Cape Town Eisteddfod – Speech & Drama — A Cape Town Speech & Drama Section: Duologues, Group Drama, Mime and Public Speaking Across Four School-Grade Bands

Speech & Drama · Africa

The Cape Town Eisteddfod’s Speech & Drama section (est. 1903): 6 real classes (Duologues, Group Dramatic Extract, Group Theme/Recital, Solo Mime, Group Mime, Public Speaking) across real South African school-grade age bands, built from the society’s own official 2026 syllabus.

A ready-made speech and drama programme with six classes, from pairs and large groups to solo mime and public speaking, graded by school grade and with time limits that grow as performers move up.

This template models the Speech & Drama section of a long-established eisteddfod in Cape Town, South Africa, whose society has run its competitions since 1903. Entrants perform in front of an adjudicator, who awards a percentage mark, places the class and gives spoken or written feedback. It is built from the society’s own published 2026 syllabus, so the six classes, the grade ladder and the time limits are real. Closing dates, fees and venues change every year, so check the current syllabus before reusing any of them.

Six competitions are modelled. Duologues is a team class for two performers who present a scene together. Group Dramatic Extract / Acted Story and Group Theme / Recital are group classes for three or more, the first acting out a scene or a story, the second building a spoken piece around a theme. Solo Mime and Group Mime are performed without words. Public Speaking is an individual class with a prepared speech. All six are open to boys and girls and are performed in English.

Entrants are grouped by school grade rather than by age: Grade 3-5, Grade 6-7, Grade 8-10 and Grade 11-Adult, which this template maps to ages 9-11, 12-13, 14-16 and 17 and over. Not every class is offered in every band. The mime classes start at Grade 6-7 and Public Speaking starts at Grade 8-10, so those bands simply do not carry them. Time limits are counted per performer and rise with the grade: Duologues run 4, 6, 8 and 10 minutes, the two group drama classes 8, 10, 15 and 20, Solo Mime 3, 3 minutes 30 and 4, Group Mime 4, 4 minutes 30 and 5, and Public Speaking 4 and 6.

The syllabus marks every class on a percentage scale with named bands: Pass at 60, Merit at 70, Honours at 80, Gold at 90 and Cum Laude at 95 and above. It prints no points per criterion, so each class here is scored on a nominal 10, entry fees are installed as zero for each organiser to set, and no ranks are installed. Before the day, tell entrants what the adjudicator will weigh, such as voice, diction, characterisation, movement and, for groups, focus and teamwork, and agree how your own mark bands will be described in feedback.

Where this event comes from

The Speech & Drama section sits inside one of the oldest continuing eisteddfods in South Africa, a performing-arts competition modelled on the Welsh eisteddfod tradition and running since 1903.

Where this event is run

Grade-banded speech and drama classes with an adjudicator, a percentage mark and award bands are a staple of eisteddfods and performing-arts festivals across South Africa, and the same format is found in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Schools, drama teachers and local arts societies run smaller versions of the same shape: a school-grade ladder, a strict per-head time limit, and a spread of solo, pair and group classes so that every performer has a place to enter.

• South Africa

Key facts

• Six competitions: Duologues, Group Dramatic Extract / Acted Story, Group Theme / Recital, Solo Mime, Group Mime and Public Speaking
• Four school-grade bands: Grade 3-5, Grade 6-7, Grade 8-10 and Grade 11-Adult, mapped here to ages 9-11, 12-13, 14-16 and 17+
• Mime starts at Grade 6-7 and Public Speaking at Grade 8-10, so the youngest bands carry fewer classes
• Time limits are per performer and grow with the grade, up to 20 minutes for the senior group drama classes
• Mixed-gender entry, performed in English
• Scored on a nominal 10; fees installed as zero and no ranks, because the source prints award bands (Pass to Cum Laude) without points

Age groups

4

Competition items

6

Competitions

20

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.

Grade 3-5

9From

–

11To

Candidates aged 9 to 11 compete in this group

Grade 6-7

12From

–

13To

Candidates aged 12 to 13 compete in this group

Grade 8-10

14From

–

16To

Candidates aged 14 to 16 compete in this group

Grade 11-Adult

17From

–

120To

Candidates aged 17 to 120 compete in this group

Competition items

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

Duologues

ActionMarks

Group Dramatic Extract / Acted Story

ActionMarks

Group Theme / Recital

LiteraryMarks

Solo Mime

ActionMarks

Group Mime

ActionMarks

Public Speaking

LiteraryMarks

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 & skit judging criteria guide.