Competition Format

Teams must arrive one hour before the match. The MC will talk to them about the night, find out their choice of games (to prevent any ‘double-ups’) and run some warm ups before players are cleared to do team warm-ups.

Show starts

Audience warm-up: MC enters and warms up the audience, then introduces the teams.

Team warm up: MC will lead the teams through one or two warm up games:  for example, Blind Freeze Tag, Speak In One Voice, or Environments.

Round 1: Blind Round

2/2½ minutes (Juniors/Seniors)

Teams must play one of the following games (decided randomly):

Round 2: Choice Round

2½/3 minutes (Juniors/Seniors)

Each team may play a game of their choice.

  • Please do not play any game that has already been played that night. The exception is Open Scene, which may be played as many times as needed. If two teams select similar games, the MC will decide if there is sufficient variation on the games (such as Crime Endowment after Gibberish Endowment has been played).

Round 3: Theme Round

3 minutes (Juniors) / 4 minutes (Seniors)

Each team is given a theme for their scene. For example: ‘a friendship lost’, or ‘love conquers all’. The team may play any game. The judges will add or deduct points based on how well the theme was incorporated into the scene.

  • Please choose a game that will give you a good chance of including the theme, such as Open Scene or Typewriter. It is almost impossible to incorporate a theme into Crime Endowment, for example.
  • Players may get an ask-for in addition to the theme, but they don’t have to.

End of match

The scores are totalled, and the winner announced.

Tie breaker (if needed)

If teams are tied for first or second place, the tied teams will perform a ‘most’ scene (for example ‘the most lovely scene’ or ‘the scariest scene’. The judges will then award one team a bonus point.

After the match

The judges will talk to the teams briefly about the night.

Judging Criteria

1 Poor

The standard of play in your judging category was poor.

  • Narrative: The story was non-existent, it was impossible to comprehend. The story was offensive in its content.
  • Technique: The team did not follow the rules of the game. There was excessive wimping, gagging or blocking (enough to destroy the scene). No risks were taken.
  • Entertainment: The scene was boring, it did not hold anyone’s attention. It was difficult to follow.

2 Good

The standard of play in your category was OK. There was nothing special.

  • Narrative: The story was very basic, it may have some inconsistencies.
  • Technique: The rules of the game were played but not fully taken advantage of. Rules of Theatre Sports were broken often but the scene was not utterly ruined. Play was pretty safe.
  • Entertainment: The scene held attention for the most part without being completely satisfying.

3 Very Good

The standard of play in your category was a competent display of Theatre Sports without being spectacular.

  • Narrative: A good, basic story with a beginning, middle and end was developed. It may not have been pushed as far as its potential suggests but it is nevertheless clear.
  • Technique: The rules of the game were executed well. Players worked as a team and showed good knowledge of basic Theatresports techniques.
  • Entertainment: The scene held your attention without there being any major highlights. You could watch it again.

4 Excellent

There was a high standard of play demonstrated in your category.

  • Narrative: A well-formed story was developed and some risks were taken. There were some surprises here.
  • Technique: The rules of the game were well played and exploited to good advantage. Players were in sync and showed a high awareness of all Theatresports skills.
  • Entertainment: There were some real highlights in this scene. Moments of truly good comedy or drama.

5 Outstanding

The standard of play in your category was a highlight of the evening. It demonstrated Theatre Sports at its best, and could serve well as an example of great play to other teams.

  • Narrative: The story is memorable. It takes risks and executes them with aplomb.
  • Technique: The team worked like a smooth unit. They demonstrated an outstanding knowledge of the strengths and limitations of their game and fully and creatively employed all the tools of Theatre Sports.
  • Entertainment: It is hard to believe this scene is improvised. It is the scene you will remember the most and will talk about to others who weren’t there.

Frequently-Asked Questions

Will I lose points if my scene finishes early?

No.  You are encouraged to finish your scene if it finds a natural ending at any point before the time limit.  An exception may be Endowment games, because much of the humour of these scenes comes from the players’ struggle to guess the right answer.

Can we make up a new game, or bend the rules of an old one?

Not for the blind round.  Regarding other games; while we won’t say no, we strongly recommend that you don’t.  This applies particularly to newer teams.  Most of the games you will find in the manual are tried and tested, and the rules they have will be there to guarantee the best possible scene.  If you do change the rules of a game, please tell your MC so as to avoid confusion.