UPDATES FOR 2027 ONGOING - to be finalised by 16th Oct 2026

The Speech & Drama Section

The Speech & Drama section is the largest section of the Festival. Please refer to the links above and to the right for more information.

Speech and Drama set poems are available here.

Updates for 2027

1. The Festival will run from Saturday 27^th February 2027 through to Sunday 14^th March 2027 for the Solo and Duologue classes, with the Group section likely taking place on the first Sunday 28th February.
2. All Infant classes will take place on 6th and 7th March 2027 only
3. For all Group classes, the number of performers must be between 5 and 10.
4. IMPORTANT: Please ensure that performances are within the time limits advised for each entry. For Seniors and Juniors, performances above the time will be penalised or even disqualified. Please refer to clause 5.1 under Regulations
5. House lights will be off for ALL performances EXCEPT Public Speaking classes
6. There are several new classes offered. Please read through the guidance provided before submitting entries
7. Please note for Junior Solo and Duologue Acting classes (S50, S51, S54 and S55) the pieces can include Shakespearean texts.
8. For performances of Verse and Prose, please refer to guidelines provided by LAMDA under Teacher Support Materials (particularly pages 11 and 12) - https://www.lamda.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Teacher_Support_Materials_Communications_2024_v1.pdf.
9. The Finale (for all gold medal winners) is scheduled to take place on Sunday the 21^st of March 2027.

Script Requirements

As per Section 4.2 of the Speech & Drama Regulations, in all "Own Choice" classes the verse and prose or acting script selected must be by a published writer other than the competitor and not set elsewhere in the syllabus. ONE CLEAN, LEGIBLE COPY (BOOKS and PHOTOCOPIES are not permitted) of the piece to be performed must be provided for the Adjudicator. Marks will be deducted for poor scripts. Please hand in your script at the Reception Desk on arrival. Failure to do so may result in the entry being graded without a mark.

The following table shows the types of classes which do need and don't need scripts to be provided for the adjudicator.

Scripts Needed From You	Scripts Not Needed
Verse Speaking (Own Choice) - classes S11 through S20 Prose Reading (Own Choice) - classes S23 through S31 Solo and Duologue Acting - classes S46 through S57 and class S74 Group Acting and Anthology - classes S58 through S61	Verse Speaking (Set Poems) - classes S0 through S10 Public Speaking - classes S33 through S35 Sight Reading - classes S36 through S39 Devised Scene - classes S62 through S65