The Guild of Drama Adjudicators (''GoDA'') is the world's longest established body dedicated to the adjudication of all forms of theatre, both professional and amateur. Full Members of the Guild are entitled to use the post-nominal letters, GoDA Associate Members are entitled to use the post-nominal of GoDA(Associate)

History

GoDA was founded in 1947 as a response to the growing dissatisfaction about standards of adjudication in the boom festival years after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

with an editorial in the magazine Amateur Stage providing the impetus for its establishment. Ostensibly, it was founded for the benefit of

Amateur Drama Amateur theatre, also known as amateur dramatics, is theatre performed by amateur actors and singers. Amateur theatre groups may stage plays, revues, musicals, light opera, pantomime or variety shows, and do so for the social activity as well as f ...

and from its beginnings its members were available to assist Amateur Dramatic Societies across the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

with constructive criticism both at Drama Festivals or at performances specific to individual groups.British Theatre Association, British Drama League, ''Drama, Issues 139-146'', page 49 (British Theatre Association), 1981 To achieve its founding aims GoDA established recognised principles of practice for its members to apply and adhere to. The Guild also formulated definitive objectives to this end, namely: * To supply qualified adjudicators to all organisations promoting amateur drama. * To enable its members to work unfettered towards the objectives of the Guild. * To provide opportunities for the discussion of the problems of adjudication and tuition either by schools, conferences, or by other means.www.amdram.co.uk) - ''Introducing GODA''
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Membership

There were originally forty-six founder members and, with a few exceptions, additional members are selected by means of annual Selection Weekends where candidates are instructed and tested. Candidates for membership must have had professional or amateur stage experience and demonstrate a thorough knowledge of drama (with many members engaged in teaching drama in some form). Over eighty per cent of members have had professional stage experience as actors, directors, or stage managers. Once accepted into the Guild, members are mentored for a period of two years before rising from Associate Members to Full Members with a minimum of six festivals having been adjudicated by them during that time. Even then, their admission is at the discretion of the GoDA Council, based upon confidential reports from two Festival Organisers by whom the Associate Member has been employed and an appraisal by two senior members of the Guild. The scope of the activities of the members of the Guild range from adjudicating drama festivals for full plays, one-act plays, or verse-speaking festivals to lecturing on drama and various aspects of theatrical art. On occasion the Guild has been called upon to aid in the production of plays, operas and musicals. In terms of the geographic scope of the organisation, although based in the UK, the Guild provides services internationally if requested and have an international reputation for their work.

Current Full Members of the Guild

* Arthur Aldridge * William Burns

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* Beverly Clark * Robert Clarke * Jill Colby * Sue Doherty * Colin Dolley * Paul Fowler * Alan Haslett * Alan Hayes * David Henson *

Ben Humphrey Ben Humphrey (born 28 May 1986 in England, United Kingdom) is an English actor, director, writer, lecturer and criminal court Magistrate. He graduated from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2007 and is also an associate of LAMDA. He was the ...

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

* Chris Jaeger

* Bev Jenkins * Michael Kaiser * Louise Manders * Scott Marshall * Robert Meadows * Paul Mills * Ron Nicol * Jan Palmer Sayer * * Michael Patterson * Michael Poyner * David Price * Andrew Rawlinson * Arthur Rochester * Jeannie Russell * Ian Sarginson * Jennifer Scott-Reid

* Helen E Sharman * Colin Snell

* Cherry Stephenson

* Keith Thompson * Mike Tilbury * David Vince * David H. Williams * Jim Wolstencroft * Richard Woodward ''*Current Chairman of the Guild.''

Current Associate Members of the Guild

* Christopher Baglin * Anna Beaney * Dave Bennet * Imelda Byrne * Meryl Duff * Frances Glynne * Julie McLoughlin * Keith Philips * Joe Riley FRSA * Nick Wilkes * Sandra Wynne

References

{{Authority control Theatrical organisations in the United Kingdom