Drama Sketch or Extract Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A short group performance of an original sketch or an extract from a play, with two or more costumed characters, judged on teamwork, characterisation and clarity within a strict time limit.

A drama sketch or extract is a short group piece in which two or more performers act out either a self-contained sketch or a scene lifted from a longer play. Each performer takes a costumed character, and the piece is judged as a whole: the audience should be able to follow who each person is, what they want from one another and how the scene ends, even though they have not seen the rest of the play.

A round is brisk. The group is called, the title and source of the piece are announced, and the performers take their positions with whatever small props and costume pieces they have chosen. There is no set to lean on, so the scene is carried by voice, movement and the way the performers listen and respond to each other. The adjudicator watches for pace, for clear speech from every member, and for a clean finish before the time limit.

On the template that carries it, the item is a Team class open to boys and girls together, performed in English and marked out of 10. There are four age bands, and the limit rises with age: five minutes for entrants under eleven, six minutes for eleven and twelve, and eight minutes for thirteen and fourteen and for fifteen and over. The time is counted per head on the template, so organisers should read it alongside the number of performers they allow.

Organisers run the class because it brings young actors together. It teaches them to share a stage, to cue off one another and to commit to a scene as a group, and it gives teachers a way to see who can act with others and not just alone.

Where Drama Sketch or Extract is run

Drama Sketch or Extract appears on one eTalenter template, a New Zealand speech and drama section of a local performing arts festival, where it is listed alongside a solo character class. It is the group counterpart to a Dramatic Solo and a Character Recital, and it differs from a Dramatic Duologue, which is limited to two actors, because it needs two or more costumed characters. Group scene and sketch classes are common in school and community speech and drama programmes in English-speaking countries, though the name and the rules vary by organiser.

• New Zealand

Key facts

• Team entry of two or more performers, boys and girls together
• Performed in English, with each performer playing a costumed character
• Either an original sketch or an extract from a play
• Four age bands: under 11, 11 to 12, 13 to 14, and 15 and over
• Time limits rise by age: 5, 6, 8 and 8 minutes, counted per head on the template
• Marked out of 10 on the template; no separate judging criteria are printed

On eTalenter, Drama Sketch or Extract 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, Drama Sketch or Extract is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 10, commonly time-limited to 5–8 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Drama Sketch or Extract

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

• Ensemble work: the performers share the scene, listen to each other and respond in the moment instead of waiting for their own lines
• Characterisation: each costumed character is distinct and stays consistent from the first line to the last
• Clarity of speech: every performer is audible and understood, including the quieter members of the group
• Understanding of the scene: the extract or sketch makes sense on its own, with a clear situation and a clear ending
• Staging and movement: positions, entrances and exits are tidy, and nobody is hidden behind another performer for long
• Use of costume and props: they support the characters and are handled naturally rather than becoming a distraction
• Command of time: the piece has a shape and finishes cleanly inside the age-band limit

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Drama Sketch or Extract under Scoring Setup, or start from the full drama & skit judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Drama Sketch or Extract

How entrants and their teachers usually get Drama Sketch or Extract right on the day:

• Choose a scene with a clear situation and a good part for every member, so nobody is left standing at the side
• If using an extract, rehearse a short spoken introduction so the adjudicator knows the play and where the scene sits
• Learn the cues as well as the lines: practise until each performer reacts to the person before them, not to a counting habit
• Block the scene on the floor you will perform on, deciding where each person enters, stands and leaves
• Time the whole piece aloud, introduction included, against your age-band limit, and cut rather than rush if it runs long
• Keep costumes simple and quick to put on, and agree who carries each prop before you walk on
• Hold the final position for a second after the last line so the adjudicator knows the piece has ended

Frequently asked questions

Is Drama Sketch or Extract judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

Is a drama sketch the same as a dramatic duologue?

No. A duologue is a scene for exactly two actors, while a drama sketch or extract needs two or more costumed characters and is entered as a team. Both are scripted scenes, but the group class is marked on ensemble work as well as the individual parts.

How long can a drama sketch or extract last?

On the template it depends on age: five minutes for entrants under eleven, six minutes for eleven and twelve, and eight minutes for thirteen and fourteen and for fifteen and over. Organisers should confirm the limits in their own syllabus.

Can we write our own sketch?

The class name allows either a sketch or an extract from a play, so an original sketch fits the title. Organisers who want only published plays should say so clearly in their own rules.

Is it judged individually or as a team?

It is a Team class. The group is marked together, out of 10 on the template, and the organiser can decide how the adjudicator weighs the criteria.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full drama & skit judging criteria guide, or browse every action competition item.