Alderley Edge Festival – Drama — A Cheshire Festival Drama Section: Solo Drama and Duologue Across the National Curriculum Year Ladder

Speech & Drama · United Kingdom

The Alderley Edge Festival of Music, Speech and Drama’s Drama classes (100+ years running): 2 real classes (Solo Drama, Duologue) across a real UK NC-year age ladder, built from the festival’s own official 2026 syllabus.

A ready-made speech and drama festival section with one solo class and one two-person class, run across six age groups from Year 4 and under to adults, with five-minute duologues and solo limits of three to five minutes.

This template models the Drama classes of a spring festival of music, speech and drama in Cheshire, in the north-west of England, a festival that has run for more than a century. Performers present a prepared piece to an adjudicator, who comments and awards a mark. It is built from the festival’s published 2026 syllabus, so the two classes, the age bands and the time limits are real; dates, fees and entry rules change every year, so check the current syllabus before reusing it.

Two items are modelled. Solo Drama is one performer presenting a speech from a published play, film, radio or television script, using the words of a single character. Duologue is a scene for two performers. Both are open to boys and girls and performed in English. Age groups follow the English National Curriculum year ladder instead of birthdays: Year 4 and under, Year 5, Year 6, Years 7 to 9, Years 10 to 13, plus an Open group for adults 18 and over.

Solo Drama time limits grow with age: three minutes for Year 4 and under, four minutes for Years 5 and 6, and five minutes from Year 7 upward including the adult class. Duologue is a flat five minutes in every class. The syllabus publishes Duologue only up to Year 13, so there is no adult Duologue group in this template. Because the real syllabus lets an entrant enter only the single class that matches their school year, the template treats each Duologue band as exclusive of the younger ones.

The source prints a mark band ladder (Exceptional 95+, Outstanding 90+, Honours 85+, Commended 80+, Merit 75+, Progressing 70+, Developing 65+) and First, Second and Third placings, but no points table, so every class is scored on a nominal 10 and fees are installed as zero for each organiser to set. Many other Speech and Drama classes at the real festival, such as verse speaking, Shakespeare and small group work, are not built here. Tell entrants beforehand how characterisation, voice, movement and, for duologues, how well the pair listen to each other will be weighed.

Where this event comes from

The Drama classes are one section of an annual multi-discipline music, speech and drama festival held each spring in Cheshire, England, which has run for over 100 years.

Where this event is run

Competitive speech and drama festivals are a long-standing tradition in the United Kingdom and in countries with a similar school system, including Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Canada. Schools, drama teachers and local arts societies run smaller versions of the same format, with an adjudicator, an age-based time limit and one mark per performance.

• United Kingdom

Key facts

• Two competitions: Solo Drama (individual) and Duologue (a pair)
• Six age groups: Year 4 and under, Year 5, Year 6, Years 7 to 9, Years 10 to 13 and Open (18+); Open covers Solo Drama only
• Solo Drama limits: three minutes at Year 4 and under, four at Years 5 and 6, five from Year 7 upward
• Duologue is a flat five minutes in every class
• Scored on a nominal 10 with a single mark; the source prints mark bands and placings but no criteria sheet
• Verse speaking, Shakespeare and group classes at the real festival are not modelled

Age groups

6

Competition items

2

Competitions

11

Grade bands

0

Rank awards

0

Age groups

Every candidate is placed into one of these groups by age, and competitions are run per group.

NC Yr 4 & Under

4From

–

9To

Candidates aged 4 to 9 compete in this group

NC Year 5

10From

–

10To

Candidates aged 10 to 10 compete in this group

NC Year 6

11From

–

11To

Candidates aged 11 to 11 compete in this group

NC Years 7 - 9

12From

–

14To

Candidates aged 12 to 14 compete in this group

NC Yrs 10-13

15From

–

18To

Candidates aged 15 to 18 compete in this group

Open (18+)

19From

–

120To

Candidates aged 19 to 120 compete in this group

Competition items

The events themselves — each with the category it belongs to and how judges score it.

Solo Drama

ActionMarks

Duologue

ActionMarks

Frequently asked questions

Can I change this template after installing it?

Yes — installing it creates a fully configured, live event, not a locked package. Every age group, competition item, rule and scoring setting can be edited afterwards to match exactly what your event actually needs.

Do I need technical knowledge to set this up?

No. Installing a template does the setup work for you; you only need to review the details (dates, unit or house names) and open registration.

Want the fuller picture first? See our guide to mono act judging criteria guide.