Conditions and Regulations

• The competition entry form must be submitted on or before the entry deadline.
• Schools interested in participating in the competition are strongly encouraged to send at least one teacher to the NET Section Competitions Briefing Session: Speak Up - Act Out Drama Competition (see details above).
• A Speak Up – Act Out Drama professional development workshop (6 hours) will be offered to teachers supporting students for the competition. The workshop focuses on using improvised drama techniques to devise a staged drama performance. Schools and teachers that have not participated in the SU-AO staged drama competition must attend the workshop. Teachers with experience in teaching improvised drama may apply for exemption to Ms Hannah STANDRING on 3549 8353 or by email at hannahstandring@edb.gov.hk.
• Teams must consist of four to six students, who are solely responsible for devising and performing a drama for the competition. The students may come from the same or different year levels.
• For the Improvised Drama Category, schools may enter only one team. If the competition is oversubscribed, entries will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
• For the Devised Drama Category, schools may enter up to two teams, one of which is to be designated Team 1 and the other Team 2. If the competition is oversubscribed, entries will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, and priority will be given to the Team 1 teams over the Team 2 teams.
• Schools may enter both categories of the competition, but must enter a different team (i.e. with different students) in each category.
• The online team name list (including the parent permission forms) must be submitted by the deadline (see details above). Student No. 1 on the list will be the Team Leader on the day of the competition. Team Leaders will be asked to announce the title of the drama before the performance begins. To facilitate the printing of certificates, the names of the students must be accurate in the online team name list. Teachers are solely responsible for the accuracy of the students’ names.
• If a student is ill on the day of the competition, teams can choose to perform with the remaining students in the team or to find a replacement student as a stand-in. The full name of the replacement student must be provided at the registration table on the day of the competition.
• Certificates will be available for collection at the NET Section office in Tsuen Wan within two months of the competition.

• The drama performance must be based on the given stimulus.
• No written scripts or notecards are allowed during the performance.
• All students and teachers in a team must stay for the entire event, and no exceptions will be made. Teams that arrive late to the venue or after a break may be penalised.
• Upon arrival, students in each team will receive a label with a number based on their number on the team name list. The team leader should be No. 1. Students must wear their number so that it is visible to the judges during the performance.
• All team members must perform in the drama and be involved equally, or almost equally, in the performance.
• If teachers would like to invite guests or other students to the competition, they must contact the NET Section in advance to check whether there are seats available at the venue.
• All team members must wear sports shoes, solid black T-shirts, and dark comfortable pants suitable for drama. Long hair should be tied back so that the judges can see the performers’ faces clearly.
• In order to encourage good dramatic development, use of a narrator is strongly discouraged.
• The time allowed for performances is 4 – 5 minutes. A warning bell will be rung once at 4 minutes and a final bell twice at 5 minutes. On the final bell, the student speaking may finish their sentence but then the performance must stop and the team must return to their seats. 
• The focus is on improvised drama, so lighting effects, music, costumes, props, stage sets and make-up are not permitted. Two chairs will be provided for the performance. Standing on the chairs is not permitted.
• Teams must behave like a good theatre audience. They must be attentive and respectful, and mobile phones must be switched off. After one warning, teams may be penalised.
• In the Improvised Drama category, each team will be assigned to a rehearsal room in the morning and will receive a stimulus for the drama. During the morning preparation period, each contact teacher will be assigned to supervise a team from another school. Teachers will not be permitted to assist their own students. After receiving the stimulus in the morning, the day will be organised as follows:
  • Contact teachers will supervise teams from other schools without providing input. Teams will work together to develop their drama based on the stimulus using improvised drama techniques in the allotted time so that they are ready for the performance.
  • Access to the Internet is not permitted and students will be asked to hand in all mobile phones, tablets or computers until the end of the performance. A dictionary will be provided to each team.
  • A one-hour lunch break will be scheduled after the preparation period in the morning. All teams and their teachers are strongly advised to bring a packed lunch. No catering service will be provided. After lunch, all teams are expected to be seated in the auditorium on time.
  • The competition will take place in the afternoon and will be followed by a prize presentation.
• In the Devised Drama category, the stimulus for the dramas will be sent to the contact teachers by email approximately 10 school days before each competition session. After receiving the stimulus, contact teachers should play a supervisory role and provide the following support:
  • Encourage students to devise their drama “through play” based on the stimulus using improvised drama techniques. 
  • Take photos or short video clips while students are developing their characters and improvising their lines to help them remember their individual parts and the overall sequence of events.
  • After each rehearsal, encourage students to discuss how the drama could be more interesting, more entertaining, more engaging, etc. 
  • After devising the drama, students may want to create a storyboard. No scripts or cue cards are permitted on the day of the competition.
• In both categories of the competition, the decision of the judging panel is considered final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding adjudication.

The judging panels will include representatives from the EDB, drama instructors, and English teachers with a background in drama.

Student performances will be assessed on the criteria below: