From Theater to Speech - and a little SUBTEXT.

Hello speech and debate students and families!  In this article I would like to share how my family went from participating in theater to speech and debate.  

I am a Professor of Theater and Music by trade.  I received my undergraduate BA in Theater from Evangel University in Missouri and my MFA in Acting from York University in Toronto, Canada.  I have taught acting and directed numerous musicals at the university level.  In addition, I have directed many community theater productions, some receiving high praise from reviewers and critics.

My husband and I decided to homeschool in 2005.  In those early years I directed several homeschool musicals including The Happy Prince and Through the Looking Glass. As time went by, copyright laws changed, script royalties skyrocketed, and directors as they were known, became obsolete - especially with Disney’s new approach to producing the Broadway look-a-like show (where a director’s vision was unnecessary).  I could no longer afford to rent the scripts to produce plays and community theaters were replacing directors with iPADS. These tablets contain all of the material to help the cast imitate the Broadway version of their chosen show, regardless of whether the complexities of choreography or set design are suitable for inexperienced casts and smaller theaters. 

(For more information see:  Ruthie Fierberg, Playbill, Interview of Thomas Shumacher, “How Disney Shows Are Changing the Landscape of the American Musical Theatre”, https://playbill.com/article/how-disney-shows-are-changing-the-landscape-of-the-american-musical-theatre, August 10, 2018)

My job, my career, had been outsourced to the iPAD.  I firmly believe we have lost a great avenue for human creativity by prioritizing imitation over discovery and imagination.  How wonderful would it be to see the same show with different production visionaries at the helm?  This is no longer possible when universal Broadway imitation takes the stage.

So, in 2013, the door was opened for my kids to join a local speech and debate club. I found a new way to inspire the creative work of an actor in encouraging my own kids to do interps as well as coaching interps and other speeches at club. 

For every interper who cuts a script and understands what a through-line is, for each one who crafts unique characters and gives them a voice, creates scenes and “opens doors” without a set piece or sits in a chair without an actual chair; you are the creative theatrical minds in the world today. You are the directors; you are doing the things that impact audiences.

So what is SUBTEXT?

Subtext is analysis.  It works like this: script writers never write the thing the character is thinking - they write the thing one says in order to achieve the thing one is thinking or feeling.

In order to tell a story, you have to understand what the character wants in each moment (or beat) of the play.  So actors who are labeling the subtext helps the words that are written by the author make sense to them and clarify what the goal is for that moment.  If you watch an interp and the story is unclear, chances are the actor has not really discovered what the character wants in that moment.

When I ask students, “What does the character want?” most students tell me that the character wants the resolution of the conflict, meaning: whatever happens in the story's resolution.  But that is not so.  Sometimes characters go in the opposite direction of conflict resolution for a while (we all do - this is human nature).  And plays have what we call “beats” which are little moments of minute conflict negotiations between characters, and each one has a win or a loss for each character.  There may be numerous beats within one scene.

We humans usually say things that are riddled with underlying feelings.  We are polite beings so we say things in a way as not to offend or reveal fear, anger, pride, dislike, etc.  This is the definition of subtext - the feeling that underlies the thing being said.  To write the subtext is to take the actual line and write it in the most revealing way - what does the character really think, want, feel as he says that line?  If you are prioritizing the wrong goals hidden within the character’s words, the story loses clarity and the audience is confused. Learning to identify the subtext actually tells you HOW to say the line.

Here is an example.

Selection from A Tale of Two Cities, A drama by Laura Eason, Playscripts, Inc., 2009. https://www.playscripts.com/play/1614

Act I, Scene 1 - Lines are from the playbook sourced above, subtext is my own writing and interpretation of the material.

Darnay: “Must we ride so terribly fast?! Uncle, you command Gabelle to drive as if he is charging down an enemy!”

Subtext: We are going to die. I am afraid. You are foolish.

Marquis: “Dreadful party that was, don’t you think?”

Subtext: I don’t care - I am not afraid.

Darnay: “I suppose.”

Subtext:  Are you kidding? Or,  Aren’t you afraid?

Marquis: “My dear nephew, always so glum.”

Subtext: Relax. Everything is fine.

Darnay: “It’s difficult to be of cheer when every face I look out at looks at me with the dark deference of fear and slavery.”

Subtext: I’m afraid - the people are afraid and angry. You should be afraid!

Marquis: “The dark deference of fear and slavery will keep the dogs obedient to the whip.”

Subtext: Whatever, it’s their lot in life. I have no interest.

Darnay: “You must command Gabelle to slow down, at this rate —”

Subtext: Someone will get hurt! Stop this!

What we have done so far is to rewrite the line based on what it is the character’s line actually means. We write the most blunt, factual statement without any pleasantries or formalities to boil the statement down to its most revealing meaning.

Line one, for Darnay, reveals his fear.  Maybe he is afraid for himself, he doesn’t want to die?  Maybe he is afraid for the driver and the Marquis as well?  Maybe he is afraid for those on the street - the bystanders who could be harmed.  But ask yourself, what is the underlying feeling here?  Answer: FEAR.

Now there is another underlying issue in line one; Darnay says “you command…”.  So there is the element of accusation; the subtext may be that the Marquis is being foolish, careless, selfish, or any number of adjectives one could ascribe to his behavior.  So what can we call this feeling?  

Answer: Astonishment. (Who would so carelessly risk human life in this way?)

So when you write the subtext (usually on the script in pencil - because you might change your mind later and need to erase) you can now also add the feeling that your character is feeling in that moment to the delivery of the line.  

And isn’t it fun to discover that humans have such a variety of feelings in every single short exchange of lines of conversations?  But we do, and script writing is challenging because authors must not write the subtext except in scarce moments of extreme circumstances - such as those where a character finally reveals his or her conflict.  Instead, authors write words that tell the story and actors reveal the underlying meaning to find the character motivations at work in the scenes.  

In time, within the play, or quite often right from the beginning the actor has shown us traits such as goodness, badness, moral, immoral, capable, inept, kind, hateful, sense of humor, dour, joyful, sad, and so many more.  Your character can be instantly identified in an interp by your playing his or her subtextual feelings as well as the physical and vocal attributes of the character.

And most importantly, with the appropriate subtext the story will come through to the audience and grab hold of them.

If you have never done an interp, you should!  If you only debate, you should try an interp as well.  Lines of debate also have subtext.  Especially those logic arguments that are based on opinion or deduction.  Look for the subtext in there and it may lead you to a better response or rebuttal.  But subtext is not the only reason for you to choose to do an interp.  Understanding motivation, character development, movement, expression and more — it will all help you to better engage your judge as a debater. So debaters, I hope to see you in the INTERP room next year!

Speech and Debate leagues are presenting great works of theater directed by students with creative control and vision!  Inside each interp competition room, during every practice you have the opportunity to engage with great material, find the through-line, explore the subtext, and bring that story to life, touching or changing lives in the process.

I am so thankful that God, in His wisdom, great love and mercy, brought my family to speech and debate.  He placed me and my children in a new kind of theater; allowed us all to have fun, share stories, and meet wonderful people along the way.  It also allowed me to rediscover my vocation once again. What a blessing!

Now you know the history of my work from theater to interp coach.  You also know a little more about what directors do and what your job is in understanding the meaning of the lines in your script to perform an interp. So congratulations interp directors, you can now begin the subtext evaluation of your script and set yourself on the journey toward success in storytelling!