The Guild of Drama Adjudicators 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
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 with an editorial in the magazine Amateur Stage providing the impetus for its establishment. Ostensibly, it was founded for the benefit of Amateur Drama and from its beginnings its members were available to assist Amateur Dramatic Societies across the United Kingdom with constructive criticism both at Drama Festivals or at performances specific to individual groups. 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.
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. 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.
