One performer acts a single scene or speech from a play as a character, judged on how convincingly the moment is played.
An acted solo scene is a short piece of drama performed by one person. The entrant takes a scene or speech from a play, or a scripted extract that works alone, and acts it in English as a single character. Unlike a poem or a prose reading, the performer is expected to play a person in a situation, so the audience should learn who the character is, who they are speaking to and what they want within the first few lines.
A round is quick and plain. The entrant is called, gives the title of the piece and the playwright, settles into a starting position and begins. There is normally no set, costume or lighting, so a chair, a look towards an imagined second person or a change of posture has to suggest the rest of the room. The adjudicator watches whether the thoughts and feelings are believable, whether every word can be heard, and whether the scene moves somewhere instead of staying at one volume and speed.
On paper an entry is one named performer, the title and the author. On the template that carries it, the item is an Individual class for boys and girls together, performed in English and marked in Marks out of 10. It is offered in seven age bands from 7-9 up to 14-16, with a limit of 3 minutes for the youngest band and 4 minutes for each older band. No separate criteria are printed, so organisers should tell entrants beforehand how characterisation, voice and control will be weighed.
Festival organisers run it because it is the step after verse speaking and prose reading, where a young performer first has to hold the stage alone and commit to a character. It gives teachers a clear way to see who has understood a text rather than only memorised it, and it makes a varied session, since every entrant makes different choices.
Where Acted Solo Scene is run
Acted Solo Scene appears on one eTalenter template, a children and young people's speech and drama festival in England, where it sits in the Action category beside the Duologue class. That is the only template that carries it, so this page does not claim wider use. The same idea is run under other names elsewhere, such as Dramatic Solo or Dramatic Monologue, and a Mono Act differs because it is an original one-person show rather than a scene taken from a script.
- England, United Kingdom
Key facts
- Individual entry of one performer, boys and girls together
- Performed in English as a single character from a scripted scene or speech
- Seven age bands on the template: 7-9, 9-10, 10-11, 11-12, 12-13, 13-14 and 14-16
- Time limit of 3 minutes for the 7-9 band and 4 minutes for every older band
- Marked in Marks out of 10; no separate judging criteria are printed
- Different from a Duologue (two actors) and from a Mono Act (an original one-person show)
On eTalenter, Acted Solo Scene is filed under Action and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Acted Solo Scene is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 10, commonly time-limited to 3–4 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Acted Solo Scene
What a Acted Solo Scene panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Belief in the character: the performer is one clear person with a want, shown through voice, face and posture and not only through the words
- Understanding of the scene: the choices show what the character knows and feels at this moment, so a question sounds like a question and a threat like a threat
- Clarity of speech: every word reaches the back of the room, even when the character is angry, upset or laughing
- Shape of the scene: there is a beginning, a point where something changes and an ending, and the energy rises and falls on purpose
- Use of the imagined partner: eye lines and reactions are steady, so the listener the character speaks to feels real
- Simple, motivated movement: moves have a reason, the performer stays open to the audience and does not drift, fidget or pace
- Security and finish: the lines are learned, there is no prompting, and the piece ends cleanly inside the time limit for the age band
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Acted Solo Scene under Scoring Setup, or start from the full mono act judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Acted Solo Scene
How entrants and their teachers usually get Acted Solo Scene right on the day:
- Pick a scene with a character close to your age whose mood changes during it; a speech that stays the same feeling throughout is hard to make interesting
- Read the whole play or at least the pages either side so you know what the character has just done and what they want next
- Decide who the character is talking to and where that person stands, then keep your eye line there so the scene feels real
- Learn the words first, then rehearse on your feet, so the lines are automatic and you can think about the character instead of the next word
- Time the piece aloud including your introduction against the 3-minute or 4-minute limit for your band, and cut a line rather than race to fit
- Plan a starting spot, one or two moves with a reason and an ending position, and practise facing the audience throughout
- Perform for a teacher or friend and ask what was unclear, then fix the one weakest thing each rehearsal
Frequently asked questions
Is Acted Solo Scene judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
What is the difference between an acted solo scene and a duologue?
An acted solo scene has one performer playing one character, with any other person in the scene only imagined. A duologue is a two-person class where each partner plays a character and they respond to each other. On the template that carries both, they are separate items with their own time limits and age bands.
How long can an acted solo scene be?
On the template that carries it, 3 minutes for the 7-9 band and 4 minutes for every older band, from 9-10 up to 14-16. Time your introduction too, and check with your organiser whether it counts towards the limit.
Do I need a costume or props?
Usually not. Nothing in the template marks costume or props, and most speech and drama sessions use a plain stage. A chair or one small item is normally fine, but the acting should carry the scene.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
Individually. It is an Individual class for one performer, marked in Marks out of 10, so only your own performance is scored.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full mono act judging criteria guide, or browse every action competition item.
Try Acted Solo Scene in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Acted Solo Scene, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
