About 

The Marshall Forensics team is part of the WHSFA, "one of the oldest associations of its kind in the United States".  Forensics is open to all students at Marshall High School who are interested in speech, debate and theatre.  Our goal is to develop young adults who can speak with confidence and conviction.

Categories

Each team member has the opportunity to choose an area they can excel in. There are 16 categories for the WHSFA.

1. DEMONSTRATION (“DEMO”)  10 – minute maximum, original speech that coordinates with physical activities in demonstrating how to do something.
2. EXTEMPORANEOUS (“EXTEMP”)  7 – minutes maximum, you go to the library to prepare for  ½  hour on a current event topic chosen from magazines like Time and Newsweek.
3. FARRAGO (“FROG”)  10 – minute maximum, combination of at least two excerpts  (prose/poetry/drama, etc.) Read from a manuscript and there must be a connecting theme.
4. FOUR MINUTE (“4–MIN”) Original, four-minute speech on a significant issue to inform the audience.
5. GROUP INTERPRETIVE READING (“GROUP INTERP”)  12 – min. max.; 2-5 member ensemble reading with movement taken from prose/poetry/essay.
6. MOMENTS IN HISTORY (“MOMENTS”)  6 – minute maximum; original speech on an historical period chosen by the WHSFA. Theme changes each year.
7. ORATORY (“ORAT”) An original, 10 – minute maximum, PERSUASIVE speech on a significant topic; usually alerting audience to a problem / offering solutions.
8. PLAY ACTING  (“PLAY”)  2 – 5  actors, 12 – minute maximum; you perform a scene from a published play.
9. POETRY (“POET”)  8 – minutes maximum; interpreting poetry; may be original.
10. PROSE  (“PROSE”)  8 – minutes maximum; interpreting short stories/novels.
11. PUBLIC ADDRESS (“PUB ADD”)  8 – minutes maximum; original speech on WHSFA chosen topic.
12. RADIO SPEAKING (“RADIO”)  must have stop watch, scissors, tape to cut/edit/read news/commercials given by host school; prepare in library for  ½  hour before speaking one-on-one with a judge; 4-min.
13. SOLO ACTING HUMOROUS ("SOLO HUM")  8 – minute maximum; acting out quality (humorous) material.
14. SOLO ACTING SERIOUS ("SOLO SER")  8 – minute maximum; acting out quality (serious) material.
15. SPECIAL OCCASION  (“SPEC OCC”)  8 – minute maximum; original speech selected from five WHSFA situations.
16. STORYTELLING (“STORY”)  8 – minutes maximum; four specific WHSFA topics, find a story that matches each of the four topics.

More Information about Forensics can be found on the WHSFA Website.

Advisor