Cairns Eisteddfod – Speech & Drama — Five Speech and Drama Classes Across Three School-Grade Bands, From Poems to Musical Scenes

Speech & Drama · Australia & New Zealand

The 71-year-running Cairns & District Junior Eisteddfod’s Speech & Drama schedule: 5 real classes (Poem, Monologue, Duologue, Group Presentation, Dramatisation from a Musical) sharing an identical real Grades 2-6/7-9/10-12 age ladder, built from the association’s own official 2026 schedule.

A ready-made speech and drama programme for a community eisteddfod: a poem, a monologue, a duologue, a group presentation and a scene from a musical, each run for Grades 2-6, 7-9 and 10-12 with time limits of three to four minutes.

This template models the Speech and Drama sections of a long-running junior eisteddfod held each June in Cairns, a city in far north Queensland, Australia. It is built from the festival’s own 2026 speech and drama schedule and covers five of that schedule’s classes: Poem (Own Choice), Monologue, Duologue, Group Presentation and Dramatisation from a Musical. The remaining classes in the full schedule, such as choric speaking, public speaking, impromptu reading and the senior championship classes, are not included.

Entrants are placed by Australian school grade rather than by birthday, so the template has three groups: Grades 2-6, Grades 7-9 and Grades 10-12. Every item runs in all three, giving fifteen classes in total. Because a school grade is not an age, the template stores approximate ages for each band (about 7 to 11, 12 to 14 and 15 to 18) only so that the groups can exist; when you run a similar day, assign entrants by the grade they are in, not by a calculated age. All classes are in English and open to boys and girls.

The format mixes solo and team items. Poem and Monologue are individual classes, with the entrant choosing the piece. Duologue is a team of two, Group Presentation is a team of three to ten members, and Dramatisation from a Musical is a team scene drawn from a stage musical. In the source, costume is compulsory for every class except the poem, and the Monologue class excludes Shakespeare because the schedule treats that as a separate class.

Time limits are short and rise with the grade only where the schedule says so: three minutes for every Poem and every Dramatisation from a Musical class, three minutes for Monologue at Grades 2-6 and 7-9 rising to four at Grades 10-12, three minutes for Duologue at Grades 2-6 rising to four at Grades 7-9 and 10-12, and four minutes for every Group Presentation class. The schedule publishes no points table or criteria that we can reproduce, so every class is scored here out of a nominal 10, entry fees are installed as zero for you to set, and no ranks are preset. Tell entrants in advance what the adjudicator will weigh, for example voice, characterisation, use of the stage and teamwork, and publish your own fees, closing date and rules on props and backing tracks.

Where this event comes from

Competitive speech and drama classes with graded entries and strict time limits belong to the eisteddfod tradition that spread across the Commonwealth from the British Isles, and school-grade bands are the usual way Australian festivals place junior entrants.

Where this event is run

Graded poem, monologue, duologue and group-scene classes are a standard part of speech and drama festivals in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and South Africa. Community eisteddfods, schools and drama studios run smaller versions of the same shape: a short solo class for each age or grade band, paired and group scenes for older entrants, and a strict time limit so a full day can run to schedule.

• Australia (Queensland)

Key facts

• Five items, each run in three school-grade groups (Grades 2-6, 7-9 and 10-12): fifteen classes in all
• Individual classes: Poem (Own Choice) and Monologue; team classes: Duologue (two), Group Presentation (three to ten) and Dramatisation from a Musical
• Time limits of three to four minutes, rising with the grade only for Monologue and Duologue
• All classes in English and open to boys and girls; costume compulsory in every class except the poem
• Scored here out of a nominal 10 because no points table is printed; fees installed as zero and no ranks preset

Age groups

3

Competition items

5

Competitions

15

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.

Grades 2-6

7From

–

11To

Candidates aged 7 to 11 compete in this group

Grades 7-9

12From

–

14To

Candidates aged 12 to 14 compete in this group

Grades 10-12

15From

–

18To

Candidates aged 15 to 18 compete in this group

Competition items

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

Poem (Own Choice)

LiteraryMarks

Monologue

ActionMarks

Duologue

ActionMarks

Group Presentation

ActionMarks

Dramatisation from a Musical

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 drama and skit judging criteria guide.