A short, scripted comedic or dramatic scene performed by a large group, judged on writing and delivery.
A large group skit is a short scripted scene played by a big cast who share one story. The whole idea of the class is scale: instead of three or four performers, a dozen or more can take the floor, so the writing has to give each person something to do and the staging has to keep a crowd readable. The tone may be comic, serious or a mix, provided the audience can follow what happens and why.
A round normally begins with the cast filing on and taking their opening positions, then performing from memory with little or no set. Props are kept to what can be carried and placed in seconds. The challenge for a large cast is traffic: entrances, exits, crossings and group freezes must be rehearsed so the stage never turns into a crowd of people waiting for a cue. When the scene ends the cast clears quickly for the next entry.
On eTalenter the item is carried by three talent templates: a United States junior talent template (junior group entrants aged 7 to 12, a seven-minute limit, scored out of 5), an international teen talent template (ages 13 to 19, no time limit printed, rating with a maximum of 5) and a Jamaican talent showcase (youth aged 13 to 40, marked out of 100, no time limit printed). In all three it is a team item in English, open to both genders. The templates do not print where a large group begins, so the notice should state the minimum cast size.
Organisers run it as a separate class beside the small group skit so a big ensemble is not judged against a compact team, and because it lets a whole drama club, class or youth group enter together and share one slot.
Where Large Group Skit is run
On eTalenter this item is carried by three talent templates: a United States junior talent template, an international teen talent template and a Jamaican talent showcase. Large-cast sketches are also a familiar class at school drama festivals and youth talent shows, but this page records only the templates that carry it.
- United States
- Jamaica
- Worldwide
Key facts
- Team item: one large cast, one scene, one score for the whole group
- Three templates carry it: junior group (7-12), teens (13-19) and a youth band (13-40)
- Only the junior template prints a time limit: seven minutes
- Scored as marks (junior out of 5, Jamaican out of 100) and as a rating in the teen template
- English language, open to both genders in all three templates
- Sits in the Drama category beside the small group skit; the cast-size boundary is not printed, so organisers must set it
On eTalenter, Large Group Skit is filed under Drama and typically scored with Marks, Rating out of 10. 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, Large Group Skit is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 5, commonly time-limited to around 7 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Large Group Skit
What a Large Group Skit panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Script and idea: one clear story with a beginning, middle and end, written so that a big cast all has a purpose rather than extras standing in the background
- Ensemble work: lines, reactions and movement are shared across the cast, with nobody idle and nobody drowned out
- Stage control: groupings, crossings and exits are tidy and every performer stays visible; crowd scenes are choreographed, not chaotic
- Voice and acting: believable characters, speech that carries to the back of the room, and group lines delivered together when needed
- Timing and pace: cues picked up without gaps, a smooth start and finish, and a scene that ends inside the allowed time
- Impact and taste: a scene that holds the audience and suits the event's tone and content guidelines
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Large Group Skit under Scoring Setup, or start from the full drama & skit judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Large Group Skit
How entrants and their teachers usually get Large Group Skit right on the day:
- Write the story first, then assign roles, so that every cast member has a named character and at least one moment of their own
- Plan the stage as a map: mark positions, entrances and exits on paper and rehearse crowd movements slowly before adding lines
- Choose two or three people to carry the main plot and use the rest for reactions, group lines and scene-setting that adds to the story
- Rehearse the opening and the final freeze until they are clean; a messy start or ending costs the most with a big cast
- Time full run-throughs with a timer and cut to the organiser's limit, allowing for audience laughter and applause
- Practise projecting and speaking in unison, then test in a large room that the back row hears every word
- Keep props and costume to a few items that can be placed and cleared in seconds, and check the notice for cast size and sound rules
Frequently asked questions
Is Large Group Skit 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.
How many people make a large group?
The templates do not print a size. Organisers should state the minimum cast in the notice, along with where the small group skit class ends.
How long can a large group skit run?
The junior template prints seven minutes. The teen and Jamaican templates print no limit, so organisers should publish one.
Is a large group skit the same as a small group skit?
The scene format is the same; the difference is the size of the cast. They are separate classes so large ensembles are not judged against compact teams.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
As a team: one score is given for the whole cast, so shared work and group staging count as much as any single performer.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full drama & skit judging criteria guide, or browse every drama competition item.
Try Large Group Skit in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Large Group Skit, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
