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Speech & Drama Syllabus

Rules

1. One good-quality copy of each selection must be received by the Speech Arts Chairperson at least two weeks before the Festival date.
   1. Failure to observe this rule could result in the withdrawal of the contestant in those classes for which selection copies have not been received.
   2. ALL COPIES OF OWN CHOICE SELECTIONS SHOULD BE CLEARLY MARKED WITH BOTH THE COMPETITOR’S NAME AND CLASS NUMBER.
2. Due to copyright laws, students should select work from school texts or readily available publications as they must have such publications available for the adjudicator’s use at the performance.
   1. Using photocopied material is prohibited unless approved through CanCopy or a publisher’s letter.
   2. Downloaded material from the Internet is acceptable as long as a receipt of payment is presented.
3. OWN CHOICE SELECTIONS: YOU MUST BRING THE PUBLICATION CONTAINING THE SELECTION WITH YOU FOR THE ADJUDICATOR’S USE.
   1. Original publications must be presented to the adjudicator’s secretary when proceeding to perform.
   2. The publication must be opened to the appropriate page for the selection and show the start and end of the selection being performed.
   3. Such publications will be available after the adjudication. The Festival does not accept responsibility for unclaimed publications.
4. In duo and group entries, the appropriate class is determined by the age of the OLDEST entrant.
5. Groups should be entered under the name of the group, giving the number of participants and not as individual entries. ONE entry for a duo or group with ONE complete form.
6. In duos, substitutions may be allowed for one member if the Speech Arts Chairperson is notified immediately. Such replacements will be at the discretion of the chairperson (see general rules).
7. AWARDS AND BURSARIES: Competitors wishing to qualify for bursaries must enter a minimum of two solo classes within their age grouping. Winners will be chosen by the adjudicator (see General Rules).
8. PROVINCIAL FINALS: For current information, please go to www.bcprovincials.com
9. Performers aspiring toward a Provincial recommendation are required to enter poetry, prose and dramatic monologue classes, and should contact the chairperson regarding Provincial requirements.
   1. Competitors in the Senior Class are required to perform a Sonnet as well as Poetry, Prose and Drama.
10. All speech presentations must be memorized, except for Sight Reading, Readers’ Theatre and story-reading sections.
11. Contestants are reminded that time limits must not be exceeded. If exceeded, a bell will sound, and competitors must stop immediately.
12. Competitors, teachers or parents must not communicate directly with the adjudicator (see general rules).

 

Definitions

The following definitions have been established as guidelines for competitors at the Provincial level and are the definitions used by the MIPAF.

Prose

A prose passage is a selection from a story, novel, essay or similar writing that forms a concise unit. The prose is non-metrical writing: thus, stories written in verse are not appropriate. In prose, the speaker is the narrator. The focus should be on the voice. Vocal characterization is encouraged, but the quality of prose must be maintained. The selection should include narration, description and dialogue. It should be spoken in the story-telling style, but should not be performed as a dramatic scene, i.e. there is to be no acting, with only very limited movement around the stage. Competitors may stand or be seated.

Drama

In drama, the speaker is the character. The selection should be taken from a play written to be presented on the stage by an actor assuming the character’s language, movement and dress. The selection should be the words of one character only, with words of other characters omitted. Shakespeare selections must be taken from his plays and not his non-dramatic poetry. Movement, character development and relationships are essential in this section, thus “stand-alone” monologues (not from longer plays) are poor choices at the provincial level.

Poetry

In poetry, the language is molded into a design; in prose, it is not. Speakers may choose to perform any type of poetry: lyric, narrative, dramatic or slam – matching performance choices to author intention and style:

