A storytelling item in which a team tells a story aloud to an audience, judged on the story, the telling and how well the group works together, entered across five age groups.
Narrative is the storytelling item of a drama and film festival: a story told aloud to a room rather than read from a page or acted out scene by scene. The narrator or narrators carry the plot in words, and the voice, face, hands and the group around them bring it to life. It sits between a speech and a short play, and it is the item where a good tale, well shaped, matters more than a big set.
On the eTalenter Kenya national drama and film festival template, Narrative is listed in the On Stage programme after Spoken Word. It is entered as a Team item for boys and girls together, in five age groups: Pre-Primary, Primary, Junior School, Secondary and Tertiary. Every class is scored out of 100, the language is listed as English, and the template sets no time limit and does not split the marks into headings. It is the only template on eTalenter that carries the item.
A round is staged very simply. The team walks on, settles into position and begins. One voice may carry most of the story, with others joining for the lines that need a crowd, a sound or a second character; or the telling may be shared turn by turn. There is no scenery to hide behind, so the audience judges the story and the telling: whether they can follow it, believe it and remember how it ended.
What separates a strong entry from an average one is shape and control. A clear beginning that sets up who and where, a middle that builds towards one problem, and an ending that resolves it will carry a panel further than extra characters. Younger teams do well with a short story told cleanly; older teams can take on a more demanding theme, as long as the telling stays clear.
Organisers run Narrative because it needs nothing but a stage and a story, so schools with few resources can enter on equal terms. It also builds listening, memory and group timing. Because the template fixes no time limit, team size or heading split, organisers should publish those in their own notice before entries open.
Where Narrative is run
On the eTalenter templates this item appears on one: the Kenya national drama and film festival template, in its On Stage section as a team item. Storytelling events are run in schools, libraries and youth festivals in many countries, but this page describes the item as that template sets it up, so organisers elsewhere should check their own notice for team size, time limit and judging headings.
- Kenya
Key facts
- Team item on the Kenya template: the group is judged as one, boys and girls together
- Five age groups, from Pre-Primary to Tertiary, each scored out of 100
- No time limit, team size or heading split is set on the template, so the organiser should publish them
- The language is listed as English
- Listed eighth on the Kenya programme, after Spoken Word; it is separate from the Film – Screen Narrative item
- Told aloud with no set required; the story, the voices and the team’s timing carry the marks
On eTalenter, Narrative is filed under On Stage 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, Narrative is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100.
What judges look at in Narrative
What a Narrative panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- The story itself: a clear setting, one problem that builds and an ending that resolves it, rather than a string of events
- Voice: pace, volume and tone changes that separate narrator from characters and keep the room listening
- Clarity: every name, place and turn of plot reaching the back of the hall, including the quick lines
- Expression: face, eyes and small, purposeful movement that show what the words describe without becoming a full play
- Team coordination: handovers, shared lines and sound effects landing together without one voice crowding another
- Fit to the age group: a story and language the team can truly own, told with confidence
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Narrative under Scoring Setup, or start from the full elocution, speech & extempore judging criteria guide (the closest sibling format).
How to prepare for Narrative
How entrants and their teachers usually get Narrative right on the day:
- Choose a story with one clear problem and a satisfying ending; if it cannot be summarised in two sentences, cut it down
- Tell it aloud many times before writing it down, so the language sounds like speech and not like an essay
- Decide who tells which part, and give the sharpest lines to the voices that carry best
- Mark where to pause, speed up or drop the voice, and rehearse from one agreed copy
- Plan any sound or shared line so it supports the story and is never longer than the sentence it decorates
- Rehearse in a large room with a listener at the back who repeats the story back to you; whatever they missed needs fixing
- Practise the first line and the last line until they are perfect; panels remember how a story starts and ends
- Check the notice for the time limit, team size and whether props or music are allowed, and rehearse inside those limits
Ready-made event templates that include Narrative
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya National Drama and Film Festival | On Stage | Marks | 5 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Narrative 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 Narrative the same as Spoken Word?
No. They are separate items on the Kenya template. Spoken Word is performance poetry, where the writing and its delivery are judged together; Narrative is a story told aloud, judged on the tale and the telling.
How is Narrative different from the Play?
A Play is acted out with characters and a production. Narrative is told: the story is carried in words and voices, with only light movement, and no sets or costumes are needed.
Is Narrative the same as Film – Screen Narrative?
No. Film – Screen Narrative is a separate item in the festival’s film strand. Narrative is a live, spoken storytelling item.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
On the Kenya template it is a team item in all five age groups, scored out of 100.
How long can the telling be?
The template sets no time limit, so the organiser should publish one before entries open.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full elocution, speech & extempore judging criteria guide (the closest sibling format), or browse every on stage competition item.
Try Narrative in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Narrative, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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