User:Henrickson/Masquerade (convention event)

A masquerade is a main event at an anime convention, comics convention, multigenre convention, science-fiction convention or any other genre of fan convention. It is usually held in the largest room of the convention's venue, where contestants (masquerade participants) perform a walk-on or a skit on a stage in front of a sitting audience to display their costumes or cosplays. Masquerades attract high numbers of convention attendees and usually form one of the key attractions of the conventions in which they are held.

The show

A masquerade is a live show, with an introduction, the presentation of the contestants' entries, intermissions if any, and announcements of winners at the end of the show or as a separate ceremony. It is usually on a Saturday evening for conventions which are held on weekends. As it is one of the events with the highest attendance numbers, most conventions will try to limit and control the number of people attending this event through admission tickets/wristbands (usually free), structured lineups and rules on when those lineups can start to form. A ticket or wristband usually guarantees a seat for the ticket/wristband holder inside the room where the masquerade is held, and non-holders fill up the remaining empty seats (if any); the convention may use a handstamp system for attendees to allow them to venture outside the room after they have been seated, for example to go to the washroom during the show.

Larger conventions will have a professional video camera filming the performance of the contestants and displaying it on projection screens next to the stage, for those sitting too far who cannot see the contestants directly, having their lines of sight of the stage blocked by attendees in front of them. At the front of the room is a table for the Presentation Judges and seats for convention Guests and members of the Press. Behind them will be seats for VIP pass holders, if the convention issues such passes. Behind them will be the rest of the audience.

Stages vary from convention to convention. They may be small simple platforms with one set of stairs and simple lighting, or can be fully-equipped sets (such as for music concerts) with a lot of space, curtains to hide the entering and exiting of the contestants from the stage, a beautiful background, elaborated lighting from multiple emplacements and a podium for the MC(s). Most stages are all-black, with decent lighting.

Regional differences

USA and Canada

Terms

Terms used by masquerades in the U.S./Canada (may be used interchangeably):

• Beginner = Novice
• Category = Division
• Craftsman = Artisan
• Craftsmanship = Workmanship
• Intermediate, Experienced = Journeyman
• Judges' Choice for <item> = Honourable Mention for <item>
• Junior, Youth = Young Fan
• Performance = Presentation

Registration

In the U.S., most masquerade sign-ups are pre-registrations; the contestants have to submit details of their entries online or by mail. In most of Canada, sign-ups are made "at the door" at the Masquerade Desk of the convention, with a written form to fill up.

Walk-ons and skits

In the U.S., most masquerades make all the walk-ons go first before the skits; at many cons the walk-on parade is called the parade of "Hall Costume Contest" participants. In Canada, almost every masquerade mix the skits and walk-ons, with no particular mix pattern.

Time limits

In the U.S., it is not rare to see skits go up to 3 or 4 minutes long; walk-ons last usually less than 1 minute. In Canada, both skits and walk-ons are mostly limited to 60 seconds, unless an entry has a large group (usually more than 5 people), which the limit can be extended to 90 seconds.

Rehearsals

In the U.S., some conventions ask all contestants to rehearse their entries (in a specially designated area) before the show. In Canada, almost no convention has a rehearsal requirement or area, though some Green Rooms (such as G-Anime's) are held in show rooms adjacent to the main events room, where a stage is available for the contestants to rehearse (if time permits).

Announcements of winners

In most U.S. masquerades, the winners are announced some time after the end of the last entry, where the judges go backstage to deliberate on the winners and their awards; the winners are announced (and compensated) when the judges return to the main events room, usually after 45-60 minutes. In most of Canada, the judges spend the rest of the night to deliberate on the winners and the list of winners is announced at a special Masquerade Awards Ceremony on the Sunday, usually separate but sometimes merged with the Closing Ceremonies as at Naru2U.

Prizes for winners

For both countries, fabric stars/ribbons are awarded to the winners. In the U.S., some masquerades offer trophies. In Canada, some masquerades offer certificates. It is extremely rare to see a masquerade offer a cash prize (check or money) to the Best in Show, and this has been seen in the U.S. so far.

Common awards

For both countries, the following awards are common but never mandatory, as sometimes a judging panel may decide not to give a particular award (like the Best in Show) to anyone because no single entry was better than others for that item:

• Best Craftsmanship/Workmanship in Category/Division: Beginner/Novice, Intermediate/Journeyman, Craftsman/Artisan, Master
• Best Performance/Presentation in Category/Division: Beginner/Novice, Intermediate/Journeyman, Craftsman/Artisan, Master
• Best Craftsmanship/Workmanship in Show
• Best Performance/Presentation in Show
• Best (overall) in Show