Natalie Miller 27’ and Paige Neighbors 27’ have been friends since elementary school. They share a strong interest in performing arts, which led them to participate together in the speech duo category. This experience has strengthened their friendship and taught them many valuable skills.
“We’ve been friends since 2nd grade when Paige forced me to be her partner for a project, and soon we became best friends and have been stuck with each other since doing many activities together,” said Miller.
Their strong connection has enhanced their performance as a duo. They decided they would participate in a duo this year due to this reason.
“Nat and I decided to do a duo pretty much right away, we have always been best friends, but I think the best thing for us was how different of people we are. It works really well for our acting as well as stuff like getting to rounds in schools we’ve never been to or getting feedback from judges,” Neighbors said.
The Iowa High School Speech Association defines duo interpretation as involving two students performing a selection from a play, short story or other published work which portrays one or multiple characters. Speech students pick a script to follow and then put their own spin on it.
“This year our piece was about best friends who are fighting over custody of the daughter of my character, who she promised to her friend. In the end, we come to a conclusion and it is very sweet. Last year, we played a mother and daughter reminiscing about their lives in the moments before the end of the world,” Neighbors said.
Participating in speech improves the success rate in the professional world due to the ability to connect with audiences effectively. Specifically participating in the duo category has helped students with learning how to work with others.
“Speech has taught me a lot about public speaking, and our duo specifically has taught me about teamwork and how to work through creative differences,” Neighbors said.
Miller has enjoyed the chance to improve her performing skills as she is involved in many activities that involve performing.
“I enjoy performing for speech, I’ve been involved in theater, mock trial and other activities where I perform so this was a great thing to add,” Miller said.
The constant pressure in speech is hard, but they have both made many friends and there is a feeling of success when you perform no matter what place they receive.
“I love the friends I’ve made not only in the Johnston Speech but also my competitors from other schools. Everyone is really nice and welcoming and I appreciate that,” Miller said.
