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Taunton Festival – Acting — A Somerset Festival Acting Section: Solo, Duo and Redirection Classes Across Six School-Year Tiers

Taunton Festival - Acting: The Taunton Festival of the Arts' Drama Acting classes: 4 real classes (Solo Acting, Duo Acting, Redirection Acting Solo/Duo)...

e By Luke Justin October 30, 2026 3 min read

New here? Start with the basicsAge groups, competition categories and how to set up your event.

Speech & Drama · United Kingdom

The Taunton Festival of the Arts’ Drama Acting classes: 4 real classes (Solo Acting, Duo Acting, Redirection Acting Solo/Duo) across a real UK school-year age ladder, built from the festival’s own official 2026 syllabus.

A ready-made drama festival section with solo and two-person acting classes, plus a redirection format where the adjudicator coaches the performer and they play the piece again, all on a flat three-minute limit.

This template models the Acting section of a town arts festival in Somerset, in south-west England. Performers present a short prepared piece to an adjudicator, who gives spoken feedback and a mark. It is built from the festival’s own published 2026 drama syllabus, so the four classes, the age tiers and the time limit are real. Syllabuses change each year, so check the current one before reusing dates, fees or entry rules.

Four items are modelled. Solo Acting is one performer. Duo Acting is a pair performing a scene together. Redirection Acting comes in a solo and a duo version: the performer plays the piece, the adjudicator offers a change of approach on the spot, and the performer plays it again so the improvement can be seen and rewarded. All are open to boys and girls and performed in English.

Entrants are grouped by UK school year: Year 4 and under, Year 5 and 6, Year 7 and 8, Years 9 to 11, Sixth Form and Open. Solo Acting and Duo Acting run in all six tiers. Redirection Acting runs only in Year 7 and 8, Years 9 to 11 and Open, so the three younger or Sixth Form tiers simply have no redirection class. The syllabus sets one maximum of three minutes per entry for the whole drama section, and that flat limit is used for every item and tier.

The source does not print a marking table for these classes, so each is scored on a nominal 10 and entry fees are installed as zero for each organiser to set. The festival publishes percentage mark bands from Developing through to Exceptional, which are installed without point values, and placings of First, Second and Third. Tell entrants in advance how characterisation, voice, movement and, for duos, teamwork will be weighed, and for redirection classes how well they respond to the adjudicator’s change.

Where this event comes from

The Acting classes are one part of an annual multi-discipline arts festival held each winter in a Somerset town and affiliated to the national federation of festivals.

Where this event is run

Competitive drama festivals with adjudicator feedback 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, drama teachers and schools run smaller versions of the same format, usually with an age-based ladder and a strict time limit per entry.

United Kingdom

Key facts

Four competitions: Solo Acting, Duo Acting, Redirection Acting – Solo and Redirection Acting – Duo
Six tiers: Year 4 & Under, Year 5 & 6, Year 7 & 8, Years 9-11, Sixth Form and Open
Redirection classes exist only for Year 7 & 8, Years 9-11 and Open
One flat three-minute limit per entry, taken from the syllabus’s section-wide rule
Mixed-gender entry, performed in English
Scored on a nominal 10 with a single mark; the source prints no criteria sheet

Age groups: 6
Competition items: 4
Competitions: 18
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.

Year 4 & Under

5From

–

9To

Candidates aged 5 to 9 compete in this group

Year 5 & 6

10From

–

11To

Candidates aged 10 to 11 compete in this group

Year 7 & 8

12From

–

13To

Candidates aged 12 to 13 compete in this group

Year 9, 10 & 11

14From

–

16To

Candidates aged 14 to 16 compete in this group

Sixth Form

17From

–

18To

Candidates aged 17 to 18 compete in this group

Open

19From

–

120To

Candidates aged 19 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
Year 4 & Under
Action
Item	Type	Gender	Language	Max score	Time limit
Solo Acting	Individual	—	English	10	3 min
Duo Acting	Team	—	English	10	3 min
Year 5 & 6
Action
Item	Type	Gender	Language	Max score	Time limit
Solo Acting	Individual	—	English	10	3 min
Duo Acting	Team	—	English	10	3 min
Year 7 & 8
Action
Item	Type	Gender	Language	Max score	Time limit
Solo Acting	Individual	—	English	10	3 min
Duo Acting	Team	—	English	10	3 min
Redirection Acting - Solo	Individual	—	English	10	3 min
Redirection Acting - Duo	Team	—	English	10	3 min
Year 9, 10 & 11
Action
Item	Type	Gender	Language	Max score	Time limit
Solo Acting	Individual	—	English	10	3 min
Duo Acting	Team	—	English	10	3 min
Redirection Acting - Solo	Individual	—	English	10	3 min
Redirection Acting - Duo	Team	—	English	10	3 min
Sixth Form
Action
Item	Type	Gender	Language	Max score	Time limit
Solo Acting	Individual	—	English	10	3 min
Duo Acting	Team	—	English	10	3 min
Open
Action
Item	Type	Gender	Language	Max score	Time limit
Solo Acting	Individual	—	English	10	3 min
Duo Acting	Team	—	English	10	3 min
Redirection Acting - Solo	Individual	—	English	10	3 min
Redirection Acting - Duo	Team	—	English	10	3 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.