Speech & Drama · United Kingdom
The Basingstoke Music and Arts Festival’s Speech and Drama classes: 2 real classes (Devised Monologue, Dramatic Duologue) across a real 5-tier age ladder, built from the festival’s own official 2026 syllabus.
A ready-made speech and drama festival section with a solo class and a two-person class, run across five age tiers from seven and under to adult, with time limits that rise from two to five minutes.
This template models the Speech and Drama section of a long-running town arts festival in Hampshire, in southern England. Performers present a prepared piece to an adjudicator, who gives spoken comments and a mark. It is built from the festival’s own published 2026 syllabus, so the two classes, the five age tiers and the time limits are real. Syllabuses change from year to year, so check the current one before reusing dates, fees or entry rules.
Two items are modelled. Devised Monologue is one performer presenting a speech they have created themselves, rather than a published script. Dramatic Duologue is a scene for two performers. Both are open to boys and girls and performed in English. Entrants are grouped by age: 7 Years & Under, 8 to 11, 12 to 15, 16 to 18 and Adult. The same five-tier ladder is used by several other speech and drama classes at the real festival, which is why it is repeated here for both items.
Time limits rise with age. Devised Monologue runs two minutes for the youngest tier, then three, four and five minutes, and stays at five for 16 to 18 and Adult. Dramatic Duologue is three minutes for the two youngest tiers, four for 12 to 15, and five for 16 to 18 and Adult. Because the entry is timed, an organiser needs a stage manager or timekeeper in the room, and performers should rehearse to the limit rather than hope to fit it in on the day.
The source does not print a marking table for these classes, so each is scored on a nominal 10 and entry fees are installed as zero for each organiser to set. The festival publishes percentage mark bands from Developing to Exceptional, which are installed without point values. Many other classes at the real festival, such as verse speaking, prose reading, Shakespeare and musical theatre, are not built here. Tell entrants beforehand how characterisation, voice, movement and, for duologues, how well the pair work together will be weighed.
Where this event comes from
The Speech and Drama classes are one section of an annual multi-discipline music and arts festival that has run in a Hampshire town since 1963.
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. Local arts societies and drama teachers 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: Devised Monologue (individual) and Dramatic Duologue (a pair)
- Five age tiers: 7 Years & Under, 8-11, 12-15, 16-18 and Adult
- Devised Monologue limits rise from two to five minutes; Duologue from three to five minutes
- Mixed-gender entry, performed in English
- Scored on a nominal 10 with a single mark; the source prints no criteria sheet
- Verse speaking, prose reading, Shakespeare and musical theatre classes at the real festival are not modelled
- Age groups
- 5
- Competition items
- 2
- Competitions
- 10
- 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.
7 Years & Under
Candidates aged 4 to 7 compete in this group
8 - 11 Years
Candidates aged 8 to 11 compete in this group
12 - 15 Years
Candidates aged 12 to 15 compete in this group
16 - 18 Years
Candidates aged 16 to 18 compete in this group
Adult
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.
Competitions by group
The full schedule matrix, sectioned by age group then category — which item runs for whom, and for how long.
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Years & Under | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Devised Monologue | Individual | — | English | 10 | 2 min |
| Dramatic Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 3 min |
| 8 - 11 Years | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Devised Monologue | Individual | — | English | 10 | 3 min |
| Dramatic Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 3 min |
| 12 - 15 Years | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Devised Monologue | Individual | — | English | 10 | 4 min |
| Dramatic Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 4 min |
| 16 - 18 Years | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Devised Monologue | Individual | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
| Dramatic Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
| Adult | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Devised Monologue | Individual | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
| Dramatic Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
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.
Install this template in eTalenter
Everything above is installed as a live, editable event in one step — age groups, items, rules and scoring. Start your own below.
Start a Basingstoke Festival – Drama event
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