Masquerade

Love to perform in front of an audience? Then the masquerade stage is where you should be. Here is your chance to release your inner diva, anime character, warrior, furry critter, superhero, fantasy or whatever is on your mind. Do note the “No flagrant nudity” clause in rule #6. Have fun but don’t flash or endanger the audience. Please read the rules and contact the masquerade director if you have any questions.

The Masquerade will take place on Saturday June 17, 2006 at 9:00 P.M.

The Gaylaxicon masquerade is an amateur* costume competition, and will be presented in three parts:

Part 1. The stage presentation of masquerade costumes. Entries are required to register at the masquerade desk in advance, and will be judged for awards.

Part 2. The stage presentation of fashion shows costumes. Entries are required to register at the masquerade desk in advance, and will be judged for awards.

Part 3. Informal call for costumes and fashion show costumes in the audience to come on stage and show off their stuff. These costumes do not have to be registered in advance, and will not be judged for awards.

*If you have a wonderful costume that you have purchased or rented, please enter the masquerade “out of competition”, so the audience can enjoy your costume.

Part 1 & 2 Masquerade Registration and Procedures:

All masquerade contestants entering Parts 1 & 2 of the masquerade, who wish their costumes to judged, must register at the masquerade desk by 3:00 P.M. on Saturday in order to be in the judged part of the competition. The masquerade desk will be open on Friday from 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M., and on Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

IMPORTANT: Please note on your entry form if you will be attending the convention banquet. We will place these contestants later in the show, to give them more time to get from the banquet to the masquerade green room check-in. If you need to be in a specific place in the line up, (i.e. behind another group, near the beginning or end, etc) please advise the staff at the masquerade desk when you hand in your registration form. We will try to allow for all reasonable requests.

You may submit CDs or cassette tapes, with music, sound effects or spoken works, to accompany the presentation of your costume. Cassette tapes must be cued and CD's must indicate what track to play. All cassettes and CD's will be available for pick-up after the show, or on Sunday at the masquerade desk from 10:00 am to 3:00 PM. Please do not submit valuable or rare original cassette tapes or CD’s. Copy on to a standard cassette tape or self-burned CD.

The MC can also read prepared comments submitted with your entry form. The MC will talk to you backstage, before the start of the masquerade, to review anything you need him to read for you.

If your costume is a re-creation of an existing one, such as a costume shown on a TV show, movie, anime, or from printed source such as a book or comic, please bring a photo-copy picture of the original costume you have reproduced. This should be handed in with your entry form and it will be shown to the judges so they can see the accuracy of your costume. Provide photo-copies only; do not bring originals.

Contestants check-in at the masquerade green room area (Borden Room) at 7:30 P.M. to be assigned their places in line and have Polaroid judging photos taken. Special arrangements may be required for contestants who are attending the Gaylaxicon banquet. Information about this will be available at the masquerade registration desk at the convention.

Masquerade helpers will be available to set-up and remove small items from the stage. However, if you are bringing a heavy prop that requires several people to set-up and remove, please advise the masquerade director when handing in your masquerade registration form. If possible bring your own helpers to assist you.

The masquerade awards will be given out approximately one hour after the costumes have all been show on stage. After Part 2 of the masquerade, the judges will leave to deliberate, and costumes in the audience will be invited to come up and show off their stuff on stage.

All contestants are requested to take time to pose for fans who want to take photos of your costume.

The masquerade desk will be open on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM for pick-up of cassette's, CD's and Polaroid photos. A list of the winners will be posted.

Part 3 Masquerade Procedures

Don’t have time to enter the masquerade? Get your moment in the spotlight, by going on stage at the end of the judged part of the show, in our informal costume and fashion show call.

“Procedures! We don’t need any #$%& procedures.” OR “If it’s informal why do we need procedures?”

Reason A If the audience knows what your costume is supposed to be they will appreciate it more.

Reason B If the audience knows who you are, they can tell you how great your costume was were, when you meet them in the bar later, after you have changed out of your costume.

Reason C Not really a reason, but this is a good time to say read the masquerade rules as they also apply to you.

