Category Archives: Corporate Event Entertainers

A good firework display

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Attending an organised bonfire event ensures you can enjoy the very best of everything in safety, including a bonfire, the burning of the Guy, live music, tasty eats, and of course an awesome fireworks display. Red Masque have many good firework display artists for you to hire for hundreds of charity events every year, so that you can go along, have a good time and enjoy them to the max.

As a nation, we like to celebrate a hapless hero, and top of the list must be Guy Fawkes, a man famous for having failed miserably to do what he set out to do. Fawkes and his co-conspirators planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament but on 5 November 1605, Fawkes was discovered guarding a large stockpile of gunpowder in the cellars, after an anonymous tip-off to the authorities. Here’s five great ways to celebrate his non-achievement!

Guy Fawkes Night is a great excuse to have a party where the star attraction is a red-hot band or explosive new act rather than a soggy bonfire or a damp squib! Ditch the rockets and whizz-bang in favour of guitar solos and keyboard wizardry, for a night everyone will remember for a very long time. At Red Masque, we have some of the best up and coming bands in the business.

Bonfires are fun but they are also a liability waiting to happen. So, light up your bonfire party with entertainment that makes the most of fire, light and spectacle without the health and safety issues. 

Fire acts create magical patterns in the night sky using fire and sparks, for a show that has deep, primeval appeal. Or opt for the high-tech solution, an LED light show where the ‘fire’ is actually LED lights twirled, swirled and whirled to create incredible coloured patterns and optical illusions. You’ll never look at a sparkler again!

You will have to book will in advance if you want a professional firework display, as they’ve been booked up for months. However, you can book a professional firework display any day of the year through Red Masque so you can enjoy a spectacular display choreographed to your favourite track for your wedding, birthday party, anniversary celebrations, proms party, graduation ball, you name it. Call us for details, and try to book nice and early!

We may have been celebrating Fawkes’ night in July instead of November, had not the opening of Parliament been delayed by the threat of plague – the gunpowder was actually stored and ready from 20th July onwards. So if you’re planning a summer party with a difference, why not celebrate the 410th anniversary of the start of the Gunpowder Plot with a midsummer Bonfire Night party.

And if you do want your own bonfire party in the back garden, always follow the Firework Code keep bonfires small and under control, and warn your neighbours so they can keep pets safely indoors. Have fun!

Cool Magic

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There’s no doubt about it, Magicians like Dynamo and Derren Brown made the art of magic very cool again. It’s an art that constantly re-invents itself with the best magicians always adding more complex and up-to-the minute methods to keep audiences mesmerised.

Using the latest technology and what’s around them to wow people is something that a good Magician will always look to do and with smartphones and tablets being everywhere nowadays, it’s a great way for magicians to further impress their subjects.

 IPhones have now become an integral part of any illusionists act. Using it to create magic involving coins and other items adds an extra layer to their performance. There’s a whole host of occasions where this type of magic can be used – Weddings and Parties and even Corporate Events or Product Launches where it can be absolutely relevant to a product that might be being promoted. Being able to take an item that people can see digitally on the device and transfer that into a physical item from nothing is a really popular form of magic to guests.

Using an iPhone is probably preferable to an iPad because the illusionist can keep it in his pocket while performing in a mix and mingle style with guests, however tablets are often used too depending on the event.”

Corporate and Trade Shows are proving particularly popular for this type of magic where there are hundreds of stalls all vying for attention and where there’s a real need to add something that will stand out. Digital Magic is clearly proving very popular.

Some magicians perform street magic on a London street, which involves use of the phone to magic items – including making the phone appear from a magazine advert. The reaction from passers-by shows the effectiveness of bringing the traditional styles of magic together with technical innovation is a concept that will remain popular amongst Magicians and the people that love to be in awe of it.

Like all forms of entertainment, each Magician is different. While not all Magicians have this in their performance routine, Red Masque has some of the UK’s most exciting magicians and can help to find the perfect magician for your event.

Planning is key to a perfect Corporate Event

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Corporate events are a very important part of any company’s annual calendar, as they help promote the business internally and externally, as well as reinforcing brand values and corporate messages. 

