How does one interpret this piece?

I have prepared and delivered three "interpretive readings" over the past couple of months. These projects come from the Advanced Communications Series of manuals called "Interpretive Reading", sometimes referred to as oral reading, dramatic reading, reading aloud, or interpretive speech.

The essential difference between the speeches from the Competent Communicator's manual and this advanced manual is that instead of researching, writing, and communicating your own ideas to the audience, you convey the ideas and emotions of someone else.

To some degree this is acting. Both actors and interpretive readers recreate the author's thoughs through their own voices and bodies. But the interpretive reader "does not pretend to be someone else."

Or so it says in the manual.

In each of my three projects I have been roundly applauded for "becoming" the character in the story or poem that I have presented.

I purposely chose pieces that I could relate to as a woman. My first piece was a short story about a cat by Wendy Dudley, an author, artist, and award-winning journalist who lives with a mule, donkeys, and assorted critters in southern Alberta. She spent 17 years as a full-time journalist with the Calgary Herald, before leaving to be a freelance writer, specializing in agriculture, western heritage and any other subject that captures her interest. Her stories about country living were also heard on CBC Radio’s regional programming. "She enjoys photography, travels with Maggie, her Aussie Shepherd/ border collie cross, and matching wits with Lucy the mule. She also teaches nature journalling, and creative writing. If it brays, neighs, moos or barks, she is there with pen and palette in hand. An avid conservationist, she cares for the land, seeking to protect the bears, cougars and moose that wander by her back door." The 8 - 10 minute story I read was called "Fergus" from her book, Don't Name the Ducks: And Other Truths About Life in the Country I highly recommend it as a choice for anyone doing an interpretive reading: it is charged with emotion, fresh prairie colour, and fun.

For the second project I sought a 'performance piece' and thought about what I had heard of performing poets from my forebears-- they had a great deal more experience with this sort of entertainment. I remembered that my Grandmother and Great-Aunt had both told me about the part-Mohawk poet, E. Pauline Johnson. In school we had studied a couple of her poems. I chose the highly dramatic monologue-like poem called "Ojistoh" about the wife of a Mohawk Chief. You can read more in my blog at Healthia Cynthia, and about some interesting events that followed the presentation... or, interesting to me. I've included the poem, in full, so if you want to use it for your presentation, there you are!

The third project was called a "Monodrama" and I chose poetry again, this time a series of poems from a collection called Forever Fifty and Other Negotiations. The poet, Judith Viorst, is best known for her children's books. I loved this slim volume and really have to say that the pleasure I have found in 'interpreting' these pieces of poetry far exceeds any anxiety before or during the performances. "Forever Fifty" had me laughing out loud to myself-- lol-- something we use quite often as shorthand on-line, but which is actually pretty rare and precious.

The next project is an actual Play wherein I must focus on a particular character for interpretation. Any ideas to pass along?