Oral Interpretation Pieces?

Question:My piece for prose is The Nightmare at 20,000 feet by richard matheson and my poetry piece is the cremation of sam mcgee by robert service. i don't like the poem that much since its not one that you can win with. does anyone have any suggestions that i can replace it with. It should be lively, have lots of expression, different characters then giving me opportunity to change my voice, and be able to be read more like a story rather than a poem since it is a competition not a recital.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: My piece for prose is The Nightmare at 20,000 feet by richard matheson and my poetry piece is the cremation of sam mcgee by robert service. i don't like the poem that much since its not one that you can win with. does anyone have any suggestions that i can replace it with. It should be lively, have lots of expression, different characters then giving me opportunity to change my voice, and be able to be read more like a story rather than a poem since it is a competition not a recital.

You can do the "Jabberwocky", by Lewis Carroll, with lots of expression. If you need something longer, then I suggest a poem by Langston Hughes for drama or Ogden Nash for humor. Nash has a funny poem called "The Polterguest" about a house guest who never wants to leave. Poe also has several gothic poems that lend themselves well to oral interpretation. "The Raven" is an excellent one, or "Annabell Lee". There are also some long speeches from Shakespeare plays that can be done as free standing monologues. Hope this helps. Break a leg!