City of Wagga Wagga Eisteddfod – Speech & Drama — A Wagga Wagga Speech & Drama Section: Character Recital and Duologue in Costume Across Eight Age Tiers

Speech & Drama · Australia & New Zealand

The City of Wagga Wagga Eisteddfod (New South Wales, Australia, since 1921) Speech and Drama section, with real Character Recital/Monologue in Costume and Duologue in Costume classes across an 8-tier age ladder from 7 Years & Under to Open.

A ready-made two-class speech and drama programme in the costumed-performance tradition, with an eight-tier age ladder from 7 years and under to Open and time limits that grow with each tier.

This template models the Speech & Drama section of a long-established eisteddfod in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, a competition that has run since 1921. Entrants perform in front of an adjudicator, who marks the performance, places the class and gives feedback. It is built from the eisteddfod’s own published 2026 syllabus, so the two classes, the age ladder and the time limits are real. Dates, fees and venues change every year, so check the current syllabus before reusing any of them.

Two classes are modelled. Character Recital / Monologue in Costume is an individual class: one performer presents a character of their own choice, in costume, speaking alone. Duologue in Costume is a team class for two performers who play a scene together, again in costume and again an own-choice piece. Both are open to boys and girls and are performed in English. The costume is part of the class itself, so entrants are judged on how well dress and character work together, not on the words alone.

Entrants are grouped by age in eight tiers: 7 Years & Under, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 Years & Under, Under 15 Years and Open. The real syllabus has no Character Recital class for 6 and under, so that tier is not carried here. Time limits grow with the tier. Character Recital runs 2 minutes at 7 and under, 3 minutes from 8 to 12 and under, and 5 minutes for Under 15 and Open. The duologue classes are set in coarser bands, so each real limit is repeated across the finer tiers it covers: 4 minutes at 7 and 8 and under, 5 minutes from 9 to 12 and under, and 7 minutes for Under 15 and Open, where at least one of the pair must be 13 or older.

The source ties its championship trophies to an aggregate of several other sections that are not part of this template, and it prints no points per criterion. Each class here is therefore scored on a nominal 10, entry fees are installed as zero for each organiser to set, and no ranks are installed. Before the day, tell entrants what your adjudicator will weigh, such as characterisation, voice, diction, movement and use of costume, and for pairs how well the two performers listen to each other, and agree how your own results will be described in feedback.

Where this event comes from

The eisteddfod is a competitive festival of the performing arts that began in Wales and spread across the English-speaking world. This Speech & Drama section sits inside a New South Wales festival that has been running since 1921.

Where this event is run

Age-tiered speech and drama classes with an adjudicator and strict time limits are a staple of eisteddfods and performing-arts festivals across Australia and New Zealand, and the same format is found in the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. Local arts societies, drama teachers and schools run smaller versions of the same shape: a ladder of age tiers, a per-performer time limit that rises with age, and a mix of solo and pair classes so that every performer has a place to enter.

• Australia (New South Wales)

Key facts

• Two competitions: Character Recital / Monologue in Costume (individual) and Duologue in Costume (pair)
• Eight age tiers from 7 Years & Under to Open; the youngest published tier has no character class for 6 and under
• Character Recital limits: 2 minutes at 7 and under, 3 minutes from 8 to 12 and under, 5 minutes for Under 15 and Open
• Duologue limits: 4, 5 and 7 minutes across the same tiers; the Open pair needs at least one performer aged 13 or over
• Own-choice pieces performed in costume, in English, open to boys and girls
• Scored on a nominal 10; fees installed as zero and no ranks, because the source prints neither points per criterion nor class placings

Age groups

8

Competition items

2

Competitions

16

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.

7 Yrs & Under

4From

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8To

Candidates aged 4 to 8 compete in this group

8 Yrs & Under

8From

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9To

Candidates aged 8 to 9 compete in this group

9 Yrs & Under

9From

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10To

Candidates aged 9 to 10 compete in this group

10 Yrs & Under

10From

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11To

Candidates aged 10 to 11 compete in this group

11 Yrs & Under

11From

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12To

Candidates aged 11 to 12 compete in this group

12 Yrs & Under

12From

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13To

Candidates aged 12 to 13 compete in this group

Under 15 Years

13From

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15To

Candidates aged 13 to 15 compete in this group

Open

15From

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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.

Character Recital/Monologue in Costume

ActionMarks

Duologue in Costume

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 drama & skit judging criteria guide.