They can also forge links with existing and potential clients and improve staff morale. A lot can hinge on a corporate event – be it a convention, exhibition, awards dinner or conference – including the good name of the company and its reputation.

A successful corporate event will be down to many factors including location, food, and atmosphere and, of course, the all-important entertainment. 

Entertainment can make or break a corporate event and making the most out of any act, show or performer can be hugely beneficial. Good corporate entertainment can leave guests with a memorable experience and reinforce a company’s image, brand and corporate message. Good entertainment can even attract publicity (of the good sort!).

Deciding on the Right Entertainment

Corporate event professionals will first have to take a few factors into consideration when ensuring that the entertainment ‘fits’ the event:

• Determine age, social background and sex, and choose entertainment accordingly. A tribute to ‘One Direction’ or ‘Justin Bieber’ may be suitable for a corporate family day event, but not for a black tie gala dinner.

• Venue size and location is a factor that many event planners and organisers forget (or remember at the last minute!). This is important, as it will play a part in deciding whether or not you can have that aerial team you want or full scale swing band!

• Cost. Do you have a strict budget that you have to work within, or is money not a problem? The amount of money a company is prepared to spend on entertainment will affect the options available.

Stage Hypnotists

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Take a journey into the subcioncious mind… A stage hypnotist makes great entertainment for almost any event. Hypnotism and over recent years has made a huge come back in the world of entertainment and with a comedy hypnosis show you can be sure your event will be thought provoking, fun and mind-boggling.

Stage hypnotists sometimes argue that it is seeing people hypnotised on television or on stage that convinces people of its use and that it does indeed work. Sure enough, many people who come to see hypnotherapists, or indeed doctors and psychologists using hypnosis, have seen hypnotism on television and are intrigued. The flip side of this is that it takes quite a lot of time explaining hypnosis correctly, including allaying some of their fears, for example;

  • Hypnosis is not magic.
  • It does not involve people being made to do things against their will
  • It does involve a hypnotist acting as a guide to help clients empower themselves and make natural, healthy and often profound changes.

In its worst form, stage hypnosis has been accused of being manipulative and exploitative. Most professional stage hypnotists would counter this claim by demonstrating that subjects have volunteered to take part in the show and fully understand what to expect. This is seen by many as a grey area in that stage hypnotists often suggest indirectly that events are beyond the subject’s control. Far less debatable is the willingness a client shows when entering a session of hypnotherapy. 

The facts about hypnosis for entertainment

Film and TV depictions of hypnosis are often grossly inaccurate and can lead to some people developing a fear or distrust of hypnosis. People can be led to believe that the hypnotist can take control of the person being hypnotised, and even make them do something against their will. This is sometimes called the ‘Svengali effect’ (after the sinister character in the 1894 novel Trilby by George Du Maurier). While this may make for interesting storylines, the reality is quite the opposite. In hypnosis you are always in control and can choose to follow or ignore the suggestions of the hypnotherapist.

There is a very big difference between clinical hypnotherapy and stage hypnotism. Whilst the former is a therapeutic process for the benefit of the client, the latter is a performance, a show designed purely to entertain the audience. The people, who volunteer as subjects for stage hypnotism, are in effect self-selecting themselves, are happy to lose their inhibitions and be the centre of attention (extroverts), and are willing to go along with the show, whether or not they are actually in a state of hypnosis. It could be reasonably argued that the same results could be obtained under the influence of nothing more than a few glasses of alcoholic refreshment.

In the UK, the revival of stage hypnotism was accompanied by a heightened concern about the possible dangers of stage hypnosis, and the 1952 Hypnotism Act was brought in to protect the public from unscrupulous hypnotists.

In 1994 a panel of experts was set up by the Home Office to examine any evidence of possible harm to people taking part in public entertainments involving hypnotism, and to review the effectiveness of the law governing hypnotism for entertainment. Publication of the expert panel’s report was announced in parliament in 1995, which concluded that “there was no evidence of serious risk to participants in stage hypnosis, and that any risk which does exist is much less significant than that involved in many other activities.” 

