Musical Theatre Group Competition: What It Is, Where It's Run and How It's Judged

A team performs a number from a stage musical together, singing, acting and moving as an ensemble, and is marked as one group.

A musical theatre group class asks a team to present a number from a stage or screen musical as one ensemble piece. Where the solo and duet classes put one or two characters in front of the adjudicator, this class is about a company: a chorus line, a group of friends, a crowd scene, a company opening or finale. The team is expected to sing, act and move together so that the audience understands the story and the mood of the number within a few seconds of the first bar.

A round runs on a strict clock. The group enters, sets any simple staging, starts the accompaniment and performs the number inside the limit for its age band, then clears the stage for the next team. The adjudicator watches how tightly the voices blend, whether the words are clear when many people sing at once, how the choreography is shared out, and whether every member looks like part of the story rather than a spectator waiting for a turn.

On paper an entry is one number, normally cut from the full show to fit the time limit, with a named team, a director or teacher, and an accompaniment arrangement. Strong choices give everyone something real to do, suit the age and range of the youngest members, and have a clear beginning, middle and end even after cutting. Entrants are usually stage-school classes, school drama clubs or dance-school companies, and organisers value the class because it is the one place where singing, acting and movement are judged together on a team.

On the two templates listed here it is a team entry open to boys and girls together, marked out of 100. The British music, speech and drama eisteddfod template runs it in six bands from 7 and under to 18 and under, with limits of 6, 6, 6, 7, 8 and 8 minutes. The Australian junior dance eisteddfod template runs it as a dance-side class in four bands, 10 and under, 12 and under, 15 and under and open, with limits of 6, 6, 10 and 10 minutes. Neither template prints separate criteria, so the adjudicator's overall mark decides.

Where Musical Theatre Group is run

Musical Theatre Group is carried by two eTalenter templates: a British music, speech and drama eisteddfod, where it sits in the Music category beside the Musical Theatre Solo and Musical Theatre Duet classes, and an Australian junior dance eisteddfod, where it sits in the Dance category. Group musical theatre numbers are a familiar class at competitive music, drama and dance festivals more generally, but this page records only the templates listed here.

• United Kingdom
• Australia

Key facts

• Team entry, open to boys and girls together, with no fixed team size printed on either template
• British template: six age bands from 7 and under to 18 and under, limits of 6, 6, 6, 7, 8 and 8 minutes
• Australian template: four bands (10, 12, 15 and under, and open), limits of 6, 6, 10 and 10 minutes
• Marked out of 100 in every band; no separate criteria are printed, so the adjudicator's overall mark decides
• Sits in the Music category on one template and the Dance category on the other, so the emphasis can lean towards singing or towards movement

On eTalenter, Musical Theatre Group is filed under Dance, Music and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 2 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Musical Theatre Group is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 6–10 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Musical Theatre Group

What a Musical Theatre Group panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Ensemble singing: secure pitch, balanced parts and a blend where no single voice dominates unless the number asks for it
• Diction in numbers: lyrics stay clear when many voices sing at once, because a story that cannot be heard cannot be marked up
• Staging and movement: formations, entrances and group choreography are clean, use the stage well and support the song instead of distracting from it
• Characterisation across the team: every member plays someone, with focus and energy held through the whole number, including when not at the front
• Unity and precision: starts, cut-offs, steps and transitions land together, which is where large teams most often lose marks
• Presentation and stagecraft: suitable costume and simple props, quick set-up and clear-down, and an ending that finishes the story within the time limit

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Musical Theatre Group under Scoring Setup, or start from how judge scoring and tabulation works in eTalenter.

How to prepare for Musical Theatre Group

How entrants and their teachers usually get Musical Theatre Group right on the day:

• Choose a number with a part for every member and keep the cut to the time limit for your band, rather than rushing the full song
• Watch or read the scene the number comes from, so the whole team agrees what is happening and what the group wants
• Teach vocal parts separately first, then combine, and rehearse the lyrics spoken as a chorus to fix diction before adding the melody
• Draw the stage plan on paper: entrances, formations, who is in front when, and how everyone ends, then rehearse it on a stage of the real size
• Run the number with a timer and the real accompaniment, including the walk-on and any cut-off, and leave a margin under the limit
• Rehearse set-up and clear-down as well, because time spent arranging props and positions can count against the slot
• Give younger or newer members clear, simple jobs and place stronger singers and movers around them so the group looks even from the front
• Keep costume unified but simple, in case props or quick changes are not allowed on the day

Frequently asked questions

Is Musical Theatre Group judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

What is a musical theatre group in a festival?

It is a team class where a group performs a number from a stage or screen musical together, singing, acting and moving as an ensemble, and is marked as one group.

How long is a musical theatre group number in competition?

It depends on the event. On the British eisteddfod template listed here the limit is 6 minutes for 7, 9 and 11 and under, 7 minutes for 13 and under, and 8 minutes for 15 and 18 and under. On the Australian dance eisteddfod template it is 6 minutes for 10 and 12 and under and 10 minutes for 15 and under and open.

Is a musical theatre group judged individually or as a team?

It is a team entry. The adjudicator gives one mark out of 100 to the whole group, so unity and balance matter more than any single performer.

How is a musical theatre group different from a musical theatre duet?

A duet is two characters sharing one song and is judged mainly on their relationship and blend. A group number adds an ensemble: more voices to balance, group staging and movement, and a company feel, and the two are separate classes on the British template.

Want the full judging picture? Read how judge scoring and tabulation works in eTalenter, or browse every dance competition item.

Try Musical Theatre Group in eTalenter

See every ready-made template that runs Musical Theatre Group, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.

See where Musical Theatre Group is used