A solo speech and drama class in which one performer chooses a piece from verse, drama or prose and brings a single character to life from memory, marked on how convincing and consistent the portrayal is.
Characterization is a solo class in which one performer takes a short piece, from a poem, a scene of a play or a passage of prose, and presents a single character so clearly that the audience can tell who that person is within the first few lines. The words are only the starting point. Adjudicators are marking the person on the stage: the voice they use, the way they stand and move, and the choices that make them different from every other character in the section.
The class is deliberately open about material. In the Queensland schedule we build from, the piece is the entrant’s own choice from verse, drama or prose, and it is performed from memory, with no music or backing track. The important rule is the time: two minutes for entrants aged ten and under, three minutes from eleven to fourteen, four minutes for fifteen to eighteen and five minutes for adults. A good piece is cut so that it fits comfortably inside that limit with room for a pause at the start and a held stillness at the end.
An entry is one named performer in one age class. The syllabus runs the class as a ladder of eleven age tiers, single years from six and under up to ten, then eleven, twelve, thirteen and fourteen, then fifteen to eighteen and nineteen and over. That means a nine-year-old is never marked against a thirteen-year-old, and the expectations of the adjudicator rise gently with each year: a young entrant is rewarded for a clear, believable character, an older one for subtlety and control.
Organisers run Characterization because it suits a very wide range of entrants. A quiet child can win with one small, truthful detail; a confident one is pushed to be specific instead of loud. It is also easy to schedule, since every performance is one person, one slot and one short piece, and it feeds naturally into the rest of a speech and drama section alongside duologues and group items.
Where Characterization is run
In eTalenter’s data Characterization appears in one template, a Queensland eisteddfod speech and drama section, where it runs across eleven age tiers from six and under to nineteen and over. Similar solo classes appear in other festivals under names such as Character Study, Mono Act and Dramatic Monologue, and in some syllabi as Characterisation in Costume, where costume is part of the class. The catalogue keeps these separate because their age bands, time limits and rules differ.
- Australia – Queensland (eisteddfod speech and drama section)
Key facts
- Solo entry: one performer, one character, performed from memory with no music or backing track.
- Own choice of material from verse, drama or prose.
- Eleven age tiers: single years from 6 and under to 11, then 12, 13 and 14, then 15 to 18 and 19 and over.
- Time limits: 2 minutes up to age 10, 3 minutes for 11 to 14, 4 minutes for 15 to 18, 5 minutes for 19 and over.
- Placings run First to Sixth; one overall mark per performance.
- Idea starters, not rules: a fisherman describing the one that got away, a bus driver on the last run of the night, a grandmother reading a letter aloud, or a nervous first-day pupil.
On eTalenter, Characterization is filed under Action and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Characterization is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 10, commonly time-limited to 2–5 minutes where a limit is set.
The scoring method the templates attach to this item, and what that scale means. The category this competition is filed under when a template is installed. Others in this category: Drama, Skit, Mime, Monoact, Mimicry, Stand-up Comedy, Role Play, Tableau eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed. No criteria match this name, so none are created automatically — judges score it on the event’s own criteria instead.How it is scored
Where it sits
Judging criteria installed for it
What judges look at in Characterization
What a Characterization panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Clear character choices: age, background, mood and attitude are decided and visible, not a general type or a copy of a well-known actor.
- Voice and diction: audible and clear, with pace, pitch and any accent chosen to suit the person and kept steady.
- Physical life: posture, gesture and eye line belong to the character and do not slip when the words get difficult.
- Memory and control: the piece is secure, the pauses are chosen, and the performance finishes inside the time limit.
- Truth and commitment: the performer believes the situation and avoids commenting on the character or playing for easy laughs.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Characterization under Scoring Setup, or start from the full mono act judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Characterization
How entrants and their teachers usually get Characterization right on the day:
- Choose a piece that gives the character something to want or to reveal, not just a description of events, and that suits your age tier.
- Write a short profile of the character in your own words: where they live, what they fear, what they want right now and how they speak.
- Cut the text with a stopwatch to the limit for your tier, leaving a breath of silence at the start and a held stillness at the end.
- Pick two or three physical habits, such as the way the character sits, hands an object over or looks at other people, and repeat them the same way each run.
- Learn the words until you can say them while doing something else; once the lines are automatic you can think about the person.
- Rehearse for someone who does not know the piece and ask them to describe the character back to you in three words.
- On the day, introduce the piece clearly, take a breath, begin in character and stay in character until the final stillness is over.
Events that run this (1)
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Characterization judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
How is Characterization different from a monologue class?
Both are solo performances, but Characterization puts the portrait first. The adjudicator is marking how fully and consistently you create one person, while a monologue class puts more weight on delivering a dramatic speech. Festivals word their classes differently, so read the description for your own.
Can I choose any kind of piece?
In the schedule we build from the piece is the entrant’s own choice from verse, drama or prose. Pick something that suits your age tier and that you can learn securely from memory.
How long can my performance be?
The limit depends on your age tier: two minutes up to age ten, three minutes for eleven to fourteen, four minutes for fifteen to eighteen and five minutes for nineteen and over.
Can I use music or backing tracks?
No. In the schedule we build from, solo performances are given without music or a backing track, so the voice and body carry the character.
Is it the same as Characterisation in Costume?
No. Characterisation in Costume appears in other festival syllabi as a separate class in which costume is part of the entry. Characterization here is judged on the performance itself.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full mono act judging criteria guide, or browse every action competition item.
Try Characterization in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Characterization, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
See where Characterization is used
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