If you are interested
in participating in this year’s Masquerade, you need to contact Margaret
Grady (602-220-0150) at mgrady@eigi.com as soon as possible. There is a ‘future
military’ theme planned (a la Star Trek), and preferably your costume can
work along with it. (It will require advance coordination and some pre-show
activity.) We’ll also have nice prizes, and a great half-time show... but
limited seating, so get there early!
Prime-time Saturday night will
be LepreCon 30's Masquerade, featuring entries from young and old, hobbyist
and pro. To enter your own costume, bring it along to the convention and
attend the entrants' meeting to find out more.
As in prior years, Velavision will be on
hand to videotape this event.
One of the most popular events
at any Science Fiction Convention is the Masquerade. Here costume-makers,
whether novice or master, share their moment of fame as their creations
are presented on-stage to an appreciative audience.
LepreCon masquerades have a reputation
for providing a low-stress, friendly environment for the contestants. The
LepreCon Masquerade has had presentations with a theatrical flair as contestants
present short sketches, renderings of a favorite character (original or
from the media), visual puns, and simple walk on presentations. Come and
show off your work!
Here are the gory details. . .
How do I Sign Up?
There will be a sign-up sheet and
information posted near the con's registration table in the hotel lobby.
Please contact the Masquerade Director if you wish to sign up early. You
must be signed up at or before the walk-through on Saturday.
There will be a contestants' check
in on Saturday, check your pocket program for the exact time and last-minute
changes. This is the time to bring your completed entry forms, tapes, notes
for the MC, documentation, and to clear any presentation questions with
the director.
Green Room
The Green Room is a meeting room
that adjoins the ballroom. Here you can queue up for your presentation.
We will have water, tables and volunteer den mothers for your convenience.
The Southwest Costumers Guild will provide some emergency repair supplies.
VelaVision will be taking pictures and interviews in the Green Room before
Masquerade.
Sound
Your music and/or recorded narration
should be submitted on a CD. A return mailing address would be a good idea.
Give your CD to the director or sound man at the walk-through on Saturday
afternoon.
At check-in on Saturday the sound
man will have music available for contestant use.
The Master of Ceremonies will have
a microphone, but no live mike will be available for contestants.
Narration to be read by the MC
should be submitted on 4 by 6-inch note cards. These can be prepared in
advance or filled out at the walk-through. Besides your narration, please
include the designer, maker and wearer of the costumes; and any sources
of inspiration for the presentation. Unusual words should be spelled out
phonetically (fone-et-ick-al-lee).
Contestant Classes
Masquerade contestants will be
registered in four classes:
Youngfen for children
0 to 12 years of age.
Contestants between 12 and
18 years of age may choose whether to enter in the Youngfen or another class.
Youngfen are expected to be under the supervision of a parent or guardian.
Novice for those who
have not previously won three or more awards in SF convention masquerades
and have not won a Best in Show. This masquerade is newbie-friendly--Try
your wings!
Experienced for contestants
who have won three or more awards or a Best in Show at previous masquerades.
Classic for costumes
that have been previously seen at another SF masquerade. Think about
all those costumes that were built for other cons, shown once, then put in
the closet. Why not give them a second chance? Classic costumes will be
entered and judged separately from the virgin efforts. As a rule of thumb,
a classic costume should not have been presented on stage at a LepreCon within
the last three years. Costumes made for other cons and events or older
LepreCon are fair game. If your costume was previously presented at a fan
gathering or other smaller venue, this masquerade would be "competing up"
and you have your choice whether to enter as a new or classic costume.
These classes are meant to be fairly
flexible. For instance, if this is your first SF convention masquerade but
you have costume experience in theatre, historical societies, or other venues,
you might choose to compete as an experienced costumer. These classes are
mainly for choosing the winners of special prizes.
If your costume is something you
designed yourself, it is an original. If your costume was taken from a picture,
film, etc, it is a re-creation. Please bring a copy of the picture for the
judges to see. If your costume re-creates a particular period of the past,
it is a historical costume. If you choose to bring documentation, please
limit it to five pages or less and bring at least three copies for the judges
to review.
Necessary Rules and Useful Suggestions
1. Please limit your
presentation to 60 seconds or less. It's longer than you think. Brevity
is the soul of wit.
2. No fire or flame allowed
on-stage. It's a hotel thing.
3. Purchased or rented costumes
may not be entered for competition, but are welcome as display-only. You
can use a few purchased components, but the overall costume is to be fan-made.
4. The designer, builder,
and model of the costume do not have to be the same person. Costumes are
a great place for teamwork.
5. No messy substances (wet,
dusty, oily, etc.) that might damage the stage or interfere with other contestants.
Thou shalt not slime thy neighbor.
6. There will be children
present, so this masquerade is rated PG-13. Please, no flagrant nudity or
deliberately offensive language and action. If you have an idea that sounds
good, but might be over the top, talk to me first.
7. No smoking in the green
room or ballroom. We'll be packed fairly tight at some points.
8. No flash photography while
participants are on-stage. Posed pictures can be arranged off-stage or after
the masquerade.
9. No Sniveling! Contestants
and their support people are presumed to be adults, or under the supervision
of one. Relax and have fun! Don't let stress ruin the experience for
you and those around you.
10. Weapons or other sharp,
pointy, and loud things must be approved in advance by the masquerade director
at the walk-through or earlier. If the weapon and its presentation
have not been cleared, you will be disqualified from competition. This is
a safety thing. I like weapons as much as the next Pirate, but I want to
see for myself what you are carrying and what you intend to do with it.
This safety approval rule also applies to off-stage action, stunts, energetic
dances, et cetera. A friend once scared the heck out of a director because
he forgot to tell her that a pratfall was part of his presentation.
11. NO ATTACKING THE MC! (It
really happened.)
12. The masquerade director
has full authority to eliminate anyone from the competition on the basis of
unrepentant bad taste, danger to the contestants or audience, violation of
the above rules, or any other reason deemed sufficient. There will be no
appeal. This rule is intended to protect you and the convention from the real
loons (see Rule 11) and will not be invoked frivolously
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