There are no long registration forms to fill out, but we do request that you complete a brief “info form” with your name, the name of your costume or character, and any other brief details you would like the MC to read when you go on stage.

The Part 3 masquerade info forms will be on a table near the door to the main room. Please take the time to complete one. Hang on to the form until it is requested by the MC.

When the MC calls for costumes from the audience, please line up where indicated by our staff. We will tell you when to go on stage, and show you what entrance and exit to use.

Give your info sheet to the MC as you go onto the stage. The MC will read out your information while you show off your costume. Stay on stage long enough for the audience to get a look at your costume. If you aren’t sure how long to stay on stage count to 20 in your head while you walk around, and don’t forget to turn around so they can see the back too. If in doubt about what to do while on stage, walk in a figure 8 pattern, it always works for us.

We also request that you take time to pose for fans who want to take photos of your costume.

MASQUERADE RULES

1. We want you on stage, but you must have a valid admission pass to the event to be part of the fun and do your thing.

2. Purchased, professionally made or rented costumes are welcome to be shown on stage, but will not be eligible for awards or prizes. If you have a wonderful costume that you have purchased or rented, please enter the masquerade “out of competition”, so the audience can enjoy your costume. Don’t have time to enter the masquerade? Get your moment in the spotlight by going on stage at the end of the masquerade in our fashion show call.

3. PRESENTATION TIME LIMIT: Each entry will be allowed up to 1.5 minutes (90 seconds) on stage. If you need more time on stage, please speak to the masquerade director. Any set-up time required for your entry is not counted in your allotted presentation time. It is also important to note that you do not need to use all of your allotted time. Remember that “It’s always better to leave them wanting more, than to be a bore.”

4. Be sure to cue and label your tape, or label what track to play on your CD, and have it ready to submit with your masquerade entry form.

5. No messy substances on stage. If in doubt ask the Masquerade Director. The stage must be in as good a condition when you leave as when you enter. If you are leaving something on stage, it must be able to be easily picked up by the stage crew, or bring your own assistants.

6. "No Costume is No Costume". No flagrant nudity. This masquerade is rated PG-13. There may be children in the audience.

7. No live animals will be allowed on stage, with the exception of seeing-eye dogs if required by the contestant.

8. No electrical power connections will be provided. If your costume requires power it must be part of your costume design.

9. No dangerous or potentially dangerous props will be allowed. No real sword fighting, dangerous weapons, pyrotechnics or live flame of any kind. Open flame, fire, flash powder or flash paper are not allowed. Sealed electronic flashes are permitted. If you are using a strobe effect please note it on your form so the MC may warn the audience. No pointing of laser pens at the audience or tech crew. The weapons policy of the convention must be followed. Please transport your weapons to and from the masquerade in a bag or closed container if they do not conform to the convention weapons policy. While weapons will be allowed on stage, all weapons must be sheathed before leaving the stage. No real firearms and no projectile weapons are allowed. If your costume requires a bow, it must be unstrung when you are not on stage. If you are unsure about your props or presentation please ask the Masquerade Director. We all want to have fun, but it’s important not to endanger your fellow contestants, the masquerade staff or the audience.

10. Do not throw anything into the audience or at the judges. Your projectile may be ok, but to be fare to those who want to throw dangerous items, we have to have this rule.

11. Surprise the audience, but not the Masquerade Director. If you are planning something particularly "unique" please let us know when you hand in your entry form, or contact us at the number below for information while your costume is still in the preparation stages. Everybody loves something new. To ensure your idea comes off without a glitch, and meets the masquerade rules, it’s important that the people running the masquerade and stage know about what you are going to do in advance.

12 When exiting the stage please do not approach the judges. They need the time between entries to mark their score sheets. It’s better to do anything you have planned, as a part of your stage presentation, where everyone in the audience can see you.

13. The Masquerade Directors reserve the right to eliminate anyone from competition on the basis of taste, danger to the audience or other contestants, or for any other reason deemed sufficient.

14. The decisions of the judges are final.