Pretoria Drama Eisteddfod – Monologue — Three Monologue Classes Across Four School-Grade Tiers, from Grade 3 to Grade 12

Speech & Drama · Africa

The Pretoria Drama Eisteddfod’s Monologue family: 3 real classes (Contemporary, Classical, Multimedia Monologue) across a real South African school-grade age ladder, built from the society’s own official 2026 English Autumn syllabus.

A ready-made South African schools drama programme for solo actors: Contemporary, Classical and Multimedia Monologue, with a time limit that grows from two to five minutes as the grade rises.

This template models the Monologue section of an English-language drama eisteddfod held each autumn in Pretoria, South Africa. A monologue is a short piece performed by one actor, so every class here is a solo class open to boys and girls, performed in English. The template is built from the festival’s own 2026 syllabus and covers only the three monologue classes of a much larger programme; the verse speaking, prose, public speaking, duologue, ensemble and choral classes in the same syllabus are not included.

Three classes are modelled. Contemporary Monologue and Multimedia Monologue are each offered at four tiers, and Classical Monologue is offered at the oldest tier only, giving nine classes in total. The tiers follow South African school grades: Grade 3 (age 9), Grade 4 to 5 (ages 10 to 11), Grade 6 to 7 (ages 12 to 13) and Grade 8 to 12 (ages 14 to 18). Each entrant belongs to exactly one tier, and the template caps the top tier at 18 because the syllabus publishes no separate open division for this section.

The time limit rises with the grade: two minutes at Grade 3, three minutes at Grade 4 to 5, four minutes at Grade 6 to 7 and five minutes at Grade 8 to 12, and it is the same for Contemporary and Multimedia Monologue. Classical Monologue runs to the five-minute limit because it exists only at Grade 8 to 12. The syllabus does not define what makes a piece contemporary, classical or multimedia in the data this template carries, so organisers should state their own meaning of each term in their entry rules, including whether sound, projection or props are allowed in the multimedia class.

Adjudicators in this kind of festival give a mark and written comments rather than a published criteria table, so every class is scored here on a nominal 10-point scale. Entry fees are installed as zero for each organiser to set, and no ranks are installed. If you run a similar schools drama festival, tell entrants and teachers beforehand what the adjudicator will weigh, such as diction, characterisation, memory, use of the stage and respect for the time limit, and publish your own entry fees and closing dates.

Where this event comes from

Competitive speech and drama festivals, with graded classes, strict time limits and written adjudication, belong to the eisteddfod and festival tradition that spread across the Commonwealth from the British Isles, and monologue classes are among their most familiar solo items.

Where this event is run

Graded monologue classes with an age or school-grade ladder and a time limit per tier are a standard part of drama and speech festivals across South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Schools, drama studios and local arts councils run smaller versions of the same shape: one solo acting class for each age band, a stricter time limit for younger entrants, and sometimes a separate class for classical or specially staged pieces.

• South Africa (Gauteng)

Key facts

• Three solo monologue classes: Contemporary, Classical and Multimedia, nine classes in all
• Four school-grade tiers: Grade 3 (age 9), Grade 4 to 5 (10 to 11), Grade 6 to 7 (12 to 13) and Grade 8 to 12 (14 to 18)
• Time limits of 2, 3, 4 and 5 minutes by tier; Classical Monologue is offered only at Grade 8 to 12 (5 minutes)
• All classes are in English and open to boys and girls
• Scored here on a nominal 10-point scale, with fees installed as zero and no ranks, because the syllabus publishes no points table

Age groups

4

Competition items

3

Competitions

9

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

9From

–

9To

Candidates aged 9 to 9 compete in this group

Grade 4-5

10From

–

11To

Candidates aged 10 to 11 compete in this group

Grade 6-7

12From

–

13To

Candidates aged 12 to 13 compete in this group

Grade 8-12

14From

–

18To

Candidates aged 14 to 18 compete in this group

Competition items

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

Contemporary Monologue

ActionMarks

Classical Monologue

ActionMarks

Multimedia Monologue

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.