Masquerade and Cabaret

There Will Be a Masquerade

And yes, we do plan to have a Masquerade. In fact, we plan to have a Masquerade and a Cabaret. The Cabaret will be a showcase for any fannish skills such as belly dancing, comedy sketches, filk songs, musicians, etc. The wider the range, the better (Acts should be no more than three minutes without prior agreement from Programme staff).

We're looking for people to take part in the masquerade and cabaret. If you're planning to join in, please let us know, so that we can talk to you in advance about any technical requirements. See also our weapons policy, which has special conditions for masqueraders.

What is the Masquerade?

If you've never been to an Eastercon, you might be wondering what the masquerade is. It's often called "Fancy Dress" at other conventions. It's an evening event where fans display their creativity by parading the costumes they've made, usually on a stage. The masquerade judges award a number of prizes afterwards. Anyone can enter, and the costumes are equally varied: from well-known characters to abstract concepts, from single people to large groups, from tiny toddlers to--- you get the picture. Fans often accompany their costume presentation with a brief snip of music (Tech can help here), or dialogue, or some other performance. Often there are sketches, but it can just be a simple presentation of the costume. Some costumes were months in the making, some were bin-liners and cardboard earlier in the day. All are welcome.

Handy tip: if you're making a costume that references a character from television, movies, comics, etc., then bringing a photo/picture of the original character (in that costume) will greatly help the judges, who may not be aware of the original. If they know what you're reproducing, they can judge how well you've done it.

Our camera policy restricts flash photography during most of the masquerade, because of safety concerns.

What is the Cabaret?

The cabaret's new to Eastercons. What is it? Well, it's a lot like the masquerade, in that it's fans on stage entertaining other fans. Some masquerade entries are only peripherally about a costume - the costume's more just the excuse for some entertaining skit or sketch. The cabaret takes this further, in that the costume is entirely optional - it's about the performance: comedy, drama, singing, dancing, juggling, brain surgery, basket weaving - whatever you can do that you think will be entertaining. And it's non-competitive. Masquerade entries are judged, while cabaret entries are not.

Which One Do I Enter?

Should you be in the masquerade or the cabaret? Well, that's largely up to you. If you're unsure, talk to us, and we'll sort it out.

How Do I Enter?

You can do so on-line - see Help Us Out for details. There's only the one check-box for both masquerade and cabaret; we'll talk with you and sort the details out later.

What formats can Tech handle

We'll be able to accept the following formats:

  • Physical media:
    • Okay: CD, DVD, USB drive
    • Not okay: Cassette Tape, Record, Blu-Ray, HD
  • Media formats:
    • Okay: mp3, wav, mp4, avi
  • Document formats:
    • Okay: ppt, doc, xls, pdf
Essentially, if a relatively modern Microsoft Windows PC can handle it, we can probably deal with it. However, if in doubt, please check with us in advance.