Tag Archives: entertainment

The History of the Living Statue

Posted on by

This week we look into the history of the living statue, event entertainment form that divides opinion like no other. Many love the way they stand in situ for hours, whilst others loathe their art as a tourist trap in the busier parts of cities up and down the UK. But where did living statues begin? Where did living statues come from?

Put simply the history of the living statue – at least where it all began – is lost to time. Arguably the first living statue can be traced back to the ancient Greeks where members of the public would pose for famous sculptors looking to mould their marble. Realistically though, the living statue as we currently know it first appeared in the 19th century as a circus performance. PT Barnum displayed living statues as part of his circus tours, a peculiar curiosity to the minds of those in the 1840s.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, living statues became ever more widely known thanks to the emergence of the art form known as tableaux vivants; a group of actors would pose and be lit in a particular way so as to appear like paintings. The resulting performance was often shot on camera (which meant the performers had to stand still in their chosen pose) or performed on stage to the amazement of spectators. Cleverly, by tagging these performances as art, nude actors and actresses were able to perform erotic entertainment on stage, flouting theatre censorship laws. As long as the girls didn’t move, it was deemed okay by the masses. The most notable instance of this was under the stewardship of the famous Mrs. Henderson at the Windmill Theatre in London in the 1930s and 40s.

Since that time, living statues have featured prominently in both art and film – The Phantom of the Opera and Hot Fuzz are two recent films that have shown living statues on screen, whilst revered duo Gilbert & George utilised living statues as part of their gallery installations in the 1960s. Moving from inside to out, street performances too have flourished in the intervening years as various living statues appeared near famous landmarks all over Europe. Though varying in quality from person to person, they are a magnet for tourists, only moving when money is placed in front of their plinth.

If no money is thrown in front of the living statue, either because they are unimpressive as a statue
or their costume doesn’t resonate with those walking by, the performer doesn’t get paid that day. With numbers still proliferating throughout London and the UK, it’s clear that the living statues are still well loved and make the perfect addition to your corporate event or private party entertainment. Despite their presence on the local high street, nobody will be expecting them in your back garden!

Planning a surprise party

Posted on by

The world is your oyster when you want to plan a surprise party. You may have spent months trying not to let the cat out of the bag, but have you considered when they get to the party what other things you can do to surprise them??

When you’re planning an event, you want to keep your guests and the main guess entertained throughout, so the energy and enjoyment never dips. Giving them something new just when they are least expecting it is a great way to create a buzz, and to give guests something to talk about apart from the food or the football! And nothing fits the bill quite like a surprise act, be it singing waiters, firemen, or chefs.

Red Masque directory have a whole lot of choice if you want to make your event unforgettable. Discover what surprise party entertainment we offer and how they’ll positively impact your event!

One great idea would be a hire a comedy musician where he or she is all set up to play some classical music to entertain your guests. They start to play all the wrong notes and your guests start to laugh embarrassingly at the artist that has been hired, (a bit like Les Dawson)

It’s a great way of breaking up a meal and giving your guests something hugely entertaining when they are least expecting it!

Then after your guests have nudged each other and made faces the comedy musician (who is highly talented by the way) breaks into a musical piece of perfection!!

What the guests see, of course, is just the end product of a great deal of planning and preparation. Professional entertainment acts make sure that everyone behind the scenes is in the know and fully prepared, while the real guests haven’t a clue what’s going on! It’s also about preparing a scenario that is perfect for your event.

Maritime Party Theme ideas

Posted on by

Here’s just a few ideas of maritime venues and party entertainment that seem just made for each other!
HMS Belfast, London

Yes, you can hire this iconic WWII battleship moored on the Thames. Hold an intimate drinks party in the Admiral’s Quarters, or enjoy great views of London from the Quarterdeck with 450 of your closest friends for your wedding reception.

Appropriate acts: Greet your guests with the sounds of the 1940s. Then, dance the night away to a 1940s style big band playing hits by Glenn Miller.

Party like a Lottery winner for your hen night on your own private luxury yacht, sailing from the famous Albert Docks in Liverpool out into the Irish Sea to the iconic Anthony Gormley statues (weather permitting). Perfect for you and your very own Ocean’s Twelve (i.e. 12 people max),
Appropriate acts: Save the dancing for your return to Albert Docks, where you can hire a variety of venues for an all-night, bop ’till you drop party. Save money by booking a rock and pop function band.

Manchester Party Barge

Manchester barge The Bohemia can whisk you and up to 60 guests along the hidden waterways of central Manchester for a birthday party or anniversary celebration with a difference. With space to enjoy live music on your travels, and a route that takes you past the iconic Old Trafford football ground, this is an evening to savour. Other iconic waterways offering party barges including the Tiverton Canal, Lancaster Canal and the city with more canals than Venice – Birmingham!

Appropriate acts: for smaller venues such as a barge, opt for a compact duo or trio that play all your favourite hits with the minimum of kit.

Packet Boat Trips, Bristol

Charter a boat to party on the River Avon as it flows through the Avon Gorge, under the Clifton Suspension Bridge and out to sea. The Bristol Packet Boat Company offer a choice of boats, including a traditional river steamer, an Amsterdam sightseeing boat, and an all weather cruiser made for parties. All boats have a full bar and food can be provided.

Appropriate acts: Although there may not be too much room for dancing, you can still pack your packet with your favourite tunes from an experienced DJ.