Nowadays the hypnosis stage show remains popular as both public and corporate entertainment. There are courses available on hypnotic stage techniques for those who wish to learn stage hypnosis online or on a professionally taught course.

A love for Puppets

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British children’s television in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s made stars of some puppets, from the marionettes ‘Muffin the Mule’, ‘Andy Pandy’, ‘Bill and Ben’, ‘Lady Penelope’, ‘Parker’, ‘Troy Tempest’ and ‘Captain Scarlet’ to the glove puppets ‘Sooty and Sweep’ and ‘Basil Brush’ as well as the American sock puppet ‘Lamb Chop’ (who was still operated by hand). The Pipkins’ ‘Hartley Hare’ was a rod puppet and Jim Henson created many different types of puppets for ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘The Muppets’ which British audiences loved.

Britain’s first purpose-built puppet theatre, The Harlequin Theatre, was opened by Eric Bramall at Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales in 1958, followed by John Wright’s Little Angel Theatre in Islington in 1961, Ray and Joan DaSilva’s Norwich Puppet Theatre in 1980, Gren and Juliet Middleton’s Puppet Theatre Barge on the Regent’s Canal in 1982, and The Biggar Puppet Theatre, opened near Edinburgh by The Purves Puppets in 1986. Artist and Illustrator Mary Shillabeer created various full-scale marionette shows in the 1970s and 1980s, some of which appeared during the Edinburgh Festival, including ‘Peter and the Wolf’, ‘Boite a Jou-Jou’ (The Toy Box) and ‘Babar the Elephant’.

‘Spitting Image’ puppets, created for television in the 1980s by Peter Fluck and Roger Law, renewed the 18th-century tradition of satirical puppetry at a time when many innovative British touring puppet show companies were established, and theatre companies such as Forkbeard Fantasy began using large scale puppetry in their work.

Muffin the Mule, the first marionette to become a television star, is seen here with his presenter Annette Mills.

Muffin was carved in 1934 by Fred Tickner, a famous maker of Punch and Judy puppets, for Ann Hogarth and her husband Jan Bussell, who formed The Hogarth Puppets in 1932. For their show they wanted a comic-looking mule with a big head that could kick his back legs at a marionette clown.

When television started again after the war in 1946, Annette Mills – sister of the actor John Mills – asked the Hogarth’s if they would make some puppets to go with her songs for the programme ‘For the Children’. The Hogarth’s suggested she used some of their puppets instead, so she wrote new songs to go with the puppets she chose – the mule and clown – which she called Muffin and Crumpet.

Muffin was later joined by other marionettes including Mr Peregrine Esquire, Louise the Lamb and Oswald the Ostrich. The act consisted of Annette Mills talking to Muffin and singing songs at the grand piano while he and his friends clattered around on its lid. His operator, Ann Hogarth, also stood there, hidden by a partition.

A few dedicated puppet theatres survive in Britain, often in the face of financial indifference from local authorities, but puppetry in 21st-century Britain is also finding new audiences with companies and productions incorporating puppetry into their work, and of course the beloved ‘Punch and Judy’ is still as popular today as ever for both young and older generations.

Bands from every era…

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60’s bands and tribute acts are very popular, from Beatles to the Rolling Stones, most of us even if we were not born in this era have heard of the ‘swinging sixties’ where the miniskirts and beehives were all the rage. Why not have a 60’s evening where everybody can get involved young and old and have fun dressing in the sixties clothes of that bygone age, we are sure granny has some ‘get up’ still in her closet and if not she can advise as to what to wear. Then comes the fun part, where your 60’s band or tribute act comes alive on stage to make your 60’s party complete, all are extremely professional and will have everybody dancing the whole night away.

The funky 70’s where soul and funk was everywhere and the dress was bold, bright with lots of glitter, the Jackson 5 to Motown to name just a few, the music today is just as popular and dressing the 70’s way is a scream!! If you wanted a 70’s act or Tribute band then look no further then Red Masque entertainment directory. We have only the best advertised which are all very professional. Each act is able to work out with you to arrange your perfect 70’s event.

The 80’s are defined by lots of different genres of music, more commonly we remember Wham, Madonna, Aha, Bananarama  to name but a few. We all remember the dodgy hairdos and very strange fashion, but we cannot deny the music from that era was unforgettable. You could be having an 80’s party or a school reunion where 80’s music would be very nostalgic to your event which will take you back to being a spotty teenager again drooling over Adam Ant or Blondie.

What defined the 90’s with music?  Well, it seems that you were either into Rock Bands like Blur or Oasis or you were into Rap with the likes of Tupac or Jaz Z or R&B when it got a huge boost from talented singers like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, or bubble-gum ruled the latter-half of the decade thanks to the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.

So if you were thinking of hiring a 90’s act or Tribute band you have so many genres to choose from depending on your taste of that era.

All you really need to know is that you will be booking the best bands from any era that you choose that will transport you back in time and make it an event to remember.

Swing away!!!

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Swing music, or simply swing, is a form of American music that developed in the early 1930s and became a distinctive style by 1940. Swing uses a strong rhythm section of double bass and drums as the anchor for a lead section of brass instruments such as trumpets and trombones, woodwinds including saxophones and clarinets, and sometimes stringed instruments such as violin and guitar, medium to fast tempos and a “lilting” swing time rhythm. The name swing came from the phrase ‘swing feel’ where the emphasis is on the off–beat or weaker pulse in the music (unlike classical music). Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement. The danceable swing style of big bands and bandleaders such as Benny Goodman was the dominant form of American popular music from 1935 to 1946, a period known as the Swing Era the verb “to swing” is also used as a term of praise for playing that has a strong rhythmic “groove” or drive.

Swing has roots in the late 1920s use of larger ensembles using written arrangements. The period between 1935 and 1946 is when big band swing music reached its peak and was the most popular music in America. This period is known as the Swing Era. A typical song played in swing style would feature a strong, anchoring rhythm section in support of more loosely tied wind, brass. The most common style consisted of having a soloist take centre stage, and improvise a solo within the framework of his bandmates playing support. Swing music began to decline in popularity during World War II because of several factors. Most importantly it became difficult to staff a “big band” because many musicians were overseas fighting in the war. By the late 1940s, swing had morphed into traditional pop music, or evolved into new jazz styles such as jump blues and bebop. Swing music saw a revival in the late 1950s and 1960s with pop vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Nat King Cole, as well as jazz-oriented vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald.

In comparison with the styles of the 1920s, the 1930s represents a more sophisticated sound, but with an exciting feel of its own. The audience of young white dancers favoured Goodman’s rhythms and daring swing arrangements. “Hot Swing” and Boogie Woogie remained the dominant form of American popular music for the next ten years. Standards like “Moten Swing” by Bennie Moten and the Kansas City Orchestra were important in the development of swing music and the move towards a freer form of orchestral jazz. Audiences raved at the new music, and at the Pearl Theatre in Philadelphia in December 1932, the doors were let open to the public who came crammed into the theatre to hear the new sound, demanding seven encores from Moten’s orchestra.

If this all sounds like your sort of music, take a look on our directory to see which Swing or big band entertainers you could hire for your very own event or party.

May bank holiday shenanigans

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British bank holidays are public holidays and have been recognised since 1871. 

May Day on May 1 is an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures. Dances, singing, and cake are usually part of the celebrations that the day includes.

In the late 19th Century, May Day was chosen as the date for International Worker’s Day by the Socialists and Communists of the Second International to commemorate the Haymarket affair in Chicago In those countries that celebrate international Worker’s Day, the day may also be referred to as “May Day” but it is a different celebration from the traditional May Day.

May Day has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries. May Day is most associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility (of the soil, livestock, and people and revelry with village fetes and community gatherings. Since the reform of the Catholic calendar May 1 is the Feast of St Joseph the worker, the patron saint of workers. Seeding has been completed by this date and it was convenient to give farm labourers a day off. Perhaps the most significant of the traditions is the maypole, around which traditional dancers circle with ribbons.

