physically explicit
 Interpreters now begin to eliminate physical explicitness, refining their
gestures to suggest the underlying tensions
 Actors and interpreters have memorized lines, use real properties, and
are fitted for costumes
 As an interpreter you only have a book that you always take with you
ESTABLISHING SETTINGS .
 The scene being set is not on the stage, or wherever you are
standing
 The stage must be set in the minds of the audience
INTRODUCING THE
CHARACTERS .
 Having created the “visual aspects” of the setting in your listeners’
minds, you introduce the character or characters in your reading
 It is helpful to establish the relationship of the characters to each
other with a phrase such as “her husband” or “their daughter.”
 Make sure that you understand the mood and thought of the
scene; then use whatever you find suitable
ES TA BL IS H IN G CH A R ACTER S ’ ATTITUD ES,
EM OTION S, A N D ACTION S
.
 the readers physical response is in eliciting emotional response from
the audience
 Whatever is going on the mind, muscles, and emotions of the
character speaking must also go on in your mind, muscles, and emotions
as you say the speech
 If you become so worked up that you forget your responsibility to the
audience you are not a successful performer
SUGGESTIONS ON
TECHNIQUES .
 The audience must always know who is speaking
 Vocal and physical techniques must be sharply defined to suggest
exterior and interior aspects (sex, age, and physical attributes) of a
character
INDICATING THE SEX OF A
CHARACTER .
 Distributing weight
 Men usually distribute their weight to the center or the heels of their feet
 Women tend to balance forward on the balls of their feet with more pressure on the toes than the
heels
 Voice Alteration
 A woman trying to sound more masculine only needs to relax her throat so all the overtones and
undertones are given a richer quality, if she takes a good full breath so there is strength in her voice, the
altitude of the character will dictate any other vocal variations
 A man trying to sound more femine only needs to lighten his voice and use less vigorous projection
to allow his tone to come primarily from the top of the throat but he does not lift his voice above its
natural pitch
INDICATING AGE .
 Many old people carry themselves erect and speak firmly
 Let the frailty be dictated by what the author tells you about the
vigor and vitality of the character
 If you make the character too frail you may not be able to build a
convincing climax that requires strength and energy
Old people don’t become so actively excited and
the pace of their speech is slower and the rhythm
less staccato than when they were young
SUGGESTING MORE THAN
ONE CHARACTER .
 The interpreter or the the one who translates speeches orally must
handle the entire cast as it moves on the stage that has been created in
the audiences mind
ANGLE OF FOCUS .
 a specific character speaks in the same general direction no matter who is being
addressed
 If speaking as a narrator when establishing setting and character you look and speak
to the audience
 When speaking as a character focus on a specific area behind the audience and slightly
above their heads
 Be careful to keep the areas you assign to the various characters as close together as
possible so that the continued change of direction does not become obstructed
 There cannot be a sag between characters
SUGGESTING CERTAIN
PROPERTIES .
 Why and how a character acts is often more important than what
he or she does
 The empathy and timing involved are important
 If the emotional response is carefully suggested the action will be
clear