Devon Performing Arts Festival – Drama — An Exeter Festival Drama Section: Solo Drama and Group Drama from 11 and Under to 18 Years

Speech & Drama · United Kingdom

The Devon Performing Arts Festival (DPAF, Exeter, England) Speech & Drama section, with real Solo Drama and Group Drama classes across an age ladder from 11 & Under to 18 years.

A ready-made speech and drama festival with one solo class and one ensemble class, run across six age groups with time limits from four to sixteen minutes and a nominal mark out of 10.

This template models the Speech & Drama section of a spring performing arts festival held over ten days in a church hall in Exeter, in the south-west of England. Young performers present a prepared piece to an adjudicator, who gives spoken feedback and awards a mark. It is built from the festival’s published 2027 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 a single performer presenting a dramatic piece. Group Drama is an ensemble piece for three or more performers, so it is set up as a team item. Both are open to boys and girls and performed in English. Solo classes in the syllabus run on literal ages (11 and under, 12 to 14, 15 to 17, and 18), while Group Drama uses cumulative ‘and under’ bands, so the template uses the union of both ladders: 11 & Under, 12-13 Years, 14 Years, 15 Years, 16-17 Years and 18 Years.

Time limits grow with age. Solo Drama allows four minutes for 11 & Under, four and a half minutes for 12 to 14, five minutes for 15 to 17 and six minutes at 18. Group Drama allows ten minutes for 11 & Under, twelve for 12-13, fifteen for 14 and 15, and sixteen for 16 to 18. Where the syllabus gives one limit across several bands, the same value is repeated in each finer group.

The syllabus prints no numeric points table, so every class is scored on a nominal 10 on a single mark and entry fees are installed as zero for each organiser to set. A separate Open (18 and over) class with contrasting pieces, and Shakespeare classes, exist at the real festival but are not built here. Before the day, tell entrants how characterisation, voice, movement and, for groups, how well the cast works together will be weighed.

Where this event comes from

The Speech & Drama classes are one section of an annual multi-discipline performing arts festival held each March in Exeter, Devon, England.

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, schools 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: Solo Drama (individual) and Group Drama (teams of three or more)
• Six age groups from 11 & Under to 18 Years, open to boys and girls and performed in English
• Solo Drama time limits: four minutes at 11 & Under, rising to six minutes at 18
• Group Drama time limits: ten minutes at 11 & Under, rising to sixteen minutes for 16 to 18
• Scored on a nominal 10 with a single mark; no criteria sheet is printed in the source
• Open (18+) and Shakespeare classes at the real festival are not modelled

Age groups

6

Competition items

2

Competitions

12

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.

11 & Under

5From

–

12To

Candidates aged 5 to 12 compete in this group

12-13 Years

12From

–

14To

Candidates aged 12 to 14 compete in this group

14 Years

14From

–

15To

Candidates aged 14 to 15 compete in this group

15 Years

15From

–

16To

Candidates aged 15 to 16 compete in this group

16-17 Years

16From

–

18To

Candidates aged 16 to 18 compete in this group

18 Years

18From

–

19To

Candidates aged 18 to 19 compete in this group

Competition items

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

Solo Drama

ActionMarks

Group Drama

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.