Speech & Drama · United Kingdom
The Worthing Music and Arts Festival (West Sussex, England) Speech & Drama section, with real Solo Drama and Duologue classes across an age ladder from 9 years to 15 & Over.
A ready-made speech and drama festival section with a solo class and a two-person class, run across six age groups from 9 years to 15 and over, with three-minute solo pieces and five-minute duologues.
This template models the Speech and Drama section of an arts festival on the West Sussex coast in southern England. Performers present a prepared piece to an adjudicator, who gives comments and a mark. It is built from the festival’s published 2027 syllabus, so the two classes, the age bands and the time limits are real. The syllabus gives a provisional weekend in mid-February 2027 for the section, so check the current syllabus before reusing anything, because dates, fees and entry rules change every year.
Two items are modelled. Solo Drama is one performer presenting a speech from a script; Duologue is a scene for two performers. Both are open to boys and girls and performed in English. Unlike festivals that use school years, this one groups entrants by age, reckoned as at a fixed date in the preceding summer rather than the day of the festival. Solo Drama has single-year classes for 9, 10, 11 and 12 year olds, then a combined 13 to 14 class and a 15 and over class.
Time limits are short and tied to age. Solo Drama is three minutes up to age 12 and three and a half minutes from 13 upward. Duologue is a flat five minutes in every class. The real syllabus bands Duologue more coarsely (11 and under, 12 to 14, 15 and over), so the template repeats each band across the finer single-year groups it covers, and entrants only enter the class that matches their age.
The source does not print a marking table, so every class is scored on a nominal 10 and entry fees are installed as zero for each organiser to set. Many other classes at the real festival, such as verse speaking, prose reading, Shakespeare, mime and improvisation, are not built here. Tell entrants beforehand how characterisation, voice, movement and, for duologues, how well the pair work together will be weighed.
Where this event comes from
The Speech and Drama classes are one section of an annual multi-discipline music and arts festival held on the West Sussex coast, England.
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 and drama teachers run smaller versions of the same format, with an adjudicator, an age-based time limit and one mark per performance.
- United Kingdom
Key facts
- Two competitions: Solo Drama (individual) and Duologue (a pair)
- Six age groups: 9, 10, 11 and 12 Years, 13-14 Years and 15 & Over
- Solo Drama limits: three minutes up to age 12, three and a half minutes from 13 upward
- Duologue is a flat five minutes in every class
- Scored on a nominal 10 with a single mark; the source prints no criteria sheet
- Verse speaking, prose reading, Shakespeare, mime and improvisation classes at the real festival are not modelled
- Age groups
- 6
- Competition items
- 2
- Competitions
- 12
- 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.
9 Years
Candidates aged 9 to 10 compete in this group
10 Years
Candidates aged 10 to 11 compete in this group
11 Years
Candidates aged 11 to 12 compete in this group
12 Years
Candidates aged 12 to 13 compete in this group
13-14 Years
Candidates aged 13 to 15 compete in this group
15 & Over
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Years | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Solo Drama | Individual | — | English | 10 | 3 min |
| Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
| 10 Years | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Solo Drama | Individual | — | English | 10 | 3 min |
| Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
| 11 Years | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Solo Drama | Individual | — | English | 10 | 3 min |
| Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
| 12 Years | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Solo Drama | Individual | — | English | 10 | 3 min |
| Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
| 13-14 Years | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Solo Drama | Individual | — | English | 10 | 3m 30s |
| Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 5 min |
| 15 & Over | |||||
| Action | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Solo Drama | Individual | — | English | 10 | 3m 30s |
| Duologue | Team | — | English | 10 | 5 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 Worthing Music and Arts Festival – Drama event
Was this guide useful?
