SPECIAL EVENTS:
OPENING CEREMONIES:
Starting 7pm ish Friday Evening we are introducing the Guests of Honor
and program participants. Something else special at the open is still under wraps.... don't miss it!
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SF LIVE THEATER:
Our talented, creative, and slightly demented live theater folk are cooking up more good stuff for
this year. We have a Harry Potter parody play and a stand up comedy troupe performance and a
movie crew demonstrating fight scenes while showing the clips that resulted and more:
The Usual Suspects have been performing stage comedy in one form or another for almost twenty
years. To some, that would seem a record; to others, a sentence. Names and faces have changed,
but this loose-knit troupe has come back year after year to perform parodies of Star Trek, Star
Wars, Stargate, and many more of our favorite shows and fandoms (and sometimes fandom itself.)
This time out they'll be tackling the world of our favorite young wizard in Harry Potter and the
Giant Robot from Planet Krazny.
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MASQUERADE:
On Saturday night Balticon hosts one of the oldest masquerades on the East
Coast. Marvel at the participants' crafting of fabric and other materials into imaginative and
extraordinary costumes. Huge tech support to showcase your craft or your audience experience.
The masquerade competition will be judged on the experience skills division system to give
beginners a chance to go home winners. Masquerade rules will be available here soon, or check off
the masquerade box on the registration form. Questions? E-mail to
masq@balticon.org. Hall Costumes and first-timers are encouraged
to get up on stage and share their work.
Hall Costumes:
Each year we look for the most colorful, unusual and imaginative hall costumes.
Whether novice or expert, Balticon wants you to dress up. Pictures will be taken of entries and
posted in a gallery at the con allowing the membership to vote for best hall costume.
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SUNDAY NIGHT FILM FEST: You are a judge!
Last year the Sunday Film Fest went full blast into a major event rivaling the Masquerade in
attendance and scope. Again this year Hopeful film makers have submitted their work in the hope
you will vote for them as "Best Film Award Balticon 2005." They want a plaque and the honor of the
win and you have control. Entries have been pre-judged so only the finalists go before you the jury.
Think of this like the masquerade only with films rather than costumes and you vote for the winner!
Burad the Klingon General will again host this event. The quality of entries this year is a step up
from the stuff we ran last year and people were overjoyed by the quality last year.
The Finalists in no particular order are: Metal Tears, based on a Mike Resnick
story--a real tear puller; Paradox Soldier, time travel philosophy puzzler;
Robot-USSIN, surreal encounter with artistic fervor; A Reasonable
Hypothesis, metaphysical quandary about clone copies; Dyke Squad,
comedy with Red Dwarf and alternate orientation elements; Cross Contours,
abstract animation; Revelations, the best effects Star Wars fan film I have ever
seen; Ken's New Specs, animated sentient vegetable horror story dark comedy;
The Liars, live action and animation fantasy silent movie; A Can of
Paint, based on a Van Vogt story; One D, comedy cartoon in creative
semi one-dimensional style; and Wasting Time, time travel comedy of moronic errors.
Not in competition after the balloting we will run a feature length that almost made it onto the
ballot, but was just too long, called "PlanetFall: A Fist Full of Credits" a spaghetti
western set in space with great CGI. Come learn what door prizes we have this year. All this on a
huge 12ft by 12ft screen in the main Ballroom!
Live Creature Feature with the Count Gore de Vol
Yes, the Count Gore de Vol has been off the air from his old Saturday night TV Horror Host Show
on local Channel 20 for 18 years, but to this day he runs original Creature Feature shows every
week with broadband on the web at
http://www.countgore.com/.
On Friday Night at 11:30 in the Main Ballroom the Count will recreate his show live on stage for all
his fans. Films will be those submitted to the Balticon Sunday Night Film Festival, but were forced
out by the huge increase in number and quality of films submitted this year. There were a few that
we just could not fit Sunday, but were too good for showing in a small room. Showing will be
Rocket Colossus: Brooklyn Gorilla, a low fi scifi epic; All Night Coffee
Shop, a goth gets more than she wished for or does she; Astro Disaster,
comedy of hubris and regrets and stupidity; Taratus, reality or dream or cosmic
justice--sometimes hard to tell.
