Kayt's Cos-Play Tips Treatise

I'm not kidding. If you've been struggling with a concept, take it as a sign. Often the more mental manipulation it takes for you to wheedle out your "schick" the more contrived it will appear to the audience. Go with something simple. Boil down the character to a simple action and phrase. Figure out a character pose. Write a quick two to three line introduction. Get on stage. Deliver the phrase and action. Strike the Pose. Get off stage. Listen to the aplause

Two short example from my past:

You may feel the pressure to put on a huge "cos-play performance". Ignore it. The spirit of cos-play and being in character is strong in quick moment. The more time you're on stage the more you may be apt to slip out of character. Honestly, if your costume is good, it will be noticed. And the audience and judges will take pleasant note of your brevity.

Okay, you're going to do a skit. You've got a group of folks. Let me tell you this: crossover skits nearly NEVER work. Most crossovers fail for the reason that many regular skits fail, because they often require set-up. Your comedy/drama concept should be concise. It is your responsibility to entertain, not the audience's responsibility to understand parallel universes, one-episode spoilers, or any other nit-picking detail from a 40+ episode series. The word Anime refers to many decades of Japanese Animation, don't assume your audience has seen what you have seen. Stick with scenarios that are short and easy to identify with.

If your skit is well done, and everybody understands the characters enough to be able to act in character, then you should do fine. Don't avoid jokes that require knowledge of a certain character or plot point, just don't rely on them to carry the skit.

Don't ever write a skit that absolutely requires the tech crew do something at a specific point. This applies to music, lighting, and curtains cues. It's not that the tech crew is irresponsible, far from it. By the time Cosplay rolls around the tech crew has been hard at work for a day and a half. They've set up equipment and assumed responsible for sound levels, microphones, lighting, video displays and more. They're still hard at work during cos-play. So they may miss your cues because they are more worried about the entire cos-ply than 3 minutes of it. But there are ways to protect against drooped cues.

And above all else, have a back-up plan.

If you're doing a skit with multiple people, know your lines. This means fleshing out the script. Run your idea past others, get feedback. Then run lines. It's simple, but people don't do it. Running lines will also help you weed out awkward phrasing. If you know your material well you'll be able to ad-lib if you've forgotten a phrase or two or if something happens.

And then once you know the lines, run the blocking. Nothing ruins a skit like watching a bunch of people who don't know where they are supposed to go. This leads us to the next tip.

Most cosplays a lot time for people to use that stage and "run through" their skit. Few people use this time. You should. Not only will it help you know the size of the stage and adjust your blocking accordingly. Take this time to learn the entrances and exits of the stage. Take note of any lighting or sound equipment. You should also station a friend at the back of the auditorium, have them shout if they can't hear you or see you. If the audience can't see or hear you, they are bored.

Okay I can't stress this enough, when you are talking, face towards the audience. They need to hear you, they need to see you. Look at them! Block your skit to be as close to the front of the stage as is possible.

If your costume might break open at any moment, then be gentle with it. If your costume is a huge mecha that is unwieldy, don't dance in it. Are stairs a problem? Alert a staff member. Is your vision impaired, ask the other folks on stage to help spot you if need been and get assistance going on and off stage. Are you wearing a corset? Don't do a dramatic back-bending fall…trust me.

The larger cosplay gets, the more unwieldy it is to run. Please remember that the people running the cosplay are volunteers. They need you to be quiet, line up and act orderly. This is not much to ask. If there are a lot of groups, please don't expect staffers to allow one person to be in five skits ordered just so. They're only human. Treat them well.

Let's face it, we cosplay because we love anime and theater. It's something we do for fun. Don't get competitive. Take pride in what you do, but not at the expense of others. Don't belittle or heckle. Do not say "Oh no, not another…" even if you think it. I know Ithink it about certain characters, but I respect a person's desire to express themselves. Play nice and everyone wins. Trade tips about how you made something, get to know other costumes. Help each other brainstorm and run lines. I love cosplay. And if you read all of this, so do you.