Greene County and Paton-Churdan Schools will be represented at this weekend’s Iowa High School Speech Association State Large Group contest.

Two groups from Greene County will be competing with reader’s theater, which includes Josey Weaver, Madison Hall, Madison Truitt and Blake Kaufman; along with group improvisation with Weaver and Hall. Both entries received a Division I-rating from the judge at districts to move onto state. Weaver says group improv is all about coordination.

“I think you really do have to know your partner and be able to like set each other up for jokes, and be able to get the audience to laugh, and also be able to keep feeding into whatever the other person is doing, so the improv can keep going and not stop and be awkward.”

Hall points out how different the district competition was last weekend, compared to years past. 

“I think the most important difference was that instead of traveling somewhere, we held it here. We had a judge come and judge us. We did not have to wear masks when we performed, but everyone else in the room had to. And there couldn’t really be anyone else in the room besides our speech coaches and the judge.”

Paton-Churdan will send three entries to state with short film, radio broadcast and group improvisation. 

Both speech teams will be traveling to Madrid High School Saturday for the state contest.