Aloha, from John and Chris O'Halloran, your Masquerade directors.
We are pleased to inform you that, after a slow start, we are getting all the pieces
in place to present a wonderful cavalcade of costumes. We
hope some of you out there would like to strut your stuff on stage for us.
First of all, our goal is to put on a marvelous show and have lots of
fun. We will consider being flexible on the rules below, except when bending them
will compromise safety or damage someone else's costume (the no peanut butter rule
stands). We'd be glad to work with you to create the presentation you are planning. We'll
also be glad to offer advice and suggestions to novices and others who would like our
help. Just ask!
We'd love it if you'd like to sign up in advance, but there will also be
sign up opportunities at the con. The masquerade is scheduled for Monday night,
so there will be plenty of time to plan a last minute presentation at the con.
Tech run throughs will be scheduled for Monday and we hope to have planning
workshops/meetings on Saturday and Sunday.
Tacky Shirt Contest
In addition to the regular masquerade entries, we are looking for brave
souls to enter a "Hawaiian" style shirt contest. There will be awards for tackiest,
most inventive, most beautiful or any other category we should decide to designate.
There will be separate competitions for purchased shirts that are unaltered and shirts
that are handmade or altered in some way.
Rules & Information
Please Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Our phone number is (510) 713-9519 till 10pm (west coast time) most
nights. Our eMail address is ohalloran@TyeDye.Org.
All information on this page subject to last minute change.
Masquerade
Entry Form is available here.
Please read through the rules below before filling it out.
Send this form to:
Chris & John O'Halloran
Attn: Masquerade
36024 Cabrillo Drive
Fremont, CA, 94536
Mailed entries need to be in our hands no later then Tuesday, June 29, 2000,
as we depart for Honolulu on Wednesday morning.
Entry forms will be accepted at the Con untill the beginning of the Technical Run Throughs.
Schedule
| Pre-Meeting: |
TBA |
| Technical Run Throughs: |
Monday |
| Masquerade: |
Monday Evening |
Categories
Masquerade participants may compete in any category
except those that are lower than their skill level. Collaborative
efforts must compete at the skill level of the highest ranked
group member.
Young Fan - Anyone 12 and under.
Novice - Anyone who has not won previously won
at a world class competition (i.e. Worldcon or CostumeCon) and has won
no more than two time as a Novice.
Journeyman - Anyone who is an amateur and has
had up to three wins at the world class Journeyman level.
Master - This division is open to anyone, but
the following must compete at this level: Anyone who has more than three
wins at the Journeyman level.
Rules
- All participants must be Attending Members of Westercon 53.
- This Masquerade is rated PG-13. We have to insist there be no
nudity or partial nudity. Lack of costume is not a costume
- Costumes may not be shown in the competition if they were:
- Purchased or rented in whole.
Separately purchased items assembled into a costume are OK.
- Have won a major award at a Worldcon, CostumeCon or previous
Westercon
They can be shown Out-of-Competition.
- Small children must be under the control of a responsible adult
at all times.
- Each contestant may appear only once on stage(except in the case
of Non competing costumes). You may enter another costume if it
is worn by another person. In that case, any award goes to the maker/designer.
- Live microphones will not be available to Costumers. You may
record on tape any background music (strongly recommended, as it
will greatly improve the effect of your costume), narration, or
text for lip-synching. Any narration to be read by the MC will be
limited to 50 words. If you wish to interact with the MC, be sure
to consult with him at the masquerade meeting or tech rehearsal.
- Costumers and their assistants will be required to sign releases
for liability and for use of video. By appearing in the Masquerade,
a Costumer allows the convention to make video tapes and offer them
for sale. For participants under eighteen years of age, the release
will have to be signed by a parent or guardian.
- All Costumers are strongly urged to walk the stage before the
Masquerade, as we don't want you to fall off and hurt yourself or
others. Times will be made available for all participants to accomplish
this.
- Weapons: There will be no illegal weapons of any kind! No real
fire arms or projectile weapons will be allowed. If you plan to
use a weapon (real or fake) in your presentation, you must satisfy
the Masquerade Directors that you can do so without endangering
anyone, yourself included, before you will be allowed to carry it.
If you do decide to carry a real weapon, you will be required to
sign a release accepting legal and financial responsibility for
any damage your weapon may cause to persons or property.
- Costumes with electric power requirements need to be self-contained,
as there will be no access to outlets.
- Presentation time limits: one minute for a group of 1-4 people,
One and a half minutes for a group of 5-8, and two minutes for a
group of 9 or more. Additional time may be given by the Masquerade
Director on a case by case basis.. (Note: 60 seconds is a long time,
especially if you are up there all by yourself.) (Note2: Remember
KISS, Keep It Simple and Short.)
- Do not leave anything on stage that a Stage Ninja cannot pick
up quickly. If you plan to leave anything on stage, even if it is
only a handful of glitter, let us know so we can clear the stage
before the next costume enters. If you will be using large props,
you need to bring your own people to get them on and off, and tell
us how many and who they are.
- Surprise the audience, not the Masquerade Director. If you are
planning something completely different, let us know well in advance.
We won't tell anyone who does not have to know.
- The Masquerade Director has the authority to eliminate anyone
from the competition on the grounds of taste, danger, rules violations,
or any other reason which she feels to be sufficient. There will
be no appeal.
- And finally, the obligatory no peanut butter rule. No
messy substances--that is, nothing that will ruin another costume
or make the floor sticky, gritty, slippery, slimy, bumpy, lumpy,
scorched, toxic, or non-existent. In addition, no pyrotechnics,
fog machines, live animals, wind machines, Jacob's Ladders, or Oscillation
Overthrusters, etc.
Last, but not least, our thanks to Don Glover, the Younger,
Masquerade Director of Westercon 52, for permission to use most his
Information and Rules as basis for this page. C&J.
