JUDGE HANDBOOK 2018-19

ESU PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE COMPETITION

INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPETITION

Welcome to the English-Speaking Union’s Performing Shakespeare Competition!

Dear Judge,

Thank you so much for offering your time and expertise to adjudicate this event. It is a unique national competition for students in Years 7-9 at the very start of secondary education. In this document you will find the format of the competition, the timings and a guide as to the standard of performance with respect to the approximate number of marks to be awarded. This has been completely re-written this year to give students, teachers and adjudicators much more guidance than in the past.

It is essential that our judges adhere to the criteria for judging. Teams have been coached to these criteria and will be expecting feedback relating to them. Please do not ever refer to a student’s gender, dress sense, hairstyle or any physical characteristic, including voice. Such remarks are at best inappropriate and at worst hurtful. Also, you may come across unfamiliar names: please give the student the respect of your best attempt at pronunciation!

Your Area Organiser will alert you to the arrival time needed at the event’s venue and other such details. They will bring with them all that you need to judge the competition, although it would be good to print out these guidelines and bring them with you. We also have some quick online training which we would encourage you to complete as part of our quality assurance process. Your Area Organiser will point you in that direction.

When you get together as a Panel, one judge will be appointed Chair of the Panel. Usually there are 3 judges but should there be an even number, 2 or 4, the Chair will have a casting vote on any controversial decision. The Area Organiser will take you through the mechanics of the marking sheets, the deliberation (decision-making) and the results and awards ceremony.

At the end of this document is a page on the art of giving feedback. There is a very reasonable expectation from students and teachers that they will learn something about acting. The most important thing to remember is to keep an overwhelmingly positive tone and to make sure that criticism is done in a most constructive way. We want every child to come away from the event with a feeling that they have gained something from the experience, whether they won or not.

I do hope that you also enjoy the experience of the competition. Certainly, most judges I speak to are surprised and delighted by the quality of what they have seen and heard. Do contact me if you have any queries or concerns.

Thank you once more and good luck!

Yours faithfully

Matthew ChristmasLead Organiser

020 7529 1587 (direct office)07585 606554 (mobile)matthew.christmas@esu.org November 2018

AT A GLANCE

What makes this competition unique?

This competition is a collaboration between schools and the English-Speaking Union and is a mixture of workshops and performances.

The ESU Performing Shakespeare Competition is separate and distinct from the Festival run by the Shakespeare Schools Foundation and from educational programmes for schools run by the Royal Shakespeare Company and other theatres.

It is free to enter for all schools.

Why enter?

Students who participate in this competition develop key skills for the future.• They develop confidence in their oracy skills by using Shakespeare’s texts as a starting point for

analysis and development of expression and delivery skills • They receive an excellent introduction to Shakespeare’s plays and enhance their understanding

and enjoyment of Shakespeare through the use of speaking and listening skills• They also benefit from an introduction to performing Shakespeare and an opportunity to

develop their acting skills still further via workshop opportunities and in front of a live audience

Who can enter?

• All state and independent schools in England and Wales, as well as home-schooled children • Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 pupils (Key Stage 3, ages 11-14)• A school may enter as many monologue and duologue performances as it wishes• It is free to enter for schools

NEUTRALITY OF JUDGES

At the ESU, we all appreciate that even with comprehensive rules and guidelines, there may be those who disagree with the judges’ verdicts, as everyone will respond differently to the performances. Adjudication is an inherently subjective activity. When it comes to adjudication, the issue is very often that it depends on an individual’s personal response to a presentation. Therefore, however detached and erudite a judge may be, there will always be those who will disagree with their verdict, as everyone will respond differently. The judges’ decision is, of course, final.

However, these differences can sometimes be tempered if the adjudicators’ independence and neutrality is evident. Adjudicators should not have an obvious affiliation with any of the participating schools in the Area Finals and the Grand Final. Judging in the first round in schools will be arranged by the schools themselves.

