Masquerade

The Masquerade is now full! Thank you everyone for signing up for the Masquerade. Didn’t make it in time to be pre-registered? Have no fear, there will still be a chance for you to sign up on site at the convention itself.

The Rules

1. For the convenience of both the staff and attendees, Katsucon will be accepting Pre-Registration for the Masquerade online. Send your submission in an e-mail to cosplay@katsucon.org. In the subject line, Put “Katsucon 17 Masquerade Registration.” In the body, put the following information:

   Name of your group (if you don’t have a formal group name, than simply skip to the next line)

   Walk on or Skit

   The REAL NAMES of the members of your group, including an E-mail address for the lead point of contact in your group, plus an alternate.

   Your skill level (this is defined further down in Rule 10)

   Craftsmanship judging: Yes or No

   Name of your skit

   A brief synopsis of your skit. No need to get fancy, it can be as simple as “Ranma meets Spike Speigel, hilarity ensues.”

   There are no written submissions accepted Pre-Con.

   All attendees and staff of Katsucon 17 are welcome to perform in the Masquerade. The only exceptions being Masquerade and Tech crew staff.

2. Online registration will be limited to the first 20 confirmed entries. Confirmed means they have been contacted by the Masquerade Staff and have replied to this contact and given a reference number. Once 20 entries have been reached, we will post here that Masquerade signup is full. On site at the convention there will be an additional Ten (10) slots open, with preference being given to young Cosplayers. This limit will be strictly enforced. Any unused pre-registration slots will be transferred to the At-Con signups. If you pre-reg and then find that your group can’t make it for whatever reason, please inform the coordinator as soon as possible.

3. We will have a Friday night Check-In From 7 to 9PM at the convention information booth. This is where you will simply let us know you are here, the coordinator will pass on any last minute changes, we will take at-con signups, and we will be available for any further questions you may have. Check in is not mandatory, but it’s appreciated.

   There will be a mandatory Rehearsal for the Masquerade Saturday morning in the Main Programming room. The time for this will be posted in the programming guide at the convention. All Cosplayers are responsible for their own punctuality. We will be taking roll call for entries, sorting you into groups, giving out your Masquerade badges, working out any problems with tech crew, and previewing all skits.

   There are no exceptions. All skits must be performed in full and will be reviewed by the Masquerade coordinators. You will also be given ample time to work out any details with the Tech Crew that you need. You are expected to arrive at the posted time (Remember kids: Check your programming guide!) for when to be at the rehearsal, as there is a lot of information to be given out and gone over.

   If your skit uses audio, Tech Crew will only accept CD music media. No cassettes. No MP3s. Make sure you have previewed your sound BEFORE bringing your home made CDs to the convention. Be sure to bring multiple copies of your CD’s. Tech Crew is not responsible for balancing your sound once you give them the CD, they simply put it in and press play at the proper time.

   IMPORTANT NOTE:

   There will be no video wall for the cosplayers use available this year.

   *Failure to attend the Rehearsal or arriving late can result in the disqualification from the Masquerade of you and/or your group. If you cannot make the Rehearsal you must inform the Head of Masquerade before Saturday morning.*

4. Speaking of Rehearsal, here are some points to consider while preparing your skit.

   Time limits for each group are as follows:

   1-2 people = 90 seconds
   3 – 5 people = 3 minutes
   6+ people = 4 minutes

   If you exceed your time limits by a few seconds, it is not grounds for instant disqualification. However, do not test the Masquerade staff or the judge’s patience. We will shut the lights off on you if you go too far over your time.

   For safety reasons, there are to be no more than 12 people on stage at any given time. You can have more than 12 people in your skit; just choreograph so that no more than 12 are on stage at any one time.

   Important note: your time includes any set up and takedown time that you will need for your skit. Keep this in mind when planning that huge backdrop or complicated set.

5. While we all do enjoy a good martial arts sequence, Katsucon cannot vouch for the stability or ability of the stage the Gaylord is providing to withstand the devastating power of your martial arts demonstration. At Rehearsal, the coordinators will inform you if there are any problems. Also, Remember, there will probably be fragile equipment on the stage, and if you break it, we’re sending you the bill.

6. We will publish the stage dimensions on the website/in the forums as soon as we possibly can.

7. We know that there are some risqué costumes out there. If you are comfortable with your body, then we are too. Just remember: A) there are kids in the audience and B) anything that gets displayed/flashed on stage will be preserved for eternity and posted on the internet. Keep that in mind when designing your battle bikini or when deciding whether to wear underwear under your Hakama or not.

8. No foul language please! Usage of any of the traditional “7 dirty words” or any other foul or abusive language is grounds for instant disqualification and removal from the Masquerade area.

9. Do not poke the Masquerade staffers with pocky, spoons, your weapon, automobiles, needles, wet noodles, badgers, or anything else. It’s just rude.

10. We will be using our interpretation of the World Costuming Guild’s rules in our categorizations. Below are the descriptions to find which group you fall into:

    Youth – Any entrant aged 13 years and younger. For safety reasons, children under the age of 8 cannot be allowed on the stage during the Cosplay for any reason, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

    Novice – Any costumer(s) who has won 2 or fewer awards. This is the category you select if you have never cosplayed before, or have not won any contests.

    Journeyman – Any costumer(s) who has won 3 – 6 awards.

    Master – Any costumer(s) who has won 7 or more awards.

    If you have a group, determine who had the highest skill level and use that when registering.

    *Example 1:* You have a group of 4 Novices and 1 Journeyman. You will be entered as Journeyman level.

    *Example 2:* You have 3 Masters and one Novice in your group. You will be entered as Master level.

    Entrants are always welcome to compete at a higher level should they wish. If you have won before at a higher skill level than your award total gives you credit for (I.E. You have a Novice skill level, but you have won as a Master) then we at Katsucon highly recommend that you compete at the higher skill level, as you have already proven that you can hang with the best of them. Awards will be given for the best Craftsmanship and Performance in each level, and Best in Show. Judges may wish to add their own special awards for outstanding entrants.

11. Big Danny T is in charge of the Masquerade. His word is law and final. Do not try to make his or his staff’s job harder than it already is, and follow any instructions without fail. They will not make any unreasonable demands. Their #1 priority is to ensure the safety of the entrants and that the Masquerade comes off as smoothly as possible.

12. The judges are immune to your wiles and attempts of bribery, and the MC has a microphone and is louder than you. Any attempts at heckling or bribery will be met with swift retribution and a look of foolishness on your part.

13. These rules are subject to change at any time with no prior notice. We will make every effort to inform you, the public, of any changes as far in advance as possible. The Head of Masquerade, and a select few officers of Katsucon have the right to reject any skit that they feel crosses the boundaries of good taste and decency, is in blatant violation of any of these rules, or might be out of place. (Don’t karaoke in the Masquerade, do it Friday night at the karaoke event!)

14. And keeping all these rules in mind, remember, the most important
    rule: Have fun!

AT-CON SIGN-UPS!

We will be offering AT-Con masquerade signups at the convention information booth on Friday night from 7 to 9 PM. AT-Con signups will be limited on a first come, first served basis to the first 10 groups For skits, and an additional 5 walk-on’s, so if you still want to be in the Saturday night Masquerade, then I would advise you be there closer to 7 than 9. Before people ask: the difference between a skit and a walk-on is skits have the time limits as set up on the website, and walk-on’s have 30 seconds to get on stage, do your thing, and get off. Thanks, and see everyone at the con.