Devised Drama Solo Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A single performer creates and performs an original piece of drama alone, judged on invention, characterisation and stagecraft.

Devised Drama Solo is a class in which one performer builds their own short piece of theatre and then performs it alone. Unlike a set scene or a published monologue, the material starts from the competitor: an idea, an image, a situation or a character is shaped into something with a beginning, a middle and an end, and the performer plays every part of it.

On the Sri Lankan speech and drama festival template that carries it, the class is run in English for boys and girls together in three age bands. Seven to nine year olds have two minutes, ten to fourteen year olds three minutes and entrants aged fifteen and over four minutes, and the adjudicator marks out of 10. The time limit is per performer, so a longer piece is not rewarded if it overruns.

A round is simple to run. The performer is called, takes the stage, may name the piece, and performs within the limit while the adjudicator watches and writes marks. A strong entry has one clear idea and a shape the audience can follow: something is wanted, something changes, and the piece ends on a definite moment. Because nothing is borrowed from a script, the adjudicator is also looking at how well the idea was developed, not only how it was delivered.

Organisers run the class because it rewards imagination and independence alongside performance skill, and it sits beside Drama Solo, Mime Solo and Musical Drama Solo in a speech and drama programme. It is not a recitation class: a performer who simply tells a story seated or reads from a page is working in a different category.

Where Devised Drama Solo is run

On the eTalenter templates this item appears on one: a Sri Lankan speech and drama festival, where it is one of three solo drama classes alongside Drama Solo and Musical Drama Solo. Devised or original solo work is a recognised class in school and youth drama programmes elsewhere, but this page describes only the class as the template defines it.

• Sri Lanka

Key facts

• Individual entry, open to boys and girls together, performed in English
• Age bands: 7-9 years at 2 minutes, 10-14 years at 3 minutes and 15 years and over at 4 minutes
• Marked out of 10 by the adjudicator
• The piece is created by the performer rather than taken from a published script
• One of three solo drama classes on the template, with Drama Solo and Musical Drama Solo

On eTalenter, Devised Drama Solo 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, Devised Drama Solo is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 10, commonly time-limited to 2–4 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Devised Drama Solo

What a Devised Drama Solo panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Originality of the idea: a fresh, clearly chosen starting point rather than a familiar scene copied from television
• Dramatic structure: a beginning, a turning point and an ending that the audience can follow without explanation
• Characterisation: voice, manner and movement that make each person in the piece distinct, even when one performer plays all of them
• Use of voice and body: clear projection, varied pace and gestures that show the situation rather than decorate it
• Stagecraft and space: a confident entrance, purposeful positioning and a definite final moment
• Time discipline: finishing inside the age-band limit without rushing the ending

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Devised Drama Solo under Scoring Setup, or start from the full mono act judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Devised Drama Solo

How entrants and their teachers usually get Devised Drama Solo right on the day:

• Start from one simple idea, such as a character who wants something that is hard to get, and resist adding extra plot lines
• Write the outline in three steps (start, change, end) and rehearse it before any words are fixed
• Decide how you will show a second or third character, for example a turn of the head, a change of voice or a step to one side, and keep it consistent
• Time a full run and trim until you finish comfortably inside 2, 3 or 4 minutes for your band
• Practise the opening image and the last moment on their own, since both are seen before and after the acting
• Perform for a small audience and ask what story they followed; if they cannot say, simplify
• Keep any props minimal and safe, and check the festival syllabus before relying on them
• Record a run with the sound off to check your face and body still tell the story

Frequently asked questions

Is Devised Drama Solo 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.

What does devised mean in Devised Drama Solo?

It means the performer creates the piece themselves instead of performing a published script. Check the festival syllabus for any theme or starting point the organiser sets.

Is Devised Drama Solo the same as Drama Solo?

No. On the Sri Lankan template both are solo classes, but Drama Solo is a dramatic scene or monologue, while the devised class is an original piece built by the performer. Check the syllabus for exactly what each requires.

How long can the performance be?

On the template the limit is 2 minutes for ages 7-9, 3 minutes for 10-14 and 4 minutes for 15 and over.

Can I use props, costume or music?

That is set by the event syllabus, so check before you prepare. Simple choices that help the idea are easier to manage than elaborate ones.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full mono act judging criteria guide, or browse every action competition item.