If a judge feels that they have a conflict of interest, they should say so as soon as possible. Early disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest (or the appearance of any) will help the ESU to protect the integrity of the competition and ensure fairness for all competitors. If any judges or organisers have a conflict of interest with any of the performers, they should not be on the judging panel. Potential conflicts of interest include:

• Being a friend or relative of a participant• Being a teacher, retired or current, headteacher or governor of a participating school

Judges should not discuss their feedback during the rounds, they should rate performances individually and on their own merit.

Judges will retire to a separate area or room to discuss their thoughts before announcing the winners and judges’ commendations. Each judge will be given individual time to collect their thoughts before they discuss the performances with each other.

FORMATThe competition has three rounds:Round 1: An Internal School Selection Process in which each school selects an agreed number of entries to proceed to the Area Final

• Schools run their own internal competitions using the ESU’s judging criteria, but without the specific involvement of ESU staff and volunteers

• Schools can ask for help if a branch can support them, but this cannot be guaranteed• There is a two-month window to do this in the first half of the Spring Term• The former procedure of videoing the entries which were then judged by ESU local volunteers

has been abandoned as the poor quality of many of the recordings made the procedure immensely difficult

• There is no limit to the amount of entries per school• Teachers should work with pupils to select a Shakespearian monologue or duologue for the

competition: · The ESU provides some sample extracts, but these are not exhaustive; we welcome entries

from any of Shakespeare’s 37 plays: · A monologue or duologue from any of Shakespeare’s play may be chosen · A performance of a Shakespearean sonnet will not be accepted · Several students from the same school may perform the same monologue or duologue in

any round of the competition · Monologues must be performed by a single entrant · For those who wish to perform as a pair, a suitable duologue should be chosen · Students should perform the same piece at each stage of the competition · Students may not use props, music or costume in their performance · Students are encouraged to wear all black clothing, but this is not a requirement

• Before the extract, the pupil should introduce the piece with details of the play’s title, the name of the character they are playing and an answer to the question ‘I/We chose this piece because’; this section should be no longer than 2 minutes.

• Each performance should be no longer than 3 minutes in duration.• The overall timing of each entry will, therefore, be of no longer than 5 minutes in total.• Schools rank their monologues and duologues in place order and the ESU Lead Organiser

informs each school of the number of monologues and duologues which can proceed to Round 2

Round 2: An Area Final (or in the case of Wales, the National Final)

• The Area Finals are organised by ESU local volunteers on behalf of a wider geographical area• There are eight Area Finals across England and Wales• Area Finals take place between March and May• Judges are brought in to adjudicate• All area finalists take part in an acting workshop which will be led by an ESU Trainer as part of the

Area Final• This workshop will be approximately 1 hour long and will take place before the performances

start• This will be an educational workshop which is key to the ESU Education Strategy’s aims of

broadening access to our competitions and adding educational value• The two top entries from each Area Final proceed to Round 3• Two Judges’ Commendation winners (runners-up) will also be selected; they will proceed to

Round 3 if the top two entries are unable to attend

Round 3: The Grand Final for England and Wales

• This is organised by the ESU Lead Organiser• It normally takes place in a professional London venue in June • Judges are brought in to adjudicate

EQUITY, GENDER, DIVERSITY & CLOTHING

Equity

The English-Speaking Union is committed to providing opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to access and develop communication skills. We expect all ESU events to be welcoming, inclusive, and to foster a safe and supportive atmosphere in which all individuals feel that they are able and encouraged to express themselves.

In such a safe space, individuals should feel that:

• They are afforded the same high level of respect that is due to all• They are never in a position where they feel under physical or psychological threat• They will never be judged on things that they cannot change• Their opinions and beliefs can be challenged, but will always be respected• If their safety and well-being is threatened, that others will listen and support them

Gender

The competition is not gendered in any way. A student of any gender – and the ESU does not accept a binary definition of gender – can play a character of any gender. Not presenting as or looking like the gender of the character being played does not make the actor’s performance less convincing. The world of professional theatre and film is embracing this, for example Maxine Peake’s acclaimed performance as Hamlet, while the original casts from the Tudor period were all male, despite the gender of the character being played. The ESU Performing Shakespeare competition being gender-blind in no way impedes the competition from achieving its objectives.

