MarsCon Masquerade and Dance
On Saturday evening starting at 7:00 will be the MarsCon 2000 Masquerade, followed immediately by a Dance.
The Masquerade will consist of a Children's (ages 0-12) and Adult's Divisions. One of the Masquerade judges will be our Media Guest of Honor, Mark Allen Shepherd. Our Fan Guest of Honor, Jack Borkowski,is a Master Costumer and has also graciously (as gracious as a Klingon can be!) consented to be one of our Judges.
There will be a Costume Dance immediately following the Masquerade. We are still in the planning stages for this, but it should prove to be a great time for all! Be sure to check back here soon for more details.
Masquerade Rules:
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Registration: If you are interested in presenting your costume at the masquerade, please fill out a registration sheet at the MarsCon registration area. Fill it out and return it to the registration desk at least 1 hour before the masquerade rehearsal (Sat morning at 10am). Be sure to turn in your tape/cd at that time marked with your first and last name and the name of your presentation. Mark the side to be played "PLAY THIS SIDE" on tapes. For CD's, mark the number of the song you wish us to play. Tapes need to be cued and ready to play. It is recommended that you record the song you want onto a blank tape as it does avoid some confusion.
- Division System:
We will be using our own categories which are listed below:
a. Children: 4-14 years old.
b. Mini-adults: 14-18 years old.
c. Media Theme: You can use costumes based on television series and movies, i.e. Star Wars, Star Trek, etc...
d. Literary Theme: Any Science Fiction or Fantasy novel (please let us know which character your costume is based on, including the book title and author's name).
e. Other: Your flights of fantasy or science fiction.
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Time Limits: A rule of thumb: Presentations should be limited to approximately 60 seconds for a group of 3 or fewer persons, or 90 seconds for groups of 3-6 with 10 seconds more for each additional person. Contestants are not required to use the full time limit for their presentations. If more time is needed, see the masquerade director.
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Microphones: A microphone is available to contestants.
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Weapons/props: You must employ good theatrical practices when having unsheathed steel. Realistic looking guns, pistols and strung bows are allowed as long as it is only for the duration of the stage presentation, just before and just after, as needed to prepare and put away the props. The masquerade director reserves the right to reject any weapons or props for safety concerns.
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Technical and Staging: Please remember that we are NOT planning on having a large amount of technical support. We will provide a microphone and a better audio system than last year (1999). Let us know if you may need assistance getting on or off the stage.
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Messy Substances: Please, no messy substances, powders, oily things, water, etc… that might ruin the hotel carpet or the costumes of other contestants. Safety and health are also major concerns. Some messy substances also supply and/or present other hazards.
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Rented Costumes: You needn’t have made the costume yourself, but if it was commissioned from a professional or built by a friend, then one must credit that person. Please NO rented costumes in the masquerade. We will love to see them throughout MarsCon but we are reserving the masquerade for home-designed costumes.
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Nudity: We don't want to censor your creativity, but no costume is really NO COSTUME. A good rule of thumb, if you can't wear it at a Minnesota beach, you can't wear it at the masquerade. Please exercise taste because the masquerade is held for all ages of convention goers.
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Competition Expulsion: The masquerade director has full authority to eliminate anyone from the competition on the basis of taste, danger to the audience or contestants, disorderly conduct, violation of the above rules, or reasons deemed sufficient by the masquerade director. This protects you and the convention.
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Contest: Let the crew help you on and off the stage so you don't fall. After you have gone on stage, you can go back into the audience and watch the rest of the masquerade! Be sure to stick around for the awards, because you may have won one!
(Thanks to Mad Media in helping us to develop MarsCon's masquerade rules)
