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Districts speech marks the beginning of speech season. I have explained what exactly speech is in an earlier blog, read here: http://performthosearts.blogspot.com/2013/11/speech-575.html District speech in Monticello Iowa is a day long event. And in this blog I will be taking you through a day in the life of district speech.  

It starts with waking up bright and early for a bus ride up to the school. When there, the whole group unloads everyone’s props and tables from the trailer after that its free reign until your category is up. When it is your coaches like to practice a few times before the actual performance. The “home room” is actually the gym at the school. Separate schools claim certain sections of the gym and unload all their personal items there. The performances, there for, are actually held in class rooms, the auditorium, the choir room, and band room.  Larger performances like choral reading and Readers Theater are held in the larger rooms like band and choir rooms. Smaller performances like ensemble acting and mime are held in normal class rooms. The one act play is held in the auditorium.

Performances go on in all rooms until about three o’clock. All during that time, in the gym, people post results from performances.

Performances get rated on a scale of one to four. One meaning they pass on state two and three meaning they don’t. Most performances get a one. Its about seventy percent get an one and thirty percent get a two. Not many people get threes because it basically means the content of their performance was offensive and a four means they broke the rules and they got disqualified. All performances get one rating from the judge except one act. They also get to have comments about their performance.

You can go watch any performance your heart desires. Most of the time I tend to stay to watch my own groups or groups that I have a connection with in some way but some of the time I go to the improve room. The improves at districts are normally either really very good or just generally bad. That’s why its entertaining to stay in that room.

Next stop, state.