Theatre – Authentic Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A traditional-only theatre class for teams presenting folk drama, customs and story-telling in their original form, scored out of 10 across seven age divisions.

Theatre – Authentic is the traditional-only theatre class in the folklore split. A team presents a piece of folk theatre as it has been handed down: a village custom, a seasonal play, a story told through acting, song and movement, with the costume, speech and staging belonging to the tradition rather than to a modern director.

On the template it is a team item offered in seven divisions: Mini Kids (4 to 6), Kids (7 to 9), Children (10 to 13), Junior (14 to 17), Adults, Senior (50 and over) and a Mixed Age division. It is open to both genders, Polish is the language setting, each team receives one score out of 10 as Marks, and results are ranked inside each division.

A round runs one team at a time. The panel watches whether the piece feels like living tradition: is the story or custom recognisable, do the players speak, sing and move in the manner of the source, and does the whole team work together as one ensemble? Modern scripts, borrowed staging or an added soundtrack belong in the processed or styled classes instead.

Organisers offer an authentic theatre class to keep traditional drama and customs visible on the programme, and to give families, schools and community groups who have learned a piece from elders a place where that knowledge is valued.

Where Theatre – Authentic is run

On eTalenter this item is used in one template, an international folklore dance and music festival template based in Krakow, Poland, where each discipline is offered in authentic, processed and styled forms. Folk theatre and custom plays are staged at community festivals in many countries, but the dividing line between traditional and adapted work differs from event to event, so the organiser’s own notice decides what counts as authentic.

• Poland (the festival the template is built from)

Key facts

• Team item on the template: one team is scored at a time
• Seven divisions from Mini Kids (4-6) to Senior (50+), plus a Mixed Age division
• Open to both genders, scored out of 10 as Marks
• Language setting on the template is Polish
• No time limit is set on the template, so the organiser’s notice decides how long a piece may run
• The strictest of the three theatre classes, beside Theatre – Processed and Theatre – Styled

On eTalenter, Theatre – Authentic 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, Theatre – Authentic is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 10.

What judges look at in Theatre – Authentic

What a Theatre – Authentic panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Fidelity to the tradition: a story, custom or play that matches its folk source
• Ensemble work: the team enters, speaks and moves together, with clear roles for each player
• Speech, song and movement in the idiom of the tradition rather than a modern acting style
• Costume and props that belong to the tradition and are used with purpose
• Clarity of the story, so an audience unfamiliar with the custom can still follow it
• With one score out of 10 and no printed sub-criteria, the panel’s overall impression decides the result

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Theatre – Authentic under Scoring Setup, or start from our judging and score tabulation guide.

How to prepare for Theatre – Authentic

How entrants and their teachers usually get Theatre – Authentic right on the day:

• Read the organiser’s notice to see what counts as authentic, and whether a time limit, props or live music apply
• Choose a piece you can trace to a place or a tradition, and be ready to say who taught it to the team
• Talk to older relatives or community members and note how the piece was spoken, sung and staged before you rehearse
• Give every player a clear part and rehearse entrances and exits until the team moves as one
• Practise the speech and songs slowly first, then at the natural pace of the tradition
• Prepare costume and props early and check that nothing in them is modern or out of place
• Choose the correct age division, since each is ranked separately, and keep the piece to what the team can perform without stopping
• After a loss, ask whether story choice, teamwork or faithfulness to the tradition held the entry back and work on that one thing
• Ideas, not rules: a seasonal harvest or winter custom play, a short village wedding or courtship scene, or a folk tale told with song and simple props

Frequently asked questions

Is Theatre – Authentic 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.

What is the difference between Theatre – Authentic and Theatre – Processed?

Authentic keeps the piece traditional in text, staging and manner. Processed adapts the material for the stage while keeping it recognisable. The template does not print exact definitions, so the organiser’s notice decides.

Is Theatre – Authentic judged individually or as a team?

On the template it is a team item, so the whole team receives one score out of 10 as Marks.

Can I use a modern script in the authentic class?

The template does not restrict scripts. Whether a modern or newly written text fits the authentic class is for the organiser’s notice to say.

How is Theatre – Authentic scored?

Out of 10 as Marks, with no printed sub-criteria. The source describes award tiers from Diamond Grand Prix down to a Debut Diploma.

Want the full judging picture? Read our judging and score tabulation guide, or browse every on stage competition item.