Whilst participants should feel free to play characters whom they find interesting, whatever their gender, and students are encouraged to find resonance between a character, situation and their own interests (hence the introductory remarks by each participant before they start the performance), it may be the case that performers are more likely to fee a connection to a character of their own gender. This is completely understandable.

Judges understand, for instance, that as in Shakespeare, many fight scenes are performed by male characters, this means that those participants who are boys are disproportionately likely to perform these. In addition, judges will appreciate that a romance scene is not inherently less powerful than a death scene. It is also important for all to remember that having a deep voice is not the equivalent or a substitute for stage presence or ‘gravitas’. Displaying emotion when acting, for example, is not to be seen as a female trait. This is because participants are judged on their acting, not on appearance or notions of gender. Participants are not judged on the type of monologues or duologues they perform, but on how well they perform them.

Diversity

Whilst adjudicating the competition, judges will not, under any circumstances, take into account or comment on clothing, hairstyles, accents or any physical qualities of the participants. They are not relevant to the performances.

Matters of race, religion, ethnicity, gender or socio-economic background of the participant have no relation to performance and will, therefore, not be addressed by anyone involved in the competition at any stage. This competition, as its name makes manifest, is about Performing Shakespeare and this must be external from any of the above aspects of a participant. The participant, however, may themselves wish to raise these issues when they talk about their choice of piece, as surfacing those themes may be of relevance to the participant’s interpretations of different pieces (eg Shylock etc).

Clothing and Props

Participants are free to wear whatever they like provided that it is comfortable, neutral or dark clothing (ideally black) without slogans or anything that could be perceived as a costume. Participants should not feel obliged to wear dresses, skirts or suits purely because the Area Final or Grand Final are smart occasions. They can wear them, of course, but anything that is too restrictive may impact on the marks awarded for use of physical space in their performance. For this same reason, school uniform is also not ideal clothing for physical performance. That said, school clothes without a tie or blazer can also serve as neutral clothing.

All performers, whatever their gender, should wear clothing that they feel confident in and they do not need to be smart. Good examples include leggings, tracksuit trousers, t-shirts, hoodies and trainers. It is also sensible to ensure that hair, where possible, is tied back so that it does not fall across the face and blur the actor’s interpretation of the piece.

No props costumes, scenery or furniture are permitted. The competition is about acting and not the use of external factors to support the performance.

NEW MARKING CRITERIA FOR THE COMPETITION

The marking criteria have been completely re-written this year for the 2018-19 competition with the help of a group of drama teachers and actors, as well as advice from some ESU Area Organisers. The previous marking scheme was very brief and gave little real guidance to help students, teachers or judges!

The new criteria take into account the Arts Council Level Descriptors for Key Stage 3 Drama, as well as GCSE marking schemes.

There are four categories:

> Vocal skills > Physical and technical skills > Interpretation of text > Success in realising artistic intention

TIMINGS AND MARKING

Students are also encouraged to explore Shakespeare’s plays themselves and select a speech which calls out to them and seems to connect with their own experiences or, indeed, from a play being studied in class.

Timings

• Before the extract, the pupil should introduce the piece with details of the play’s title, the name of the character they are playing and an answer to the question ‘I/We chose this piece because’; this section should be no longer than 2 minutes

• The fourth marking criteria - Success in Realising Artistic Intention – is used to assess this.• The subsequent performances should be no longer than 3 minutes in duration• The performance is assessed using the first three categories: Vocal skills, Physical and technical

skills, as well as Interpretation of text• The overall timing of each entry will, therefore, be of no longer than 5 minutes in total.• Each student must only perform their extract in full once. They may be allowed to restart the

extract if they make a mistake (the ESU would recommend that the student is allowed to restart twice, before being encouraged to take a break to steady any nerves and come back to try again later in the running order). They must not, however, be given feedback and then repeat the performance again in its entirety

A List of Performance Choices

Performers are expected to ‘colour’ their performance by bringing vocal and/or physical skills to bear on the interpretation of character and situation. The application of performance choices will be reflected in the Technical Skills mark. Please see below for non-exhaustive lists of performance choices.

