Duet acting shall be defined as an acting exercise composed of two students who portray a memorized 10 minute cutting from a published work of literature. Prompting shall not be allowed.
Duet acting selections shall not be more than 10 minutes in length. This shall include the introduction.
A student may portray one or multiple character(s) in a scene. Cuttings of multiple scenes may be bridged by memorized narration.
A narrated introduction to the cutting shall be given by one or both members. This shall be included in the 10 minute time limit.
Stage makeup, costumes or properties shall be prohibited with the exception of two (2) chairs and a table. Standing on the table is not permitted.
Students who qualify at an invitational DUO Interpretation event are eligible for KSHSAA’s duet acting event, provided all guidelines for KSHSAA’s duet acting event were followed. At state speech championships and state speech and drama festivals the event is duet acting.
Selections shall be taken from a published work of humorous or serious literature and shall NOT be transcribed from records, tapes, television, movies, or be the original work of the student or coach. Selections can include published play scripts, short stories, novels and poetry, and published television or movie scripts. In the event of a challenge, the coach or sponsor must produce the original or copy of the publication at regional and state festivals or championships.
If double entered in duet acting and DUO, the student may NOT use the same piece/selection. It is permissible to be with different partners.
Duet/Duo Tips for Success:
Plot line has to have some merit—can’t be purely slapstick ☹