A single performer plays a dramatic role or scene alone, judged on characterisation and stage presence.
Drama Solo is a class in which one performer plays a dramatic role or scene entirely alone. There is no cast to lean on: the competitor creates the character, the situation and the other people in the scene through voice, face, movement and timing, usually in English on the templates that carry it.
A round is short and self-contained. The performer is called, takes the stage, may announce the title of the piece, and performs a prepared scene or monologue of their own choosing within the time limit while the adjudicator watches and marks. Younger entrants often perform a short scene from a story or play; older entrants may take on a more demanding dramatic speech.
A strong entry has a clear character who wants something, a beginning, a turning point and an ending, and uses the whole performing space. Because the performer is the only person on stage, small choices carry weight: where they look when they address an imagined person, how the voice changes between moods, and when they stay still.
Organisers run the class because it develops confidence, concentration and imagination in one person at a time, and it sits naturally beside verse speaking, storytelling and public speaking in a speech and drama programme. It is a dramatic performance class, so it differs from the story or prose classes in which the speaker simply tells or reads.
Where Drama Solo is run
On the eTalenter templates this item appears on three: a Sri Lankan speech and drama festival, a national fine arts programme and an entertainers' festival. The Sri Lankan template runs it in three age bands with a time limit that grows with age, the fine arts template as a single open class, and the entertainers' festival across many age bands. It is grouped under Action or Drama.
- Sri Lanka
Key facts
- Individual entry, open to boys and girls together
- Sri Lankan template bands: 7-9 years at 2 minutes, 10-14 at 3 minutes and 15 and over at 4 minutes
- Marked out of 10 on the Sri Lankan template; the other two templates mark out of 100
- On the Sri Lankan template it is one of three solo drama classes alongside Devised Drama Solo and Musical Drama Solo
- The fine arts template allows 5 minutes for the open class; the entertainers' festival allows 3 minutes in the youngest bands
On eTalenter, Drama Solo is filed under Action, Drama and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 3 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Drama Solo is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 2–5 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Drama Solo
What a Drama Solo panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Characterisation: a believable character with a clear voice, manner and purpose, held from first line to last
- Voice: clear, varied and audible, with pace and volume shaped to the mood of each moment
- Physical expression: face, gesture and movement that show the situation rather than decorate it
- Stage presence and use of space: confident entrance, steady focus and purposeful placement on the stage
- Dramatic shape: a beginning, a turning point and an ending that closes the piece cleanly
- Time discipline: finishing within the age-band limit without cutting the ending short
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Drama Solo under Scoring Setup, or start from the full mono act judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Drama Solo
How entrants and their teachers usually get Drama Solo right on the day:
- Choose a scene with one clear character and one clear want, so the performance has something to play
- Learn the words so securely that your attention is free for the character, not for remembering lines
- Decide who you are speaking to and where they stand, and keep your eyeline to them consistent
- Plan three or four changes of mood or pace so the piece does not stay at a single level
- Time a full run in costume-free rehearsal clothes and trim until you finish inside the limit
- Practise the entrance and the final moment separately, since both are seen before and after the acting
- Perform for a small audience and ask what they understood about the character, then adjust
- Record a run and watch with the sound off to check that your face and body tell the story
Frequently asked questions
Is Drama Solo 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.
Is Drama Solo the same as a mono act?
They are close, since both are one performer in a dramatic role, but names and rules differ between festivals. Check the event syllabus for the time limit and whether a prepared scene or an original piece is expected.
How long can I perform?
On the Sri Lankan template the limit is 2 minutes for ages 7-9, 3 minutes for 10-14 and 4 minutes for 15 and over. The other templates set their own limits.
What is the difference between Drama Solo and Devised Drama Solo?
Both are solo classes on the Sri Lankan template. Drama Solo is a dramatic scene or monologue, while the devised class is built by the performer; check the festival syllabus for exactly what each requires.
Can I use props or a costume?
That is set by each event's syllabus, so check before you prepare. Simple, safe choices that help the character are generally easier to manage than elaborate ones.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full mono act judging criteria guide, or browse every action competition item.
Try Drama Solo in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Drama Solo, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
