How now, you crusty bag of nature, you egg! Do ye have what it takes to step into an original production of Shakespeare’s ROMEO & JULIET? To explore the shifting yet constant nature of language and dramatic action? Come and take part in a group staging of Act I, Scene 1, wherein the company shall roundly insult each other with Elizabethan screeds and many, many thumbs shall be bit. Cosplay welcome—nay, encouraged!
A collaborative production between the Main Programming and LitRPG Tracks with narrator Neil Hellegers:
This is a group workshop I have done many times with all ages, and with as many as 50 people, and it ends with everyone doing a scene from Romeo and Juliet together! (background: I worked as a university instructor and teaching artist for decades before becoming an audiobook narrator).
It starts with splitting the group in two, taking opposing sides of the room. I’ll then distribute slips of paper with insults from numerous Shakespeare plays, and do a quick review for sense. These are always fun, a little more graphic than people generally expect from Shakes, and an exploration of language and action. We practice firing them at each other at the other group from across the room.
Then I have each group pick two “captains”, with whom I cast and review a shortened version of the first scene from R&J (aka the “Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?” scene). We then choose a fun setting and stage the scene, with each group as rival Montagues and Capulets, and let the insults and biting of thumbs fly, complete with police (The Prince) intervention.
I can fold in a little or as much literary analysis and dramaturgical import as fits the group, while we also have a blast, a rowdy and energetic experience, with a unique version of the play, and tons of archaic insults to keep throwing around the con for the days to follow.
We know that many of you have been working on that perfect costume for over a year now. We’re excited to say that we WILL be hosting the always-popular Costume Contest this year despite reduced programming! Sign ups will be slightly different, so please see below for details. We can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with.
General Guidelines
Contestants may choose to compete for juried awards or only for Judges Choice/Audience Choice
Due to time constraints, we will be limiting the number of entries to the following:
We will accept the first 20 contestants to sign up who wish to be considered for juried awards. (Best in Show, Best in Class, or Best Workmanship)
We will accept an additional 10 participants for Judges Choice or Audience Choice awards only, but these will not be pre-judged or considered for the “Best of” categories.
Mandatory pre-judging for juried entrants will take place at 4 PM in the Main Programing Room (Dunwoody Ballroom). Please arrive early or you may not be eligible for juried awards.
Participants who are not being pre-judged should arrive by 5 PM.
Each entry will have approximately 1-2 minutes to present their costume while the emcee reads your pre-written description. Please write descriptions clearly and provide pronunciations, otherwise the emcee will ad-lib at their own discretion.
Awards
The following awards will be given at the end of the contest:
Best in Show– The best overall entrant from all classes.
Best in Class– The best entrant from each class that is not also the Best in Show.
Best Workmanship– The entrant with the best workmanship who has not also won Best in Class or Show.
Judges Choice– Each judge may choose to present an award to any contestant that does not also receive a “Best of” award.
Audience Choice– This award will be chosen based on audience reaction.
Classes for Juried Awards
Entrants may enter one of the 3 classes (below).
Novice– Anyone who has never won an award before.
Journeyman– Anyone who has won 2 or fewer Best in Class awards or no more than 1 Best in Show.
Master– Anyone who has won Best in Show more than once or Best in Class 3 or more times.
Classes are determined by placement in previous JordanCon Costume Contests only; however, entrants may choose to enter in a higher class based on other factors. Entrants may not enter a lower class. Group entries will be classified by the highest entrant in the group.
Criteria
Entrants will be judged on the following equally-weighted criteria.
Accuracy (how well it matches the source material)
Craftsmanship (how well constructed the self-made pieces are)
Presentation (the overall look and appeal of the entry)
Conduct
Entrants are expected to abide by the JordanCon Code of Conduct.
Contestants should provide their own handlers for any large or obstructive costumes.
Contestants should be aware of any part of their costumes or props that may cause damage to the facilities or other contestants and take necessary precautions. If your costume is considered a problem by the organizers, you may be asked to leave.
Registration
Registration will take place online via the Eventeny ticketing system. Only 20 tickets will be available for juried awards. An additional 10 openings will be available for Judges Choice or Audience Choice awards only. Tickets to enter the costume contest are free of charge.
Entries will be taken on a first come, first served basis.
Tickets/entries for the Costume Contest will go live July 14 at 8:00 AM EDT. Please only sign up for ONE type of participation ticket/entry. The link provided below contains tickets (entries) for both types of contestants.
No entries will be taken after 1:00 PM Saturday or after the online tickets have been filled, whichever comes first.
Link to tickets for the JordanCon Costume Contest Awards is here.
This month’s Wheel of Time Wednesday was an official announcement (or for some, a confirmation) that Michael McElhatton has joined the cast of the Wheel of Time TV show! If you find yourself thinking he looks familiar, you may recognize him as Roose Bolton from Game of Thrones (or any of his other projects on his impressively long resume).
He’s definitely got the acting experience needed, and he even played a dad on Game of Thrones! But let’s all hope Rand turns out better than Ramsey…
Be sure to join us over on our Twitter and Facebook pages to discuss the news with your fellow fans!
You’ve done it again and exceeded expectations in the grandest way possible. As we close the books, we wanted to share some of your successes that led to a JordanCon record-shattering donation.
This year’s chosen charity, Hospice of Mercy, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received a total amount of $17,522 in honor of our brother, Steve Godecke.
#JCon2019 By the Numbers
JordanCon 2019 saw new records for member attendance (890), Charity Auction funds raised ($9,021), charity proceeds from the JordanCon 2019 Anthology “You Want Stories?” ($4,054), and other charity events ($1,879). The Art Show also achieved a 3-year goal and new record for charitable funds (10 percent of all Art Show sales totaling $2,567).
As we wrap up our fiscal year and look back at JordanCon 2019, we want to thank all of our members, staff, and officers for their time and generosity that contributed to a record-breaking year for charity. Our family is strong and generous, and none of this would be possible with all of you.
We’ve all been waiting an incredibly long time to see a version of our beloved series on screen, whether big or small, and after so many years without much progress, it’s been incredible to be getting constant updates from showrunner Rafe Judkins via Twitter and his #WOTWednesday posts.
At JordanCon 10, Harriet teased that news about who would be ordering the show was imminent, and now the wait is finally over. It was officially announced that Amazon is the lucky streaming service involved! More importantly, they’ve confirmed the first season is already ordered and at least two scripts are complete and ready to go. For fans, this is a dream come true. We’re no longer hoping for progress, we’re seeing things happen and watching the project move rather speedily toward completion.
To stay up to date on what’s happening, be sure to follow our Facebook and Twitter pages. We love sharing Judkins’ updates, and we’re always keeping an eye out for new and exciting news! And as always, we’ll do our best to catch you up here once a month, too!
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