Speech & Drama · United Kingdom
The Maidstone Music Festival (Kent, England) Speech section, with real Dramatic Monologue and Dramatic Duologue classes sharing an identical age ladder from 11 & Under to 18 & Over.
A ready-made speech festival with two dramatic classes, Dramatic Monologue for one performer and Dramatic Duologue for pairs, run across four age bands from 11 and under to 18 and over, with time limits of four to eight minutes.
This template models the speech section of a county-town music festival in Kent, in the south-east of England, whose speech classes run over a single weekend in late November. Children, teenagers and adults perform short scripted pieces in front of an adjudicator. It is built from the festival’s published combined syllabus, so the two classes, the age bands and the time limits are real, but dates, fees and entry conditions change every year and the current syllabus must be checked before the template is reused.
Two dramatic classes are modelled. Dramatic Monologue is an individual class in which one performer plays a single character from a scripted piece. Dramatic Duologue is a pair class in which two performers share a scene and enter as one team. Both are open to boys and girls and are performed in English. The festival also runs poetry recitation, prose reading, public speaking and mime, but those families are not part of this template.
Entrants are placed by age into four bands that both classes share: 11 and under, 12 to 14, 15 to 17, and 18 and over. Dramatic Monologue allows four minutes for the two younger bands, five minutes for 15 to 17 and six minutes for adults. Dramatic Duologue is longer throughout, at five minutes for 11 and under, six minutes for 12 to 14 and for 15 to 17, and eight minutes for adults.
The syllabus prints placings of first, second and third but no points table that can be used as a criteria sheet, so every competition is scored out of a nominal 10 on a single mark and the template ships no criteria or grades. Entry fees are set to zero so each organiser can add their own. Organisers should tell entrants beforehand how characterisation, voice and, for pairs, the interaction between the two performers will be weighed.
Where this event comes from
The speech section is one part of a long-running local music festival, with entries closing a few weeks before the late-November weekend.
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 two-class format, with an adjudicator, a time limit by age and a single mark per performance.
- United Kingdom
Key facts
- Two competitions: Dramatic Monologue (individual) and Dramatic Duologue (pairs)
- Four age groups shared by both items: 11 & Under, 12-14, 15-17 and 18 & Over
- Open to boys and girls and performed in English
- Dramatic Monologue time limits: four minutes up to age 14, five minutes for 15-17, six minutes for 18 and over
- Dramatic Duologue time limits: five minutes up to age 11, six minutes for 12-17, eight minutes for 18 and over
- Placings first, second and third; scored out of a nominal 10 on a single mark, with no criteria or grades printed, and other speech families not modelled
- Age groups
- 4
- Competition items
- 2
- Competitions
- 8
- 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
Candidates aged 5 to 11 compete in this group
12-14 Years
Candidates aged 12 to 15 compete in this group
15-17 Years
Candidates aged 15 to 18 compete in this group
18 & Over
Candidates aged 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 & Under | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Dramatic Monologue | Individual | — | English | 10 | 4 min |
| Dramatic Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
| 12-14 Years | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Dramatic Monologue | Individual | — | English | 10 | 4 min |
| Dramatic Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 6 min |
| 15-17 Years | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Dramatic Monologue | Individual | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
| Dramatic Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 6 min |
| 18 & Over | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Dramatic Monologue | Individual | — | English | 10 | 6 min |
| Dramatic Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 8 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 Maidstone Music Festival – Speech & Drama event
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