Each year, talented and passionate amateur-theatre groups around the British Isles and beyond pit their productions against each other in competitive one-act play festivals – all in pursuit of unforgettable memories, a high mark from the adjudicator, and maybe even a trophy…
But how do these festivals work, and how can your group get involved? Here, Ruth Cattell – Chair of the National Drama Festivals Association (NDFA) and herself an experienced member of her local amateur group – explains all.
Getting hooked
The first time I went to a one-act play festival was by accident.
It was 2007, I was walking past the Evesham Arts Centre and they were running a theatre festival. I popped in to see what it was about and ended up watching six short plays almost back to back. Each was presented by a theatre group who had chosen to participate in the festival, paid a small entry fee to enter, chosen and rehearsed a one-act play over the course of about three months, and were now performing it in front of a paying audience and an adjudicator from the Guild of Drama Adjudicators (GoDA).
I was hooked.
After each play the adjudicator stood up on the stage to give the group and the audience a ten-minute witty, engaging, constructive and supportive verbal analysis based on strict criteria.
It was an eye-opener to hear a qualified professional explaining to us exactly why our hearts soared ‘in the bit where …’, and why we may have been excused for a slight lapse in concentration twenty minutes in. The audience comprised competing groups, their supporters and theatre enthusiasts like me.
At the end of the festival the winner was announced, and prizes were awarded based on marks achieved for Stage Presentation (set, lighting, sound), Directing, Acting and Dramatic Achievement. The play that scored the highest marks won.
The marking criteria used by GoDA is still the same today. You can read more about it here; it’s a system that works, and is used in every one-act and full-length festival throughout the British Isles and beyond.
A GoDA adjudicator assesses a set at the 2025 National Drama Festival.
The right play…
Many amateur theatre groups participate in theatre festivals in addition to putting on their main productions at home, but some entries are from groups who’ve formed just to enter a festival. Whoever they are, they see it as a way of demonstrating and honing their skills (and hopefully winning awards, of course). They go from strength to strength throughout the festival season as they tweak the production by implementing adjudicator feedback from previous rounds. And, of course, the lessons they learn are then brought back to their team to further enhance future productions.
There’s a healthy, competitive atmosphere between participants. In one festival you’ll be competing head-on with a group, and in the next round you’ll be cheering them on from the audience!
One myth we need to squash is that you don’t need to put too much effort into your production because ‘it’s only for a festival’. Wrong. If you have the right play, a simple but effective set, excellent actors, a superb director, and seamless lighting and sound to bring out those magical moments … then you’re off to a good start! In my experience, it is possible to choose a suitable one-act play, cast it, rehearse it, and get it festival-ready in just eight weeks – but it still takes a lot of hard work.
To get you started and help you in your search for a winning play, Nick Hern Books – who have joined as Principal Partner of the NDFA for the upcoming 2025/26 season – have put together a starting list of potential plays (including lots of one-act options), and are available to discuss further recommendations over email or on the phone. They’ve also provided advice on how to secure the required approval for cuts for a full-length play, should you be interested in entering one of these into a festival.
Publicity images for Total Arts Community Theatre’s production of extracts from Modest by Ellen Brammar (left) and Nantwich Players’ production of Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons by Sam Steiner (right), which took took the top two places at the 2025 National Drama Festival.
Getting involved
A theatre group can enter a standalone festival or one that’s part of a larger festival with eliminating rounds – such as the pyramid structure within England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland that culminates in the annual British Final of One-Act Plays. (Even if you enter a festival with eliminating rounds, you can often decide to ‘opt-out’ of proceeding further once you’ve done the first round.)
Some festivals may charge an entry fee, or they might not, depending on their rules. Festivals tend to last between a day and a week depending on the number of entries and typically feature two or three plays on each afternoon and evening. I’ve provided the links to sources for festival locations and dates below.
If you score highly at a festival that’s affiliated to the National Drama Festivals Association (NDFA), you may also be invited to perform at the association’s National Drama Festival (NDF): an annual event which showcases ‘the cream of amateur theatre’, and features winning productions from other festivals held across the British Isles and beyond.
The NDF is a platform for and celebration of this amazing talent, and also provides a space for the productions to be openly discussed in Feedback Forums each day, where everyone can learn from each other. In addition, Studio Spotlight sessions held across the weekend offer tips and training on topics such as puppetry, rehearsal techniques and playwriting.
Feedback sessions at the National Drama Festival give groups the chance to learn from each other.
The NDF has developed over recent years to become a place where everyone can learn from each other, build skills and confidence, and take those skills back home with us, and it’s all largely subsidised by the NDFA. The 2026 NDF will take place from 30 July to 2 August at ARTRIX Bromsgrove – we’d love to see you there.
See you on the circuit
If you’d like to dip your toe in the water – or even plunge into the deep end – take a look at the links below to get you started.
I look forward to bumping into you on the festival circuit!
Useful resources
Guild of Drama Adjudicators
www.godauk.orgAll-England Theatre Festival
An eliminating round festival
www.allenglandtheatrefestival.orgScottish Community Drama Association
An eliminating round festival
https://drama.scot/Drama League of Ireland
An eliminating round festival
https://dli.ie/festivals/Drama Association of Wales
An eliminating round festival
https://www.dramawales.com/National Drama Festivals Association
With festival members from standalone and eliminating-round festivals
www.ndfa.co.uk
Ruth Cattell is the Chair and Trustee of the National Drama Festivals Association (NDFA). She has been a strong advocate of competitive theatre festivals since attending her first theatre festival in 2007 as a member of the public. The experience inspired her to become involved with her local amateur group, of which she’s still an active member. Widely experienced in acting and directing (including at the Edinburgh Fringe), she is also a qualified Associate Member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators.
Nick Hern Books is delighted to have joined as Principal Partner of the NDFA for their 2025/26 season. This new partnership will bring groups closer to NHB’s unrivalled catalogue of fantastic contemporary plays, as well as giving you practical, hands-on support for your festivals journey. For more information on the full benefits of the partnership – including an exclusive discount code for NDFA-affiliated festival entrants – visit our website.
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