Speech and Acting Tournament...

Veronica was happy to be on the school’s team for the NESDA (New European Speech, Debate and Acting) Tournament again this year, although she was disappointed that it was at the American School in Wassenaar rather than out of town. As a participant, we had to host two girls from a school in Munich. Luckily we were able to borrow a friend’s car to get the kids to ASH for the two-day event.

Veronica participated in two disciplines. The first was Oral Interpretation, in which she had to read from a published book for 5–7 minutes. As you can see, the judges have their backs to her so that they can consider her voice without the distraction of body language. She chose part of a courtroom scene in To Kill a Mockingbird. During her practices, she kept flipping from a heavy Southern accent into a Cockney accent, so ended up dropping the Southern accent completely.

Her second discipline was Duet Acting, in which she and Ellie performed a 5–7 minute scene with the use of only two chairs and a table as optional props. Despite not making it into the finals, Veronica thoroughly enjoyed the experience.