Drama
Festival Rules - Drama
A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
A6
A7
Age limits apply as at 31st August in the year of the Festival.
A copy of all script used by entrants must be passed to the Adjudicator at the beginning of
the class. Copies must be clearly marked with the entrant's name and with the page number
of the chosen piece.
Props must be limited to hand-held props, basic costume, a table and/ or chair(s).
A copy of each piece entered in the Composition class must be submitted to the Festival
Chairman one month before the Festival.
Competitors may perform only once in each Solo class. In Duo and Group classes a Competitor
may perform more than once in a class provided each performance is with a different
partner(s).
Any item which exceeds the stated class time will be penalised
Copyright Compliance
Our group licence agreement with the CLA allows permission for:
 Speech & Drama Festivals to make a copy of dramatic works for use by the Adjudicator
at a festival by photocopying, scanning or digitally copying owned content. The copy is
retained and destroyed by the adjudicator immediately after the festival and marked
"Adjudicator copy. Destroy after use".
 The copy made should be no more than one complete chapter of a book or 5% of
the publication, whichever is the greater.
Under the agreement with the Author’s Licensing and Collecting Society, performers do not
have to seek copyright permission for any poetry, prose or solo dramatic items performed to a
time limit of 10 minutes. Solo dramatic items must be announced with title and author at the
time of the performance to qualify for copyright indemnity, and the performer must not
change the words or gender of the character.
Duologues and group dramatic works (including Musical Theatre) are not covered by this
agreement, and copyright for these items should be sought by performers at the time of
entry.
Prose Reading
Class
Ref
(with text)
Solo
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Open
The Isaac Newton Memorial Hall
Fee per
Class
Own Choice
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 3 minutes
not to exceed 3 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
01a
01b
01c
01d
01e
01g
01h
£3.50
£3.50
£3.50
£4.00
£4.00
£4.50
£4.50
1
Drama
Prose Reading (with text) (continued)
Solo
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Class
Ref
Fee per
Class
A 02a
£3.50
A 02b
£3.50
A 02c
£3.50
A 02d
£4.00
A 02e
£4.00
A 02g
£4.50
The Sea Captains Tale
The Canterbury Tales
A 02h
Geoffrey Chaucer
£4.50
Set Piece
Giraffes Can’t Dance
Giles Andrede
from start to “…Because when it
came to dancing He was really very
bad.”
Gangsta Granny
David Walliams
from start to “…where celebrities
would be paired with professional
ballroom dancers.”
Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone
J.K.Rowling
from the start of Chapter 2 until
“…I want everything perfect on
Duddy’s birthday.”
Stig of the Dump
Clive King
from the start of Chapter 2 until
“… It wasn’t a Stiggish day, like
yesterday when he had fallen down
the pit.”
To Kill A Mockingbird
Harper Lee
from the start of Chapter 3 until
“…when Walter called ‘Hey, I’m
comin’!’”
The Sea Captains Tale
The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer
(from the beginning to “but enough
of this for the present”)
Open
(from the beginning to “but enough
of this for the present”)
2
The Isaac Newton Memorial Hall
Drama
Verse Speaking
Class
Ref
(from memory)
Solo
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Open
Solo
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Open
Duo
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Open
The Isaac Newton Memorial Hall
Fee per
Class
Own Choice
03a
03b
03c
03d
03e
03g
03h
£3.50
£3.50
£3.50
£4.00
£4.00
£4.50
£4.50
A 04a
£3.50
My Shadow
A 04b
Robert Louis Stevenson
£3.50
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 3 minutes
not to exceed 3 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
Set Piece
Wind On The Hill
AA Milne
The Highwayman
Part One
Alfred Noyes
The Jabberwocky
Lewis Carol
I Know Why The
Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
I Had A Duckbilled
Platypus
Patrick Barrington
I Had A Duckbilled
Platypus
Patrick Barrington
A 04c
£3.50
A 04d
£4.00
A 04e
£4.00
A 04g
£4.50
A 04h
£4.50
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
£6.00
£6.00
£6.00
£6.50
£6.50
£7.00
£7.00
Own Choice
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 3 minutes
not to exceed 3 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
05a
05b
05c
05d
05e
05g
05h
3
Drama
Acting
Solo
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Open
Duo or Group
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Open
Group - 1 Act Play
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Open
4
Class
Ref
(from published script)
Fee per
Class
Own Choice
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 3 minutes
not to exceed 3 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
06a
06b
06c
06d
06e
06g
06h
£3.50
£3.50
£3.50
£4.00
£4.00
£4.50
£4.50
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
07a
07b
07c
07d
07e
07g
07h
£6.00
£6.00
£6.00
£6.50
£6.50
£7.00
£7.00
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
08a
08b
08c
08d
08e
08g
08h
£6.00
£6.00
£6.00
£6.50
£6.50
£7.00
£7.00
Own Choice
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 7 minutes
not to exceed 7 minutes
not to exceed 10 minutes
not to exceed 10 minutes
Own Choice
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 7 minutes
not to exceed 7 minutes
not to exceed 10 minutes
not to exceed 10 minutes
The Isaac Newton Memorial Hall
Drama
Other
Class
Ref
Sight Reading – Solo
Please remember – you will not see the script before the
reading commences
approximately 1 minute
Primary School - Year 2 and under
approximately 1 minute
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
approximately 1 minute
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
approximately 3 minutes
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
approximately 3 minutes
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
approximately 4 minutes
Under 19 years
approximately 4 minutes
Open
Public Speaking/ Presentation - Solo
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Open
Choral Speaking - Group
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Open
The Isaac Newton Memorial Hall
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
Fee per
Class
9a
9b
9c
9d
9e
9g
9h
£3.50
£3.50
£3.50
£4.00
£4.00
£4.50
£4.50
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
10a
10b
10c
10d
10e
10g
10h
£3.50
£3.50
£3.50
£4.00
£4.00
£4.50
£4.50
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
12a
12b
12c
12d
12e
12g
12h
£6.00
£6.00
£6.00
£6.50
£6.50
£7.00
£7.00
Own Choice
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 3 minutes
not to exceed 3 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
Own Choice
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 2 minutes
not to exceed 4 minutes
not to exceed 4 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
not to exceed 5 minutes
5
Drama
Other
Class
Ref
(continued)
Composition (original work)* Prose or Verse (please specify)
Primary School - Year 2 and under
Primary School - Years 3 and 4
Primary School - Years 5 and 6
Secondary School - Years 7- 9
Secondary School - Years 10 and 11
Under 19 years
Open
Fee per
Class
Own Choice
not to exceed 500 words
not to exceed 500 words
not to exceed 500 words
not to exceed 500 words
not to exceed 500 words
not to exceed 1000 words
not to exceed 1000 words
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
13a
13b
13c
13d
13e
13g
13h
£4.50
£4.50
£4.50
£5.50
£5.50
£6.50
£6.50
* Composition classes must be performed on the day. However, the reading of
the composition may be restricted at the Adjudicator’s discretion on the day.
A copy of each composition must be submitted to the Festival Chairman
one month before the Festival
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The Isaac Newton Memorial Hall
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The Isaac Newton Memorial Hall