The May Day bank holiday, on the first Monday in May, was traditionally the only one to affect the state school calendar, although new arrangements in some areas to even out the length of school terms mean that Good Friday (a common law holiday) and Easter Monday (a bank holiday), which vary from year to year, may also fall during term time. The Spring Bank Holiday on the first Monday in May was created in 1978; May Day itself – May 1 – is not a public holiday in England (unless it falls on a Monday). In February 2011, the UK parliament was reported to be considering scrapping the bank holiday associated with May Day, replacing it with a bank holiday in October, possibly coinciding with Trafalgar Day (celebrated on October 21), to create a “United Kingdom Day.

Knowing that you’re going to be having a long weekend off isn’t that a cause for a celebration: why not get back to basics and host your very own ‘May Day’ celebration, from live music to themed entertainment. With another bank holiday soon approaching at the end of May isn’t it time you booked some great party entertainment from Red Masque?

Your party needn’t be a Drag

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A comedy night is something most people enjoy but it has to be the right comedian. Drag Queens are sharp tongued with their risqué humour these Drag Queens will have your audience rolling around.  We have the best Drag Queens advertised in our Red Masque entertainment directory so you will be booking quality performers that will not let you down.

If you have a private function that would benefit from an outrageous Drag Queen or a launch party which could do with a variety act which could range from impressions, songs and stand up then why not book a Drag Queen.

Comedians and Comedy Acts are always very popular especially if they are current and ‘funny’ (of course). A good Comedian is always recommended and we have the very best hilarious comedians on our Red Masque directory.

You could be organising a corporate event where ‘blue’ jokes would go down very well with your audience or you may want something that all ages can enjoy, the choice is yours and we have a great choices advertised in Red Masque directory.

Another act to consider is a Mime Act it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but good Mimes are very humorous and have the ability to engage your audience where their facial expressions speak a thousand words.  A group of Mime acts are very talented and take months perfecting their flawless routines. It maybe that they are rein acting a movie, mimicking somebody in the audience or just tomfooling around, Mine Acts certainly know how to impress your guests.

Everyone feels a bit ‘star-struck’ when they think they have just seen somebody famous. Imagine having your very own favourite celebrity lookalike at your party, why not have 2 or 3??  Your teenage child will be the envy of all his/her friends if you book a very current Celebrity Lookalike.

Whatever your occasion we are sure a Celebrity Lookalike will spice things up.  Just take a look at some of the ‘stars’ we have advertised.

So have a look, pick the appropriate one and once you have filled out a form your chosen entertainment will be in contact to arrange further.

Dance the night away…

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A hired dance floor is a must with any event with music.  There are many dance floors to choose from it could be a mirrored dance floor, light up, flashing l.e.ds or just a romantic themed one for lovers.

You could be having a ‘ballroom’ evening where one of these dance-floors would be key to the success of your event, or a corporate evening where you want your entire guests to get up and have a good old boogie.

Whatever dance floor you had in mind, we are sure you will find the perfect one for you.  We have the most diverse selection of dance floors for you to choose.

As girls love a bit of dancing around their handbags (or was that just my era?)  Having a girlie get together and dancing to your guilty pleasure is every girls dream!!  Now you just need to quench your thirst and what better than to have you very own butler or butlers for your party!  A bit of eye candy serving drinks as and when needed would be the recipe for the perfect night out!!!

Whether he is topless or naked (of course an apron to cover his modesty) then these butlers will certainly liven up your event.  Serving up some treats for you girls or mixing a few of your favourite cocktails, these toned butlers will be the icing on the cake.

How about having a dancing Robot entertainers or two at your event? These must-have robots are all the rage at the moment from talking robots, to serving robots, they will be able to meet and greet your guests and be a guaranteed crowd pleaser and of course a talking point for months to come. Your robot entertainer of your choice is able to talk through exactly what you would like from him, it maybe a group of robots performing a dance or just one or two mingling with you crowd; there are many things your Robot can do.

Just have a look on our gallery of party entertainment and we are sure that you will find just what you are after for just click on the one that most interests you from the gallery and fill out an online booking form.  Your girlie night will be a definite night to remember!!