How to Find the Right Interp Piece

Interp events are all about storytelling—bringing characters, emotions, and ideas to life that captivates an audience, as well as allowing you to share a valuable message that stays with them. Having the right piece is a crucial factor to achieving this. But how do you find the one—the piece that fits your strengths, resonates with your audience, and gives you the best shot at success? Today, we will guide you through the difficult search process and help you find the one.

1. Understanding Your Event

Different interpretation events have unique expectations and skills. Before selecting a piece, consider the event that will fit you best:

Humorous Interpretation (HI) – Requires comedic timing, character flexibility, strong physicality, and cleanliness.

Dramatic Interpretation (DI) – Demands emotional depth, both humorous and dramatic, alongside a strong showcase and ability of emotional acting.

Duo Interpretation – Involves two people performing a piece without making eye contact or touching. There should be an established relationship between the two characters that develops as the story goes.

Program Oral Interpretation (POI) – Allows a combination of multiple genres and sources to create an all around performance. Ideal for people who can perform multiple levels and characters.

Understanding the differences and specific skills of each event is the first step in selecting a piece that aligns with your skills and competitive goals.

2. Identifying Your Strengths as a Performer

The best pieces are not the ones that are the most emotionally draining, the most funny, or the most traumatic; the best piece is the one that plays to your strengths and emotionally connects to you. Ask yourself:

What emotions or themes do I connect with most?

What is my vocal and physical range?

What styles of storytelling resonate with me?

Knowing your strengths helps narrow down options and ensures your performance feels authentic and natural.

3. “Passion Projects”

What Is A Passion Project?

“A passion project is a personal project that someone undertakes out of a strong interest or curiosity in a particular topic, idea, or skill. It’s usually a self-directed project that is not tied to any specific academic or professional requirement. Passion projects can take many forms, including creative endeavors, community initiatives, research projects, or personal challenges. Pursuing a passion project can also be a deeply fulfilling and rewarding experience that fosters personal growth and self-awareness. It can boost confidence, build resilience, and encourage you to take ownership of your own learning and personal development. They provide a space for creativity, innovation, and personal growth, and can help individuals stand out in the competitive college application space.”

Try These Activities:

You’ve developed a mobile app to solve a problem you've always wanted to tackle, what is the app called and why?

If you started a daily blog, what would it be about?

If you started a mindfulness or wellness podcast, what would your first episode be about?

Reflect on personal interests: Start by thinking about what you are passionate about. Consider your hobbies, extracurricular activities, and things that you enjoy doing in your free time. Think about how you can turn these interests into a project that can benefit others.

Identify gaps in the community: Look for gaps or needs in your community that you can address through a passion project. This could be something as simple as starting a community garden or as complex as creating a program to address mental health issues in your school. By identifying needs in your community, you can create a project that not only satisfies your interests but also benefits others.

Research current trends: Keep up to date with current trends and events that are happening in your area or globally. Look for opportunities to create a project that addresses a current issue or trend. For example, if you are passionate about environmental sustainability, you could create a project that addresses the issue of plastic waste in your community.

Consider skills and talents: Consider your skills and talents when brainstorming passion project ideas. Think about how you can use your existing skills to create a project that aligns with your passions. For example, if you are skilled in graphic design, you could create a social media campaign to raise awareness about a particular issue.

4. Where to Find the Right Piece

Once you understand your event and strengths, and have found your passion project, it’s time to search for the perfect script. Here are the best sources:

Books, Novels, and Short Stories

Books offer incredible storytelling. Look for books with strong character voices, vivid dialogue, engaging narratives, and a thought out plot line. A few hours in your local library can be the reason you find your piece. Popular categories include:

Contemporary fiction

Memoirs and autobiographies

Short story collections

Movies

For all events, movies can be a great source of inspiration in finding a piece. Sometimes the movie version of a book is a better format and style for your piece. As some coaches say, the funniest DUO’s and HI’s come from the worst-rated movies :) Any movie can become a powerful, thought-provoking piece; and in this day and age, we are more likely to have recounted a movie that has the potential to be your next piece.

Poetry and Articles

If you’re considering POI, collections by poets like Rudy Francisco can provide powerful pieces. Look for pieces that carry weighty themes, strong rhythm, and emotional punch. Articles from the web that pertain to your topic can provide you the necessary information, statistics, and stories you can include.

Online Script and Literature Databases

Websites like NSDA’s own script archive and others offer valuable material.

5. Avoiding Common Mistakes

Even experienced performers can fall into certain traps when selecting an interp piece. Here’s what to watch out for:

Choosing an overused piece – Judges see the same pieces year after year. Research past performances and avoid overdone selections and pieces done on final rounds in previous years.

Selecting a piece that’s too complex – Some scripts have too many characters and demand extreme vocal or physical skills. Make sure it’s within your range.

Not connecting with the material – If you don’t feel emotionally invested in your piece, it will show in your performance.

6. Evaluating Your Piece

Once you’ve found a few options, put them to the test:

Read it aloud – A piece might seem great on paper but may not flow naturally in performance. Recite the piece(establish temporary characters), and see if it feels right to you.

Look for a clear arc – Strong interp pieces have a beginning, middle, and end with clear emotional shifts. We have all seen the plot diagram, see if you can frame your story and piece into that diagram(teaser, intro, rising actions, climax, resolution.)

Check for character depth – Avoid one-dimensional characters. The best pieces allow for emotional nuance and transformation. Your main character should always have gone through development, the storyline must impact them.

Consider the audience and judges – Will your piece resonate with them? WIll it be able to be cut into fitting the NSDA’s rules and time limits?

Performing a small section for a coach, teammate, or friend can also provide valuable feedback before your decision.

7. Making It Your Own

Even the best piece won’t shine if you don’t bring something unique to it. Once you’ve chosen your piece:

Find personal connections – The more you relate to the emotions and themes, the more genuine your performance will be.

Experiment with delivery – Play around with pacing, tone, and blocking to discover what works best.

Develop distinct characters – If your piece involves multiple voices, make each one stand out through different body language and vocal changes.

Speak with purpose – Keep reciting your piece to maximize true delivery.

Great performances don’t just rely on great scripts—they come from those who bring their own depth, creativity, and energy to the piece.

Conclusion: Choosing a Piece That Speaks to You

Maya Angelou quote exemplifies the essence of interp—your piece is not just about words on a script; it’s about how you bring those words to life and make your audience feel something.

The right piece will challenge you, excite you, and allow you to showcase your unique voice as a performer. Whether you make people laugh, cry, or reflect, your job is to leave a lasting impression on the audience. Take your time in searching, choose a piece that connects with you, and then commit to telling that story with everything you’ve got. Because in the end, it’s not just about performing—it’s about making people feel something they won’t forget.