Small Play (Group) Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A small cast performs a short, complete play together within a strict time limit, judged on teamwork, characterisation, voice and staging.

Small Play (Group) is a team class in which a handful of performers present a short, self-contained play, or a complete scene that reads as one. Unlike a solo drama piece, the marks belong to the ensemble: the audience and the adjudicator are watching how the cast listens to one another, shares the stage and keeps a single story moving.

In the Queensland, Australia junior eisteddfod speech-and-drama section that carries it in eTalenter’s data, the class is open to boys and girls together and performed in English. There are three age classes: twelve and under, thirteen to fourteen, and fifteen and above. The time limit is ten minutes for the first two classes and twelve minutes for the oldest, and each class is ranked separately with a nominal score of one mark out of ten.

A round is a compact piece of theatre. The group is called in running order, sets up quickly with whatever simple furniture and props the syllabus allows, performs, and clears the stage again, all against the clock. The adjudicator watches the whole piece and awards a mark with written comments, so a play that is rehearsed to finish just inside the limit with a clean ending has a real advantage over one that is cut off.

Organisers run the class because it brings several young performers onto the stage together, rewards cooperation as much as individual flair, and sits naturally beside solo drama, mime and public speaking classes in the same speech and drama programme.

Where Small Play (Group) is run

In eTalenter’s data this item appears in one template, a junior eisteddfod speech-and-drama section in Queensland, Australia. Group play or short-play classes are a familiar part of speech and drama festivals and school drama competitions in many countries, but cast size, time limits and whether the script must be published or may be original differ widely, so always read the syllabus of the festival you are entering.

• Australia – Queensland (junior eisteddfod speech and drama)

Key facts

• Team entry; boys and girls perform together within each age class.
• Performed in English, with three age classes: 12 and under, 13-14, and 15 and above.
• Time limit: 10 minutes for ages 12 and under and 13-14, 12 minutes for 15 and above.
• Nominal score is one mark out of 10; the template prints no criterion breakdown.
• Different from Solo Drama (one performer) and Mime (Group) (no speech): here several speaking characters tell the story together.
• Idea starters, not rules: a market-day mix-up, a lost-property office, or a short adaptation of a well-known fable for four or five players.

On eTalenter, Small Play (Group) 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, Small Play (Group) is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 10, commonly time-limited to 10–12 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Small Play (Group)

What a Small Play (Group) panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Ensemble work: the cast listens, reacts and shares focus, so no performer is left standing idle or upstaged without reason.
• Characterisation: each player gives their role a distinct voice, posture and attitude that stays consistent from entrance to exit.
• Voice and clarity: every line is audible and understood at the back of the room, with pace and volume varied to suit the scene.
• Story and structure: the play has a clear beginning, a turning point and an ending, rather than a string of unrelated moments.
• Staging and time: movement, entrances and simple props are handled neatly, and the play finishes within the class limit.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Small Play (Group) under Scoring Setup, or start from the judge scoring and tabulation guide.

How to prepare for Small Play (Group)

How entrants and their teachers usually get Small Play (Group) right on the day:

• Choose a script written for the size of your cast and the age class, so every player has a meaningful part rather than a few lines.
• Cut the play to run a minute or so under the limit in rehearsal, because set-up, nerves and pauses usually add time on the day.
• Rehearse entrances, exits and furniture moves as carefully as the lines, and time the whole thing with a stopwatch.
• Practise projecting to the back of an empty hall and speaking over small noises, so lines are not lost when the room is busy.
• Give each character one clear trait in voice and movement and keep it consistent in every scene.
• Run the play for an audience who has not seen it and ask them to retell the story; rework any scene that confused them.
• Agree who covers a forgotten line or missed cue, and rehearse recovering calmly, since a smooth recovery costs far fewer marks than visible panic.
• Check the syllabus for rules on props, costume, scripts and age on the day, and prepare only what the class allows.

Frequently asked questions

Is Small Play (Group) 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.

How many people can be in a Small Play (Group)?

The template does not fix a cast size, so follow the festival syllabus. In practice a small play suits a few performers, enough to share a story without crowding the stage.

How long can a small play run?

In the template that carries it, 10 minutes for ages twelve and under and thirteen to fourteen, and 12 minutes for fifteen and above. Other festivals set their own limits.

Is a Small Play the same as a one-act play?

They are close, since both are short complete plays, but a one-act play class may allow longer running times and larger casts. Check the class rules of the festival you are entering.

Is it judged individually or as a team?

As a team. The group is ranked within its age class, with boys and girls performing together.

Want the full judging picture? Read the judge scoring and tabulation guide, or browse every action competition item.