2008 Woodie Awards
Forensics showcase closes year
By: Drew Huelsing/Contributing Writer
Issue date: 4/21/05 Section: News
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Webster University's Forensics and Debate team put on quite a display April 18 as the team showcased its five best performances of the year. The afternoon event was also designed to spur interest in the Forensics and Debate program next year.
Those in the UC Presentation Room audience witnessed a wide range of comical, dramatic, serious and spur of the moment speaking at "A Showcase of Award-Winning Performances."
"It was a chance to put an exclamation point on the year," said Scott Jensen, coach and director of Forensics.
Jensen and his wife Gina Jensen, also a team coach, began the presentation by giving a synopsis on how the team has done this year.
"It's been a successful year, we've rebuilt the team a lot this year because of the eight students we lost last year," Scott Jensen said.
The team finished fourth at a national tournament held at Webster and at Westport Plaza, where 600 participants from 72 schools were involved.
Next year, which the team is recruiting for, the team will begin travel to competitions in September and go to places including Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky and Oregon.
The first performance at the April 18 showcase was given by James Hansen, a sophomore at Webster who gave a comical speech about the way photos can be manipulated in our world. His speech, a form of after-dinner speaking, drew laughs from the crowd.
"It helps students learn to incorporate humor as a means of persuading within a conventional speech as opposed to just being able to tell a joke," Scott Jensen said.
Hansen and senior Laurie Melnik rounded out the event with the last speech. As a duo, their speech was a mix of seriousness and comedy.
The speech entailed a story in which the daughter of the two speakers writes a story about a beaver and a giraffe dancing together. Unlike theater, dramatic duo interpretation puts two people performing together but those two cannot look at each other or use props or costumes.
Hansen said the showcase also served as a sampler for people who may bet interested in joining the team, as the team is always looking for new members.
"Anybody can join the team, you can have little or no experience at all," Hansen said.
For more information on the team, contact Scott Jensen at 968-7439 or jensensc@webster.edu.
Those in the UC Presentation Room audience witnessed a wide range of comical, dramatic, serious and spur of the moment speaking at "A Showcase of Award-Winning Performances."
"It was a chance to put an exclamation point on the year," said Scott Jensen, coach and director of Forensics.
Jensen and his wife Gina Jensen, also a team coach, began the presentation by giving a synopsis on how the team has done this year.
"It's been a successful year, we've rebuilt the team a lot this year because of the eight students we lost last year," Scott Jensen said.
The team finished fourth at a national tournament held at Webster and at Westport Plaza, where 600 participants from 72 schools were involved.
Next year, which the team is recruiting for, the team will begin travel to competitions in September and go to places including Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky and Oregon.
The first performance at the April 18 showcase was given by James Hansen, a sophomore at Webster who gave a comical speech about the way photos can be manipulated in our world. His speech, a form of after-dinner speaking, drew laughs from the crowd.
"It helps students learn to incorporate humor as a means of persuading within a conventional speech as opposed to just being able to tell a joke," Scott Jensen said.
Hansen and senior Laurie Melnik rounded out the event with the last speech. As a duo, their speech was a mix of seriousness and comedy.
The speech entailed a story in which the daughter of the two speakers writes a story about a beaver and a giraffe dancing together. Unlike theater, dramatic duo interpretation puts two people performing together but those two cannot look at each other or use props or costumes.
Hansen said the showcase also served as a sampler for people who may bet interested in joining the team, as the team is always looking for new members.
"Anybody can join the team, you can have little or no experience at all," Hansen said.
For more information on the team, contact Scott Jensen at 968-7439 or jensensc@webster.edu.