Spencer to host Northwest Iowa State Speech Contest

(File Photo) Spencer High School's 2008 Choral Reading group, performed "From Flickers to Talkings -- Hooray for Hollywood!" last year. Local audiences will have an opportunity to view this year's performing talent either Thursday night or Saturday.

Over 2,000 aspiring young actors and actresses from 92 high schools will travel to Spencer, Saturday, Feb. 7, to take part in the Northwest State Speech Contest of the Large Group Speech Division of the Iowa High School Speech Association. Spencer High School will host the event.

To qualify for this state contest, each group had to compete at a district contest on Jan. 24 at various other sites throughout the state, and receive an Excellent "I" rating there.

Students in Large Group Speech compete in 10 different areas, which include: Ensemble acting, group mime, solo mime, T.V. news broadcasting, radio broadcasting, group improvisation, musical theatre, choral reading, readers' theatre, and one-act play.

Qualifying for the State Contest at Spencer are the following schools from the northwest fourth of Iowa: Akron-Westfield, Algona, Algona 9th, Algona Bishop Garrigan, Algona Bishop Garrigan 9th, Alta, Alta 9th, Ar-We-Va of Westside, Armstrong-Ringstead, Aurelia, Battle Creek-Ida Grove, Carroll Community, Carroll Kuemper, Central Lyon of Rock Rapids, Central Lyon 9th, Charter Oak-Ute, Clay Central Everly, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Denison, East Sac of Lake View, Emmetsburg, Estherville Lincoln Central, , Ft. Dodge, Galva-Holstein, Gehlen Catholic of Lemars, George-Little Rock, Harris-Lake Park, Hinton, Humboldt, I-K-M of Manning, , Laurens-Marathon, Le Mars Community, LeMars 9th, Manson-NW Webster, MOC Floyd Valley, MOC Floyd Valley 9th, Newell Fonda, Newell Fonda 9th, Odebolt-Arthur , Okoboji, Pocahontas Area, Remson-Union, Remson-Union 9th, River Valley, River Valley 9th, Rock Valley, Rockwell City -Lytton, Schaller-Crestland, Sheldon, Sheldon 9th, Sibley-Ocheyedan, Sibley-Ocheyedan 9th, Sioux Center, Sioux Central of Sioux Rapids, Sioux Central 9th, Sioux City Bishop Heelan, Sioux City East, Sioux City North, Sioux City West, South O'Brien, Southeast Webster, Southeast Webster Jr., Southern Cal, Spalding Catholic, Spalding Catholic 9th, Spencer, St. Mary's Storm Lake, Storm Lake, Twin River Valley of Bode, Washington Cherokee 9th, Washington Cherokee, West Bend-Mallard, West Lyon, West Monona, West Sioux of Hawarden, Whiting, Woodbury Central-Moville, and Woodbury Central 9th.

Entries from these 92 schools will make for a marathon of theatrical events on Saturday, which will include the performance of 21 one-act plays, 28 choral readings, 44 readers' theaters, 89 ensemble acting scenes 36 group mimes, 19 solo mimes, 100 group improvisational scenes, and 11 T.V. news broadcasts, 25 radio news broadcasts, and 26 musical theatre scenes.

The state contest events will be held at the old middle school auditorium, the high school Little Theatre, and all of the Spencer High School classrooms and facilities.

Performances will begin at 8 a.m., Saturday, and are all open to the public. A complete schedule of events for the day will be available at the high school office on Saturday. Admission to the full day of contest events is a suggested $3 donation. All proceeds stay in Spencer and go the Spencer High School speech and drama departments.

Students competing at the state contest perform before three judges in each area, vying for ratings of Excellent "I", Good "II" and Fair "III".

Large group speech is under the direction of Larry Untiet, who is assisted by Katie Kardell, Nicole Stauffer, and Jennifer Gabhart Hansel (Musical Theatre Directors) and student assistant directors Aaron Bossow, Kelsey Stoever, Anna Robison, Jill Applegate, Michael Seeley and Melissa Janssen.

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SPENCER'S STATE CONTEST PERFORMANCE TIMES

Spencer High School

Saturday, Feb. 7

Spencer High School's students have 15 state qualifying events. The following list offers the approximate time and selection that each performs.

* Times listed here are only very approximate times. Groups are required to go on and perform immediately after the group ahead of them is finished. Therefore, to view a group, it is a good idea to arrive very early (at least a half-hour) or check periodically to see how the time schedule is going. No pictures, cameras or videotapes are allowed during performances on the contest day. Please don't wear any Spencer Tiger Apparel into the performance rooms. Performers' schools are to remain anonymous to the judges.