Judging Criteria
This year we have introduced new judging criteria for scenes. Our goal is to make the basis on which judging decisions are clearer and help guide students to develop improvisation skills and knowledge.
Each judge will score teams between 1-10 based upon three criteria: teamwork, stagecraft and narrative. The criteria overall emphasize students’ ability to work together to tell stories to the audience.
The criteria have been drafted to support or reward a variety of different improvisation styles and philosophies (for example, if students approach work using non-theatreports improvisation techniques such as the game of the scene, or premises, these will not be punished).
The criteria will be applied in a way to support and encourage students. We will always look to award points when we can and we will not punish students because they have not performed a game the way we think it should be done or it is normally done.
Team work
This category focuses on what are considered core improvisation skills - the ability of students to pay attention to each other's ideas (including their own) and to use those ideas to build a story or scene. Negativity (as a performer not a character), shutting down each other’s ideas or ignoring them, or one student taking control of the scene will result in points being deducted.
This category also looks at students’ attitude on stage - do they take risks, are they playful, supportive and having fun? Attitude is an important part of successful improvisation as it impacts the creative process and how teams work together.
We also look at whether the team take risks. By this, we do not mean physical risk taking. We mean whether a team tries to move beyond improv cliches, to approach the work in different ways, or to make character choices which are more challenging or dramatic.
Points will be awarded for:
Team members listening to each other and paying attention to each others’ offers.
Team members accepting each others’ offers and building on each others’ offers.
Performers showing a strong sense of playfulness, taking risks, supporting each other and following their inspiration.
Team members sharing control and space on stage.
Points will be deducted for:
Games / scenes that appear to be rehearsed.
Performers not listening to each other and/or refusing to build on each others’ ideas (also known as blocking).
Undermining the narrative / world building for a cheap laugh (also known as gagging)
One player taking control of the scene (also known as railroading).
Stagecraft
This criteria looks at the team’s theatre skills more generally. How well they project and use the stage.
This criteria also looks at spacework. Spacework is a particular form of mime used in improvisation to represent props, set peices and environmental effects on stage. Teams will be judging on how (and if) they use spacework.
This criteria also looks at students’ characterisation, where this is relevant to a scene.
Points will be awarded for:
Strong vocal technique - all players can be heard and understood from the audience.
Staging, physicality and space work that enhances the storytelling.
Where relevant, players showing commitment to their characters (vocally, emotionally & physically).
Points will be deducted for:
Players who cannot be heard or understood by the audience.
Staging, physicality and spacework that makes it difficult for the audience to engage with the performers, for example, performers hanging towards the back of the stage, performers not using any spacework, or performers moving frenetically without any clear purpose (unless these are justified by the scene or story).
Narrative
This category looks at the content of the scene. We focus on narrative as it is a Theatresports competition, but we do not expect scenes to have a specific narrative structure. We also recognise that not all games support storytelling and the criteria is flexible to evaluate these games on their own merits.
An important part of narrative or storytelling is whether characters are changed by what happens to them. This can be as simple as the characters responding emotionally to an offer or event on stage.
We will consider whether a scene is entertaining or engaging. This does not necessarily mean humorous, and teams can meet this criteria by telling an interesting story or making the audience feel a emotion.
We ask that teams honour the offer they are given and the rules of the game they select. This does NOT mean teams have to base their entire scene around the offer (it can be a jumping off point). It also does not mean teams will be evaluated on how closely they follow the rules of the game. We will mainly be looking to see whether the teams make a good-faith effort to follow the rules (but if, for example, they end up doing an extended spoken word monologue in the opera or do a rap in their Shakespearean scene because they feel inspired this is still considered honouring the game).
Points will be awarded for:
The game / scene being well paced and coherent with a clear beginning that builds to a satisfying conclusion
Characters being affected or changed by the events of the scene
The game or scene being entertaining and engaging
The team honouring the offer and the rules of the game
Points will be deducted for:
Games or scenes that have an unnecessarily frenetic pace, making it difficult to follow the storytelling.
Unnecessary performers / characters on stage that distract from or needlessly complicate the storytelling
Events of the story have no emotional affect or consequences for any of the characters.
The offer or game rules are ignored.
Golden points (2 bonus points)
We are also offering 2 bonus points for teams that during warm-up, pre-show briefings and the show itself show good ‘sportsmanship’; such as treating other teams and organizers with respect, enthusiasm and friendliness and not being disruptive or rude during other teams’ scenes.
The starting assumption is that all teams will get these points.
Feedback
Our goal this year is to provide written feedback to teams AFTER their heat, semi-final or (if relevant) quarterfinal show. This feedback is to assist teams in their preparation for future shows.