Come watch the Count do his comedy Vampire schtick and relive
your youthful rebellion of staying up late with him on Saturday nights. Just remember this is
scheduled for Friday night at Balticon because of the Masquerade on Saturday night. Now all we
have to do is figure out how to hang a rubber chicken on a rope off the hotel ceiling. (don't ask,
but you will see)
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RIF CHARITY AUCTION:
For the 9th year in a row a charity auction for the benefit of Reading is
Fundamental will be held during the halftime break of the Masquerade on Saturday night. There
will be SF collectibles, memorabilia and other exotic items put on the block. If you have something
to donate to the auction bring it to the con. RIF is a terrific organization working nationwide to
teach kids to read by getting them hooked on reading at an early age and distributes free books to
many children who cannot afford a book of their own. For more information on RIF please check
Reading is Fundamental on the registration form or e-mail rif@balticon.org.
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COMPTON CROOK AWARD:
BSFS presents the Compton Crook Award to the new SF author judged to
have written the best SF novel for the previous year. This year the 2004 award will be presented
immediately prior to the Masquerade.
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GUEST OF HONOR PRESENTATIONS:
We are planning traditional formal Guest of Honor presentations on
multiple days as well as GOH participation scattered throughout the main
program. GOHs will select the program panels they most wish to headline
from the general program topics and these smaller sessions will be
denoted in the formal program schedule when finalized.
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FILK PERFORMANCES:
Jordin Kare, out Filk Guest of Honor will perform a Full concert in the Main Ballroom.
There will be panels, workshops, concerts and music Friday through
Sunday. Bardic circle each night and open filk as well. Check out the
Internet newsgroup rec.music.filk for more details, e-mail
filk@balticon.org or check the filk box on the registration form.
The Chromatics are a vocal band that delights audiences with a
combination of outrageous originals, crazy covers, melodic insights into
modern life, and original science songs. They have taken their
astronomically-correct a cappella songs, a project called AstroCappella,
from Palm Springs, to Orlando, from Las Vegas to New York, and their CD has
flown in space! The Chromatics have presented their repertoire at the
Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, the Atlantic Region Harmony Sweepstakes,
and public festivals. This year they bring their unique high-energy stylings
to Balticon 39.
On Friday night Ego Likeness will perform with the combined efforts of musicians D. Lynch and S. Archer,
and defies easy categorization. As a pair they have explored many different avenues of music, from
spoken word, instrumental work, dance music and dark electronica. Steve Archer and Donna Lynch
began Ego Likeness in 1999 as an industrial/ trip-hop project. One year and many band members later,
the duo recorded "Dragonfly". This full length, independent release explored new territory, breaking
away from the dirty, trip-hop sound of their first demo, "Songs From A Dead City". Archer and Lynch
gave "Dragonfly" a smoother, electronic sound while maintaining the same dark feel of their early work.
Since that time, Ego Likeness has gone from a two-person show to a five person live band.
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MAGIC PROGRAM:
We have recruited members of the
Maryland Wizards Magic Club
for the second year to teach and demonstrate prestidigitation arts during a workshop at Balticon.
Boosting your con-magic with stage-magic!
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DANCE:
Balticon will be holding a Regency Ball at 7 PM Sunday evening, compliments of
Susan de Guardiola and
The Elegant Arts Society.
Learn to dance as they did in Jane Austen's day, with a lively mix of historically accurate country dances,
quadrilles, and waltzes (minus the complicated footwork). Beginners are welcome, and costumes of any
style are encouraged.
Vyral takes the stage
for our Late Sunday Night dance. From their website:
"We are the unorthodox. Forged from the alloy of modern metal, gothic, and industrial. We are a
multi-media experience, melding story with song, screams with synth, light and darkness. We are
Baltimore's foremost electronic scourge. We are Vyral."
Experience the scourge on Sunday night.
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LARP:
Lost... now survival is the key. But to survive you must try to trust and that is earned. This year's
LARP will test your mind and test your trust. Come join the fun and maybe make some new enemies...(ahem)
I mean friends. The LARP will run starting on Saturday and go until Monday morning. Fee for participation
will be $10 to cover the cost of materials. Come for the fun... stay for the adventure.
If you have any questions about the LARP, please e-mail larp@balticon.org
Registration for the LARP will begin Friday evening and will continue through the convention.
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BLOOD DRIVE SUNDAY
The Heinlein Society will be sponsoring a blood drive Sunday by the Red
Cross to help alleviate shortages associated with holiday Weekends.
Another way for fans to show community spirit
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