Sri Lanka Speech & Drama Festival — 16 Speech and Drama Classes for Sri Lanka: Solo and Team, Ages 3 to Adult

Speech & Drama · Asia

The Sri Lanka Festival of Music, Dance & Speech’s Speech & Drama discipline: 16 real items (Verse Speaking, Acting of a Poem, Drama, Shakespeare Acting, Mime, Choral Speaking and more) across 4 age brackets, built from IIMSD’s own official 2026 syllabus and fee schedule.

Sets up a Sri Lankan speech and drama festival with 16 classes: verse speaking, storytelling, public speaking, solo drama, mime and shakespeare acting, plus choral speaking, action verse and team public speaking, in four age brackets with per-head time limits.

This template models the speech and drama discipline of an annual Sri Lankan festival that has run for more than two decades. Sixteen classes are carried: ten spoken-word solos (two verse speaking classes, acting of a poem, story telling, prose reading, prose speaking, sight reading, public speaking), five acting solos (drama, devised drama, shakespeare acting, mime and musical drama) and a group strand of choral speaking, action verse and team public speaking.

Entrants fall into four age brackets: 3-6, 7-9, 10-14 and 15 and over. The published syllabus sets a different time limit for almost every year of age, so the template groups them where the limits actually change. Solos run 1 minute 30 seconds for the youngest, rising to 2 and then 3 minutes for verse and prose classes, and from 2 up to 4 minutes for the acting classes. Choral speaking and action verse are team classes of at least five, running 2, 3, 4 and 5 minutes by bracket. Team public speaking is a three-speaker format for ages 13 and over with an 8 minute limit.

Age floors are respected: prose reading, sight reading and public speaking begin at 7, verse speaking set work stops at 15, and shakespeare acting starts in the 10-14 bracket. Every class is scored on the standard 10-point judge scale in this template; the festival itself reports results as certificate grades rather than a numeric rubric, so organisers who want grade bands can map them onto the score ranges.

Where this event comes from

Built from the organiser’s own 2026 speech and drama syllabus and its age and fee calculation chart; the structure of age-banded spoken-word classes follows the competitive festival tradition that came to Sri Lanka from the British and Commonwealth festival movement.

Where this event is run

Run annually in Sri Lanka as one of three festival disciplines alongside music and dance. Age-banded speech and drama festivals of this shape are also held across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Australia, Canada and South Africa, usually organised by local festival societies.

• Sri Lanka

Key facts

• 16 classes: 10 spoken-word solos, 5 acting solos and 3 team classes
• Four age brackets: 3-6, 7-9, 10-14 and 15 and over
• Solo time limits from 1 min 30 s for the youngest up to 3 minutes (spoken word) or 4 minutes (acting) for adults
• Choral speaking and action verse: teams of at least five, 2 to 5 minutes by bracket
• Team public speaking: three speakers, ages 13 and over, 8 minutes
• English-language classes; each scored on a 10-point judge scale in the template

Age groups

4

Competition items

16

Competitions

52

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.

3-6 years

3From

–

6To

Candidates aged 3 to 6 compete in this group

7-9 years

7From

–

9To

Candidates aged 7 to 9 compete in this group

10-14 years

10From

–

14To

Candidates aged 10 to 14 compete in this group

15+ years

15From

–

120To

Candidates aged 15 to 120 compete in this group

Competition items

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

Verse Speaking Own Choice

LiteraryMarks

Verse Speaking Set Work

LiteraryMarks

Acting of a Poem

ActionMarks

Story Telling

LiteraryMarks

Prose Reading

LiteraryMarks

Prose Speaking

LiteraryMarks

Sight Reading

LiteraryMarks

Public Speaking

LiteraryMarks

Drama Solo

ActionMarks

Devised Drama Solo

ActionMarks

Shakespeare Acting Solo

ActionMarks

Mime Solo

ActionMarks

Musical Drama Solo

MusicMarks

Choral Speaking

LiteraryMarks

Action Verse

LiteraryMarks

Team 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 Judge scoring and tabulation software.