High School Festival: Speech & Drama
If you have a flair for the dramatic, love the idea of performing for an audience or want to stretch your creative writing skills, here’s your chance. Compete in playwriting, group or solo performance categories and receive feedback from our respected and award-winning theatre faculty.
Competitions
Performance (Solo)
4–6 minutes
One long or two short memorized selections from a novel, short story, poem or play. Introductions and transitions are expected.
Acting (Group)
2+ Students | 7–9 minutes
Scene excerpted from published play by reputable author; brief introduction needed for each scene; quality of literature will be part of the evaluation. No Readers’ Theatre, lighting, makeup or sound effects.
Small table, two chairs and one stool provided; costumes, props and other set pieces left to discretion of performers. Students must be able to perform their scene in an acting space of approximately 20'x12'.
Original Oratory (Solo)
5–7 minutes
Original speech to stimulate, convince, inform or move to action. May not deal with doctrinal interpretation or religious controversy. Must be delivered without notes.
24-Hour Playwriting (Solo)
24-Hour Playwriting Guidelines
7–10 minutes
Playwrights will have 24 hours to write a short play based on specific prompts. The four most promising plays will be rehearsed on Wednesday and presented to an audience on Wednesday evening. Participants who wish to write a play must arrive on Monday, Oct. 30, by 1 p.m. to receive instructions and prompts. Actors who wish to participate in the event will audition on Monday, Oct. 30, from 4:30–5:30 p.m.
Awards will be presented for best plays as well as best presentation by student actors. Up to 3 winners will be chosen for Best Plays and receive a trophy and a full scholarship to attend EDUcamp next summer!
Printable Guidelines for all categories
- Students may enter a maximum of 3 contests.
- Students may win first place more than once in successive years with different pieces.
- Any student who does not fulfill all of the contest requirements will forfeit their right to win but will receive judges’ written critiques.
1st Place Individual
- Trophy
- Paid program fee for the 1st semester of freshman year at BJU ($800–$1475)
- $400 Scholarship for BJU EDUcamp
2nd Place Individual
- Plaque
- $200 Scholarship for BJU EDUcamp
3rd Place Individual
- Plaque
- $200 Scholarship for BJU EDUcamp
1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Group Winners
- Trophy
Students are strongly encouraged to rehearse and perform in one of the following side-by-side experiences hosted by members and directors of BJU performing groups.
Wind Band
- Open to 9–12th grade students in brass, woodwind, and percussion. Students will rehearse and perform side-by-side with members of the BJU Symphonic Wind Band under the direction of Bruce Cox.
Orchestra
- Open to 9–12th grade students who play violin, viola, cello or bass. Students will rehearse and perform side-by-side with members of the BJU Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Moore.
- Violin I must be able to play with confidence and ease in fifth position, Violin II and Viola in third position, Cello and Bass in fourth position.
Concert Chorus
- Open to SATB singers recommended by their director.
- Each school or homeschool group may select up to 3 balanced quartets of SATB for a total of 12 singers maximum. These singers will rehearse and perform concert choral literature side-by-side with the University Chorale under the direction of Andrew Huish.
Festival Singers
- Open to SATB singers participating in any area of the Festival. This chorus will rehearse and perform side-by-side with the University Singers under the direction of Pattye Casarow.