• Lyric: a short unified poem expressing the poet’s own experience and emotion, usually presented in a relaxed stance with no movement. The speaker interprets rather than identifies with it.
  • e.g. Solitude, by Bliss Carman;
  • To Autumn, by Keats;
  • Sonnets of Shakespeare and Wordsworth.
• Narrative: a poem that tells a story and usually has dialogue: the telling of a story is the primary concern of the speaker.
  • e.g. The King’s Breakfast, by A. A. Milne;
  • The Raven, by E. A. Poe;
  • The Cattle Thief, by Pauline Johnson.
• Dramatic: in a dramatic poem, a character distinct from the performer and poet speaks, revealing personality and attitudes. The primary concern of the poem is to show character, and not tell a story.
  • e.g. My Last Duchess, by Robert Browning;
  • Patterns, by Amy Lowell.
• Slam Poetry: an idea or thematic connection poems with voice, humour, rhythm, exaggeration, wordplay, written for performance to an audience. Excerpts may be presented as these poems are often very long. Suggested resource books include:
  • Word Warriors (Olsen)
  • Take the Mic (Smith)
  • Poetry Slam (Glazner)
• Sonnet: a sonnet is a fixed form lyric poem, traditionally consisting of 14 lines of iambic pentameter with a set rhyme scheme. In Senior Speech, modern sonnets with variations in rhyme scheme and stanzaic structure are permissible, as are caudate, curtal and double sonnets, provided their inclusion fits the overall time allowance. Sources:
  • The Penguin Book of the Sonnet
  • Making of a Sonnet (Hirsch)
  • The Art of the Sonnet (Burt)

Costumes and Props

Costuming and props are only permitted for the Drama selection. Competitors should select material that requires an absolute minimum of props, and these should be portable. All props and costumes remain the sole responsibility of the competitors. Competitors should use good judgment in selecting suitable dress for their presentations. It is not intended that students use elaborate costumes.

Classes

Canadian Poetry – Own Choice – Of Festival Standard

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
520	9 and under	2 minutes
521	11 and under	2 minutes
522	13 and under	2 minutes
523	16 and under	3 minutes
524	18 and under	5 minutes
525	Open	5 minutes

Poetry – Own Choice – Of Festival Standard

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
526	7 and under	2 minutes
527	9 and under	2 minutes
528	11 and under	2 minutes
529	13 and under	3 minutes
530	16 and under	3 minutes
531	18 and under	4 minutes
532	Open	5 minutes

Poetry – Sonnet – Own Choice – Of Festival Standard

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
533	13 and under	2 minutes
534	16 and under	2 minutes
535	18 and under	2 minutes
536	Open	2 minutes

Original Poetry – Written and Spoken by Entrant – Of Festival Standard

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
537	13 and under	2 minutes
538	16 and under	3 minutes
539	18 and under	5 minutes
540	Open	5 minutes

Prose – Own Choice – Of Festival Standard

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
541	9 and under	5 minutes
542	11 and under	5 minutes
543	13 and under	5 minutes
544	16 and under	8 minutes
545	18 and under	8 minutes
546	Open	8 minutes

Dramatic Monologue – Own Choice – Of Festival Standard

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
547	9 and under	5 minutes
548	11 and under	5 minutes
549	13 and under	5 minutes
550	16 and under	6 minutes
551	18 and under	7 minutes
552	Open	8 minutes

Shakespeare Monologue – Own Choice

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
553	16 and under	3 minutes
554	18 and under	4 minutes
555	Open	6 minutes

Dramatic Duologue – Own Choice – Of Festival Standard

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
556	9 and under	5 minutes
557	11 and under	5 minutes
558	13 and under	5 minutes
559	16 and under	8 minutes
560	18 and under	10 minutes

Mime

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
561	11 and under	2 minutes
562	13 and under	3 minutes
563	16 and under	4 minutes
564	18 and under	5 minutes
565	Open	5 minutes

Duo – Mime

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
566	11 and under	2 minutes
567	13 and under	3 minutes
568	16 and under	4 minutes
569	18 and under	5 minutes
570	Open	5 minutes

Group Mime

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
571	9 and under	4 minutes
572	11 and under	5 minutes
573	13 and under	5 minutes
574	16 and under	7 minutes
575	18 and under	10 minutes

Improvisation

CLASSES WILL REQUIRE CONTESTANTS TO BE ISOLATED. The Adjudicator will give each individual a subject around which to improvise a scene. Some preparation time will be given (3 to 5 minutes).

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
576	9 and under	3 minutes
577	11 and under	3 minutes
578	13 and under	3 minutes
579	16 and under	5 minutes
580	18 and under	5 minutes
581	Open	5 minutes

Duo – Improvisation

CLASSES WILL REQUIRE CONTESTANTS TO BE ISOLATED. The Adjudicator will give each class a subject around which to improvise a scene. Some preparation time will be given (3 to 5 minutes).

