Worcester Competitive Arts Festival – Drama — A Worcestershire Festival Drama Section: Solo Acting and Duologue Acting Classes from 6 & Under to Open Adult

Speech & Drama · United Kingdom

The Worcestershire Creative Arts Festival (WCAF, 75th anniversary in 2026) Drama section, with real Solo Acting and Duologue Acting classes across an age ladder from 6 & Under to Open Adult.

A ready-made festival drama section with a solo acting class and a pair class, graded by age from the youngest entrants up to open adult, with time limits that grow from one minute to six as performers get older.

This template models the Drama section of an annual competitive arts festival in Worcestershire, England. Performers act a short piece in front of an adjudicator, who gives a mark, places the class and talks to each entrant about what worked. It is built from the festival’s own published 2027 drama syllabus, so the two classes, the seven age tiers and the time limits are real. Dates, fees and entry rules change every year, so check the current syllabus before reusing any of them.

Two competitions are modelled. Solo Acting is an individual class: one performer, one piece, in English. Duologue Acting is a team class for two performers who present a scene together. Both are open to boys and girls. In the syllabus the Poetry, Prose and Drama classes share a single Saturday in March 2027, with an early-bird entry discount that closes in early December 2026, which is a useful reminder that a festival day like this is won or lost on the entry deadline and the running order.

Entrants are grouped into seven tiers: 6 & Under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-17 and Open (18 and over). Solo time limits climb from 1 minute for the youngest tier to 3 minutes for ages 7 to 10, 4 minutes for 11 to 14, 5 minutes for 15 to 17 and 6 minutes for adults. Duologue limits run 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5 and 6 minutes up the same ladder. The syllabus’s own youngest duologue class is a catch-all for under-nines, so its time limit is repeated across the two youngest tiers here rather than invented separately for each.

The syllabus lists entry fees per class but no points per criterion and no printed marking sheet, so each class is scored on a nominal 10, fees are installed as zero for each organiser to set, and no ranks are installed. Before the day, tell entrants how voice, diction, characterisation, movement and, for pairs, shared focus and listening will be weighed, and agree with your adjudicators how a mark of, say, 8 or 9 will be described in the feedback.

Where this event comes from

The Drama section sits inside a long-running annual competitive arts festival in a cathedral city of the English West Midlands, where poetry, prose, drama and music classes are run in the same programme.

Where this event is run

Age-graded drama classes judged by an adjudicator with a mark and spoken or written feedback are a long-standing festival tradition across the United Kingdom, with the same shape found in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. Local arts societies, drama teachers and schools run smaller versions: an age ladder, a strict time limit per class, and a solo class alongside a pair class so that shy beginners and confident scene partners each have somewhere to enter.

• United Kingdom

Key facts

• Two competitions: Solo Acting (individual) and Duologue Acting (pair)
• Seven age tiers: 6 & Under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-17 and Open (18+)
• Solo limits: 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5 and 6 minutes up the ladder
• Duologue limits: 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5 and 6 minutes; the youngest syllabus class is a catch-all for under-nines
• Mixed-gender entry, performed in English
• Scored on a nominal 10; fees installed as zero and no ranks, because the source prints neither points nor a marking sheet

Age groups

7

Competition items

2

Competitions

14

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.

6 & Under

4From

–

6To

Candidates aged 4 to 6 compete in this group

7-8 Years

7From

–

9To

Candidates aged 7 to 9 compete in this group

9-10 Years

9From

–

11To

Candidates aged 9 to 11 compete in this group

11-12 Years

11From

–

13To

Candidates aged 11 to 13 compete in this group

13-14 Years

13From

–

15To

Candidates aged 13 to 15 compete in this group

15-17 Years

15From

–

18To

Candidates aged 15 to 18 compete in this group

Open (18+)

18From

–

120To

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.

Solo Acting

ActionMarks

Duologue Acting

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.