Group Interpretation season is officially underway, and while that might not mean anything to you, it means everything to a small band of actors and actresses. If you are not in the community of Speech Team, Drama Club or any other performance group, you may have never heard of Group Interpretation, more commonly referred to as GI or Group Interp. Although this activity is mostly populated with speech competitors, everyone is given an opportunity to shine as auditions are open to all. 

Group Interpretation consists of a 30-minute-long interpretive performance of a script featuring a limited set, uniform costumes and no props. Since there are no set pieces or costumes, “the interrelatedness of the narrators, the movement of the literature, and character voices control the performance,” according to the IHSA Group Interpretation terms and conditions. 

The state is divided into six sectionals and the top three performances in each sectional perform at the state competition, which is held in Chatham at Glenwood High School this year. Despite Group Interpretation flying under the radar of most students, Lemont has competed in the IHSA-sanctioned contest for around 15 years. It has been 10 years since Group Interp at Lemont has qualified for state, with the last year being in 2013 for an adaptation of the Sandlot. 

The Group Interpretation this year is an adaptation of the book “Once More Upon a Time” by Roshani Chokshi. 

“It’s essentially a fairy tale adventure story… that follows this couple through a quest that they are sent on by a witch, and of course, they fall in love by the end,” co-director Leslie Kane said. 

This choice is a little out of left field for Group Interpretation at Lemont, as scripts in the last five years have been adaptations of movies and musicals like Big Fish, Holes, The Addams Family, The Odd Life of Timothy Green and the Truman Show. This year, co-directors Leslie Kane and Alex Vjestica chose a script that aligned with the trends in Group Interpretation circulating through the IHSA.

“As with anything, Group Interpretation changes throughout the years. Different trends come and go, and the trend in recent years has been this group storytelling narrative where everyone tells a story, even if you’re not a particular character,” Kane said. “I was really looking for a script that lent itself to that, and not a lot of movie scripts do. I was reading a lot of short stories to try and adapt, and this one seemed perfect.” 

Group Interp newcomer Barbie Lesa is starring as Princess Imelda this year, though the sophomore never expected to receive such an important role. 

“I definitely was [daunted] at first. I kind of just sat there shocked for a second. But GI is super casual, so I’m not too worried about it right now,” Lesa said. 

Group Interp is off to a royally good start this year. Don’t miss this talented group’s conference performance at Richards High School on March 11, as well as their sectional performance at Thornton High School on March 18.