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

A solo performer presents a short spoken piece they have created themselves, judged on originality, characterisation, voice and control within a strict time limit.

A Devised Monologue is a solo dramatic item in which the performer does not pick a published speech but builds the piece themselves. The entrant decides who is speaking, to whom, and why now, then shapes that idea into a short spoken performance. The result might be a character in the middle of a crisis, a memory told aloud, or one side of a conversation. The piece belongs to the performer, so the writing and the acting are judged together.

In the festival template that carries it, the item is a separate competition for each of five age classes: 7 years and under, 8 to 11, 12 to 15, 16 to 18 and adult. Boys and girls compete together, the performance is in English, and the time limit rises with age, from 2 minutes for the youngest class to 3, 4 and then 5 minutes for the 16 to 18 and adult classes. The template scores each performance out of ten, with marks sitting inside named bands from Developing up to Exceptional.

A round is quick. Entrants are called in running order, perform alone with no scene partner, and leave. The adjudicator watches the whole piece, awards a mark and normally gives spoken or written comments. Because nothing is borrowed from a script, the panel looks for a clear idea, a believable voice and an ending that feels chosen rather than a piece that simply stops when time runs out.

Organisers run the item because it rewards imagination as well as delivery, needs no set or equipment, and sits naturally beside prepared-script monologue and duologue classes in a speech and drama section. It also gives younger entrants a way into performing that does not depend on finding a suitable published play.

Where Devised Monologue is run

In eTalenter’s data this item appears in one template, a town festival speech and drama section in Hampshire, England. Elsewhere, devised or self-written monologue classes turn up in some drama festivals and school drama days, but always read the class list, age ladder and time limit of the event you are entering.

• United Kingdom – England (competitive festival speech and drama section)

Key facts

• Individual entry; boys and girls compete together within each age class.
• Five age classes: 7 and under, 8-11, 12-15, 16-18 and adult, each ranked separately.
• Time limit 2, 3, 4, 5 and 5 minutes across those classes, in English.
• Nominal score is one mark out of 10; the template prints no criterion breakdown.
• Different from a prepared dramatic monologue, where the text is taken from a published play or story; here the performer creates the text.
• Idea starters, not rules: a lighthouse keeper explaining why the light went out, someone rehearsing an apology before knocking on a door, or a robot describing its first morning on the job.

On eTalenter, Devised Monologue 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 Monologue 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.

What judges look at in Devised Monologue

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

• Originality of the idea: a clear situation with a reason for speaking, rather than a loose list of thoughts or a retelling of a film scene.
• Structure: a beginning that sets the character, a middle that turns or builds, and an ending that lands inside the time limit.
• Characterisation: the audience should know who is speaking and what they want within the first few lines, and the voice should stay consistent.
• Voice and diction: clear, audible speech with changes of pace, pitch and volume, and no rushing the opening or losing the final line.
• Physical commitment and focus: posture, gesture and eye-line that support the character, with no fidgeting, and calm recovery from a slip.
• Time discipline: finishing close to but inside the limit; a piece that is cut off mid-sentence or ends far too early loses impact.

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

How to prepare for Devised Monologue

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

• Start with one question: who is speaking, who are they speaking to, and what do they want right now? Write the answer in one sentence before drafting anything.
• Draft the monologue aloud rather than on paper first, then write down only the lines that sound natural when spoken.
• Time every rehearsal with a clock and aim to finish about ten seconds inside the class limit so nerves do not push you over.
• Give the piece a turn: a moment where the character realises, decides or changes their mind, so the performance has somewhere to go.
• Rehearse in front of one honest listener and ask what they understood about the character, not whether they liked it.
• Learn the text so securely that you can concentrate on the person you are playing, and practise a calm restart in case you lose a line.
• After a disappointing result, ask for the adjudicator’s comments and look for patterns, such as a weak ending or unclear character, then rework that part before the next entry.

Frequently asked questions

Is Devised Monologue 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 is the difference between a devised monologue and a dramatic monologue?

A dramatic monologue is usually taken from a published play or story, so the words are fixed. In a devised monologue the performer creates the text and the character, so originality and structure are judged alongside acting.

How long can a devised monologue be?

In this template the limit depends on age: 2 minutes for 7 and under, 3 for 8 to 11, 4 for 12 to 15, and 5 minutes for 16 to 18 and adult. Always confirm the limit in the syllabus of the festival you are entering.

Can I use props or costume?

The template prints no rule on props or costume, so check the festival’s own syllabus. Most adjudicators value voice and character over equipment, and a single simple prop is usually plenty.

Is the performance judged individually or as a team?

Individually. It is a solo item, ranked separately within each age class, with boys and girls competing together.

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