Masquerade Staging

Stage

The stage will be 48 feet wide by 32 feet deep (48'x32') with steps on both sides. There will not be any front entrance or exit, and there will not be a runway. Default entry will be stage left and default exit will be stage right. We will try to handle variations but no center front entry or exit will be possible. Please plan your presentation accordingly.

There will be a walk from the Green Room to the stage stairs entry, all on a level floor. The length of the walk and the exact dimension of the stairs or flats will be posted in spring 2004.

The bottleneck for access between the stage and the Masquerade Green Room is a six-foot-wide by seven-foot-high (6'x7') doorway. Excepting this doorway, the minimum width of the passage is ten feet (10') and the minimum height is twelve feet (12'). Please construct your costumes accordingly.

Rehearsal Space

We will be making rehearsal space, clearly marked to the same dimensions as the stage, available to contestants for practicing and perfecting their entries.

This will allow sufficient time and space for entries to get their blocking done, so that the participants know how big the stage is, and where on that stage each member of the team will be at any given time.

If we're lucky, we will have blocking assistance available from someone with a theatrical background.

Rehearsal space (marked to the exact size of the performance stage, including wings and entrance/exits), will be available throughout the convention in the Marriott Copley Place Hotel. All blocking should happen on the rehearsal stage, not during your technical rehearsal time.

Rehearsal-stage time will be assigned through the Masquerade Registration Desk at con.

Rehearsals and Technical Requirements

Once entries have had time to work on their blocking, there will be a technical rehearsal so that the technical and backstage crews can see what you will be doing on stage. Please rehearse your presentation in advance of the convention.

Last-minute requests of the Masquerade Director or the technical crew, at any point after Masquerade Registration is closed, will be looked upon with much less favor than their less time-challenged siblings and are far less likely to be granted.

Props

Props must be carried on and off the stage by the people using them. We will not be providing large lifting bodies and there will be a limited number of ninjas we can allow backstage.

Please list on your registration form any large props you plan to use.

If you’re going to have large props, bring your own ninjas to get them on and off stage. Bring them to rehearsal too. While we will have some room for props to be stored before the masquerade, they must be removed on Monday, September 6, 2004.

Time on Stage

Any entry of one to four contestants will be allowed a maximum of one minute (60 seconds) on stage. An additional 30 seconds will be allowed for every four additional contestants in a single group, to a maximum of two minutes.

Any additional time extensions must be approved by the Masquerade Director, and will only be granted for exceptionally good reasons.

Set-up time required for your entry is not counted in your allotted presentation time.

You should also be aware that you do not need to use all of your allotted time, and it might be advantageous to keep it short. Even 60 seconds is much longer than most people think!

Running Order

The staff reserves the right to change the order of appearance of any contestant.

If there are any special circumstances that would affect your place in line, please discuss them with the Masquerade Director when you check in at the convention. The Masquerade Director will attempt to comply with your requests, but cannot guarantee placement.

Introductions

If you wish to have any special introduction for the MC to read, please have it typed or printed clearly so we can easily read it. Without an introduction, the MC will announce only your entry number, division and title at the beginning of your presentation. After your presentation is complete, she will announce your credits. (Note: Other arrangements are possible. Please tell us what you'd like to have on your registration form. We'll see what we can work out.)

Narration or Dialogue

There will be no microphones provided for the contestants. No microphones will be allowed onstage, nor may any contestant directly address the audience. It’s a very big room. You will not be heard from the stage. If you have narration or dialogue included with your presentation, it must be recorded on a tape or CD. See Masquerade Sound for information on the best way to record your narration or dialogue.

Children

Junior contestants will present first.

Other entries that include children may request to go on next if they do so at the time of registration.

Notes

Please respect the fact that there will be children in the audience and plan your costumes appropriately. While our feeling is that if you are comfortable with your skin we should be too; sadly Massachusetts is not so accommodating. Remember that no costume is no costume and won’t win any prizes unless you consider an obscene proposition a prize. The judges are usually of both sexes, and they are judging costumes, not bodies.