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
582	9 and under	3 minutes
583	11 and under	3 minutes
584	13 and under	3 minutes
585	16 and under	5 minutes
586	18 and under	5 minutes
587	Open	5 minutes

Sight Reading

CLASSES WILL REQUIRE CONTESTANTS TO BE ISOLATED. The Adjudicator will select an unseen piece. No preparation time.

Class	Age Level
588	9 and under
589	11 and under
590	16 and under
591	16 and under
592	18 and under
593	Open

Story Telling – Own Choice

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
594	13 and under	4 minutes
595	16 and under	5 minutes
596	18 and under	6 minutes

Group Scenes – Own Choice – Of Festival Standard

Minimum of 3 and a maximum of 7 participants.

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
597	13 and under	6 minutes
598	16 and under	8 minutes
599	18 and under	10 minutes

Formal Speech – Own Choice

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
600	9 and under	2 minutes
601	11 and under	2 minutes
602	13 and under	2 minutes
603	16 and under	3 minutes
604	18 and under	3 minutes
605	Open	3 minutes

Story Reading

CLASSES WILL REQUIRE CONTESTANTS TO BE ISOLATED. Word-for-word memorization is forbidden—the book must be used.

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
606	7 and under	3 minutes
607	9 and under	4 minutes
608	11 and under	5 minutes

Speech Choirs and Readers Theatre

Marks will not be awarded and only an adjudication comment will be given.

Readers Theatre – Own Choice

MAXIMUM TEN (10) PARTICIPANTS PER GROUP

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
609	9 and under	8 minutes
610	11 and under	8 minutes
611	13 and under	10 minutes
612	16 and under	15 minutes
613	18 and under	20 minutes

Speech Choirs – Own Choice – Two Contrasting Selections

Class	Category	Time Limit
614	Kindergarten	2 minutes
615	Grade 1	2 minutes
616	Grade 2	2 minutes
617	Grades 3 & 4	2 minutes
618	Grades 5 & 6	3 minutes
619	Grade 7	3 minutes
620	Grade 8 – 10	3 minutes
621	Grade 11 – 12	3 minutes

Humour – Own Choice – Any Selection

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
622	13 and under	2 minutes
623	16 and under	4 minutes
624	18 and under	6 minutes
625	Open	6 minutes

Non-Competitive Novice Classes

Poetry – Own Choice

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
626	Primary Grades 1 – 3	2 minutes
627	Intermediate Grades 4 – 7	3 minutes

Prose – Own Choice

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
628	Primary Grades 1 – 3	3 minutes
629	Intermediate Grades 4 – 7	4 minutes

Speech Choirs – Own Choice – Two Contrasting Selections

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
630	Primary Grades 1 – 3	2 minutes
631	Intermediate Grades 4 – 7	3 minutes

Provincial

Public Speaking and Storytelling

• One selection of original Public Speaking and one selection of Storytelling, performed consecutively in either order, with one minute between selections if required.
• The selection of Public Speaking must be an original extemporaneous speech and not memorized.
  
  • Notes should be used but not read from.
  • The speech can be persuasive, informational, or entertaining, on a topic of the speaker’s choice.
• The selection of Storytelling can include an original story or the competitor’s adaptation of a folktale, fairy tale, myth, legend or story.
  
  • Stories must be told and must be in the competitor’s own words without the use of notes.
    
  • Appropriate sounds, props, or limited movement may be included.

A minimum mark of 85 is required for qualification to Provincials. Need not enter Speech and Dramatic Arts classes.

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
632	11 to 13	10 minutes
633	17 and under	12 minutes
634	23 and under	15 minutes

Provincial Excellence in Speech Arts

• A well–rounded program consisting of selections by different authors representing a diversity of time periods.
  
• The program must include five to seven selections, including one piece by a Canadian author and two contrasting dramatic scenes; one of the scenes must have been written prior to the year 1900. Classical scenes such as Greek, Shakespeare, Restoration or 18th Century dramatic selections may be considered to meet this requirement. 
• All selections must have a unifying theme. Performers must introduce their theme to the audience at the beginning and then, before the performance of each selection, briefly explain the selection’s connection to the theme.

A minimum mark of 85 is required for qualification to Provincials.

Class	Age Level	Time Limit
635	23 and under	35 minutes