Vocal Skills - the performer modifies their use of:

> pace (rhythm, pauses) > accent > inflection > intonation > pitch > projection

Physical & Technical Skills - the performer modifies their use of:

> movement (pace, stillness) > body language > facial expression > gesture > space

Key to Performance Grading

There are five performance gradings to help you work out the overall standard of a performance. They each have a descriptor to make the performance easily categorised.

1 = ‘Emerging Talent’2 = ‘Rising Star’3 = ‘Class Act’4 = ‘Leading Light’5 = ‘Show Stopping’

Criteria are laid out for gradings 1, 3 and 5. 2 and 4 are not described (or there would just be too many words) but fall in between the grades on either side.

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JUDGES’ FEEDBACK

Judges should remember that the majority of the competitors do not progress beyond the Area Final. It is therefore essential that judging is of as high a quality as possible at this stage in the competition to give all participants a sense of achievement and the awareness of having learned valuable skills from their experience. The students and their teachers will want to know what criteria were applied to find the best individuals/team etc.

Feedback is of 2 types: General and Individual. The first MUST happen, the second CAN and SHOULD occur if time allows.

General Feedback happens after you have deliberated your decisions and returned to the speaking room and BEFORE you announce the winners. This is your chance to offer constructive feedback and advice to the participants. This is often done by dividing the roles between the judges, a division of labour that should be sorted out before the performances start.

The sandwich method:

Before you provide feedback, try to have a clear idea of what you would like to convey to the students; be positive and critically encouraging.

Start by illustrating the key features you were looking for in the role.

Then mix in a couple of things that were particularly challenging about the role and suggest ways to improve, without giving the feeling that you are telling anybody off. Do not make specific references to the competencies or difficulties of encountered by specific participants. Nor should specific examples of strong performances be highlighted.

Finish by returning to the praise and highlighting the significance of what they have just achieved.

Individual Feedback is given after the results and presentation of awards. Some students will want to make a swift exit but for those who have the time, it can be a useful learning experience for them. Students should be encouraged to ask for individual feedback.

The students, teachers and parents must accept the judges’ decision and you should refer to your mark sheets for detailed comments, but the actors have no right to see them. If you have a queue, move swiftly remembering these young people often have a long journey home!

When providing feedback, consider:

• How well has this student fulfilled the role?• In which areas did they do well?• What other techniques could they have used to make their performance stronger?

If appropriate, give examples of how skills they demonstrated can be helpful in future careers, education etc. and give real-life examples.

EQUITY POLICYThe English-Speaking Union is committed to providing opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to access and develop communication skills. We expect all ESU events to be welcoming, inclusive, and to foster a safe and supportive atmosphere in which all individuals feel that they are able and encouraged to express themselves. In such a safe space, individuals should feel that:

• They are afforded the same high level of respect that is due to all• They are never in a position where they feel under physical or psychological threat• They will never be judged on things they cannot change• Their opinions and beliefs can be challenged, but will always be respected• If their safety and well-being is threatened, that others will listen and support them

The responsibility is placed on all individuals (students, school staff, ESU staff and members, judges etc.) to ensure that such a safe space is created and maintained. Any person who is found to breach these rules may be excluded from this or future events.If any individual feels that these guidelines have been violated, whether the incident was directed against them or not, they should:

• Approach any member of ESU staff at the event• Approach the Education team at the ESU if an issue is not, or cannot, be resolved satisfactorily at

the event• Direct any complaints towards the ESU Safeguarding Lead, Duncan Partridge

(duncan.partridge@esu.org) if an issue remains unresolved or to either of his deputies: Maia Gibbs (maia.gibbs@esu.org) or Alex Bailey (alex.bailey@esu.org)

ENGLISH-SPEAKING UNIONThe ESU is a unique educational charity and membership organisation dedicated to helping people realise their potential through giving them the skills and confidence in communication to articulate their ideas and share them with others.For more information about the ESU and to view our other educational opportunities, please email a member of the team at competitions@esu.org ot visit our website at www.esu.org.You can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/the.esu or on Twitter @TheESU/@ESUdebate