Recapping Interregnum XVIII: Readiness

The King’s College student body gathered together from March 30 to April 1 to compete in the Interregnum XVIII spring conference. During Interregnum, all classes were paused and students competed in a variety of creative activities around the theme of Readiness.

During Interregnum, King’s students represent their House in different competitions that showcase their talents and abilities as they earn points towards the House Cup. This year, the spring competition explored the theme of readiness through two readings: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and “To Build a Fire” by Jack London.

The Spring Interregnum Conference began on Wednesday night with a lecture by Roger Kimball, an art critic and social commenter who is both the editor and publisher of The New Criterion. Kimball spoke on the topic “The Readiness is All: Was Hamlet Right?” In his lecture, Kimball used Hamlet’s famous line to explore what it looks like for today’s students to be ready for the life ahead of them.

The second day of Interregnum featured competitions between the different Houses, including Parliamentary Debate, 3-Hour Art Contest, Creative Writing, and Random Theme Debate. The Parliamentary Debate featured five rounds between the different Houses, prompting them to debate over motions like whether assassinating a dictator can lead to peace and stability, whether a person can be successful without an imagination, and whether there is more character formation to be gained through comedic media than dramatic media.

The Debate competitions followed the American Parliamentary format, with debaters assigned to argue for or against the provided motions, which were drawn from the assigned readings, current events, philosophical concepts, and school culture. The two Houses that won the opening five rounds of the debate competition faced off in the final debate, whose motion read: “This House believes that the strengthening of the individual will, not the community’s will, is the best path to Readiness.” The House of Margaret Thatcher debated the House of Winston Churchill, with the House of Margaret Thatcher winning the Parliamentary Debate competition.

WATCH: final debate between the Houses of Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill

While the different rounds of debate were taking place, other students were competing in the three-hour art competition. For this competition, each House had three hours to respond to a prompt through the creation of an original work of art. The Houses were given five art pieces to use as inspiration and were asked to create a scene where the preparation for a looming event or dreaded appointment is portrayed. The House of Corrie Ten Book won the three-hour art competition.

In another Interregnum event, the Creative Writing competition, the Houses were asked to flip the narrative of the Screwtape Letters and write about an angel’s interactions with human beings from the angel’s perspective, rather than a demon’s perspective. The House of Susan B. Anthony took first place in the Creative Writing competition.

For the Performing Arts competition, the Houses were asked to demonstrate the relationship between readiness and failure. They were encouraged to probe such questions as to whether failure is necessary for the presence of readiness and whether readiness implies the past presence of failure or is a preparation for failure? The Houses used a variety of performance methods to express their chosen answers, including choreographed dances, choral performances, and dramatic skits. The House of Margaret Thatcher the Performing Arts competition.

At the end of Interregnum, the overall winners were announced. The House of Margaret Thatcher snagged both the Interregnum Cup and the House Cup (which is bequeathed to the House that is the overall winner of the six-event, annual House Competition). When the winner was announced on the final evening of Interregnum, the women of Thatcher erupted in celebration. Their victory was well-earned!