Adjudicator Doug Van Herpen on our first year of Speech & Drama

Jan 12, 2020 | News from the Committee

The Hamilton Eisteddfod introduced the first Speech and Drama sections to its program last year.

Our Music and Dance disciplines date back over fifty years of competition, and as the Eisteddfod continues to grow, we’re proud to extend our repertoire!

Mr Doug Van Herpen was our inaugural Speech and Drama Adjudicator in 2019, and he shares his experiences of the event with us below.

Being the inaugural Speech and Drama section for the Hamilton Eisteddfod, many people including myself were interested to see the size of the response and just what the quality of the presentations would be.

There was no disappointment on either account.

A wonderful group of young people presented a range of creative, polished and entertaining material.

It ranged from the very young reciters of children’s poems and nursery rhymes to the delivery of more sophisticated and extensive material from older students. Added to this was the difficult medium of Shakespeare monologues and readings.

The public speaking section highlighted the wonderful confidence and creativity of many senior students all of whom delivered on a variety of subjects and topics in a thoughtful, creative and polished way.

In some ways I found my task frustrating, not from the point of view of the job being difficult, but because I found the deliveries so engrossing and entertaining that I was inclined to want to just enjoy the performance and not have to comment and evaluate.

I certainly hope more people avail themselves of the opportunity to witness the wonderful creativity and talent that younger members of our community have to offer.

Mr Doug Van Herpen
Speech & Drama Adjudicator 2019

After its success in 2019, the Hamilton Eisteddfod will again offer Speech and Drama in 2020. We hope to see you there, on stage or in the audience.

Doug Van Herpen

Doug Van Herpen