Speech Defined

                Speech. Defined by dictionary.com as “any single utterance of an actor in the course of a play, motion picture, etc.” Drama freaks such as myself come together for one reason: Speech season. For the next three and a half months, we will poor our hearts and souls into our acting and script writing. We put in at least four hours each week after school to perfect our group efforts. Our weekends are spent without sleeping in, as we need the extra morning practices to prepare for competition. We carry our scripts with us at all times, and recite our lines to ourselves whenever possible. Of course, you can’t start any of this until after your audition- that is, if you get in.

                Speech. It all starts with the auditions, which people seem to stress over more than necessary. The more relaxed you are, the better you do. Your voice will take on that special oomph the judges look for, and your face will twist into whatever expression you need it to be. The more you stress about it, the less realistic the audition will be, and the less likely you will be able to act in your choice category.

                Speech. One of the hardest, most exciting things I have ever been a part of. The challenge of harmonizing your voice with another’s, the effort put into committing the routines to memory, and the determination needed to fight the urge to give up- these are just a few of the qualities every speech team member possess. Honestly, follow a member around and you will see the wrinkles in their forehead as they stare in frustration at a worn-out script. You will hear them chant their lines over and over until they are committed to memory.

                Speech. An event outsiders don’t understand. A test we are terrified to fail on, yet can’t seem to stop from taking each year. A perfect mixture of people who know absolutely nothing about each other, yet are able to come together and create a beautiful finished product.

                Speech. It’s from our sweat, blood, and tears that we find who we really are. It’s from waking up before the crack of dawn to put on our costumes and transform our faces into something we’re not. It’s from eating twice as much dinner after burning through all your calories during practice. It’s from rushing to rehearsal so that your coach won’t yell at you. But most of all, Speech is being who you want to be with the people who could care less what you look like and where you came from. Speech is our home.

 

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