Cutting a Book/Play for an Interp 101
I love original cuttings of books and plays. Ā They make for fantastic interps and have a lot more possibilities to be creative with. Ā The only problem is that it can be difficult to figure out HOW to cut a longer work. Ā If you get frustrated, thatās okay. Ā Iām pretty sure I cried sometime while cutting a book for the first time. Ā Itās a bit of a science that just requires a bit of practice. Ā If middle schoolers can do it, you can too! Ā Here goesā¦
Like actually read it. Ā The entire thing. Ā Not the sparknotes or any of that crap. Ā To do this right, you have to read it all the way through without skipping anything.
grab one of those handy dandy plot organizer things that look like either a sideways weird lightning bolt if you squint or a pyramid. Ā (example at the bottom) SHOUTOUT TO GAC-SSI AND MS. B FOR TEACHING ME THIS AGES AGO!
And use it. Ā Write out the focal points of the lit.
Grab a pencil. Ā DO NOT USE A PEN. Ā ONLY USE PENCIL. Ā WHEN CUTTING LIT PENS ARE A MORTAL SIN.
Go through the lit and [bracket] things that are important to the overall plot of the story.
Make sure you have the entire plot included. Ā If not, go back through and try to find ways to put it back in
Read through it an a talking pace and time it. Ā Just donāt spread it.
Save as ā[title]_[abbreviated date]_[cutting number].*ā Cut.** Ā I can almost guarantee that it will be too long. Ā Iāve done near to 10 interps and almost all of them were from long works like books or plays that I had to substantially cut.
Read through and time it again.
Keep doing that until youāre all done. Ā Honestly, it will probably be the longest part but thatās how you have to do it. Ā
Always read through OUT LOUD for every cutting to make sure it follows a logical flow and has all of the key events. Ā
After it is at the right time, cut 30 sec to a minute (or more if you want to move a lot) to allow for blocking out and an intro
Add the characters and blocking
You now have a 100% original interp that was beautifully done. Ā Congrats!
*Example: TKAM_11615_5 Ā Ā
Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
**This way if you need to add stuff back later, you still have old copies and you can easily do this.
turnnoffyourmind
amandla
stormborns
origamiaround
