Classical Theatre

Classical Theatre focuses on performing scenes or monologues from plays written in earlier historical periods. This requires a mastery of specific techniques to handle heightened language and stylized physical and vocal demands. Content may be serious or humorous in nature. This event includes 2-4 performers. Performance time is limited to 10 minutes.

Core Requirements

• Classical plays: The material must be from a classical playwright. This generally includes:

  • Ancient Greek and Roman tragedians and comedians.

  • Elizabethan and Jacobean works (e.g., Shakespeare, Marlowe).

  • Restoration theatre.

  • Other works with heightened language, such as those by Chekhov or Ibsen, are sometimes included.

• Heightened language: Actors must be able to deliver verse, prose, and poetic text with clarity, rhythm, and understanding. This requires strong vocal technique.

• Physicality: Actors must embody characters through deliberate and sometimes stylized movement that is appropriate for the period. In contrast to modern realism, classical acting often uses more expressive gestures to convey character and emotion to a large audience.

• Characterization: The performance must showcase a deep understanding of the character's internal life, motivations, and emotional truth, all while remaining grounded in the text. Unlike "method acting," which draws from personal experience, classical acting uses technique and imagination to build a character from the script outward. 

Key skills assessed

• Textual analysis: An actors must demonstrate a thorough comprehension of the script, including the historical context, meter (e.g., iambic pentameter), and rhetorical devices.

• Vocal technique: This includes projection, diction, and the ability to find and deliver the music and rhythm in the text. The actors' voices must be clear and powerful enough to command a stage.

• Physicality and movement: Judges assess the actors' control over their bodies and their ability to use movement, gesture, and stage presence to authentically convey the character.

• Emotional truth: The performance must be emotionally honest and specific. Judges look for a truthful and engaging connection with the material.

Example performances

In this category, you might see performances of: 

• A dramatic monologue from a Shakespearean tragedy, such as Hamlet's "To be or not to be" speech.

• A comedic scene from a Restoration-era play, using witty banter and specific period manners.

• An excerpt from a Greek tragedy, focusing on the heightened emotional and physical stakes. 

Above content generated with the assistance of AI technology.

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