Choose A Great Venue

Posted on by

If you choose a great party venue you won’t need to spend as much time dressing it up to look good. There are loads of interesting venues out there to suit a wide variety of styles and themes. Have a look and visit before you hire.

Remember that if guests are travelling from out of the area, it helps if the venue is easy to find. Consider how easy it is to find parking, and also how much accommodation is available near by. The easier it is for your guests to attend, the more likely they are to come.
Entertain Your Guests, Book A Live Band
Most people are happy to have a party DJ, but anyone who’s been to a party with a live band will tell you how much better the night was.

You need something to really get guests excited and live party bands do exactly that. They’re interactive, energetic and fun. Not everyone likes to dance, but with a great live band, performing the best classic and modern party songs, even the most ardent anti-dancers will be rocking out, arm in arm, singing along on the dance floor with guests they only met a few hours ago.

Book a live band and they’ll make the party. It’s a sound investment and your guests will love you for it.
Drinks On Arrival To Welcome Guests
It’s a small touch that really shows you care about welcoming your guests, and it ensures everyone feels positive as soon as they arrive. It’s your way to thank people for coming, and it gets people in the mood to party.

In a practical sense, it also helps to alleviate the early queues at the bar, something which is sure to dampen spirits and cause frustration.

Some venues will arrange for a member of staff to personally serve drinks as your guests arrive, or you can choose to have a selection of drinks available on tables near the entrance.

As a side note, when you book your venue, get a confirmation of how many bar staff are included. Make sure you’ll get enough bar staff to ensure a fast turn around of drinks at the bar, otherwise guests will spend the whole night there.

Great ways to remember your event

Posted on by

Be it a corporate event, private party or wedding there are a number of ways to look back on your event that don’t include photography. Here, we run through five brilliant ways to remember your event!

Caricaturist

If you’re looking to hire a caricaturist for an event, then you have got to make sure that you are fine with having your eyebrows accentuated and your nose looking a little larger than in real life. But that’s all part of the fun! A good caricaturist knows how to draw a cartoon-style representation of their subject without causing offence and the best part is that with modern technology being what it is, you can take home a paper or digital version.

Silhouette Artist

The heights of the vaudeville era are in full display in the form of a silhouette artist, who can snip your profile into a piece of black card in the space of a matter of minutes. The best bit about this incredible form of entertainment is that you can go home and frame your silhouette later, with each individual creation being stuck onto a quality back lining.

Screen Printing

Whether you call it screen printing, letter pressing or something completely different, these fabulous contraptions can have you created your very own work of art in no time! Popular at Somerset House every summer, you too can discover the art of the print. Remember not to limit yourself to paper or card; should you so desire you can create your design on a T-shirt. Wear your creation and remember that party in style!

Musical Retirement Entertainment

Posted on by

For almost everyone, music is the key to many wonderful past memories. And it’s one of the easiest ways to host some retirement party entertainment! Take your residents on a walk down memory lane with a musical group.

1. Barbershop Quartet
With perfect pitch and harmony, a barbershop quartet can dazzle any crowd! They generally have a large repertoire of tunes from years past and love singing for older crowds. If your guests have a request, most groups are happy to oblige. And get ready to see the ladies swoon!

2. Boogie Woogie Tribute
The Boogie Woogie is best known for those who lived through World War II. With lively patriotic songs, they entertained troops and kept their spirits up during a tough time in our history! Show your veteran retiree how much their service has meant with a Wartime tribute act. Songs like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Pistol Packin’ Mama” will keep the crowd swaying to the beat!

3. Gospel Group
Depending on the religious diversity of your guest, a Gospel group may be a meaningful performance for them. As people are nearing the end of their lives, faith begins to play a bigger part. Booking a Gospel group guarantees a great show!

4. Crooner
Crooners were king in the ’40s and ’50s, with their smooth voices and sultry songs. Some of the best artists in history came out of this era, including Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby. Your residents are sure to feel some nostalgia with a performer like this! Whether you want an actual Rat Pack show or just a Frank Sinatra tribute, these performers love an older crowd that appreciates their act.

5. Beach Boys Tribute
Gaining popularity in the 1960’s, the Beach Boys launched a new type of musical sound with their “surf songs.” Their killer harmonies and clever lyrics helped them rise to the top of the music charts. Booking a Beach Boys tribute band is definitely one of our more energetic ideas for retirement home entertainment! If you want to see your residents groove to the music, you can’t go wrong with the Beach Boys.

History themed events

Posted on by

Who doesn’t love a bit of history? When it comes to themed parties, many people tend to pick something based on a television show, film or book series. They might even theme it around the current time of year or something that’s currently in the news. But why not have more historical parties? History themed events can be great fun and here we’ll run through a couple of good ideas to get you up and running.

Location, location, location

It’s no good holding your historical party in a venue that doesn’t suit what you’re aiming for. Sure, you could probably hold your event in the local village hall but it doesn’t exactly scream Henry VIII and grandiose, does it? What we’re trying to say is that it doesn’t really scream ‘ye olde’ when it was built in the 1970s. No, what you need is to hire a venue for your event that actually has a bit of history to it! We’re thinking Historical Royal Palace Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House or even the British Museum, which has a fine catalogue of ancient items nestled within its walls. So if you want to go historical, start with the setting.

Costumes

We know that not all people like fancy dress, deeming it to be a lot of effort compared to just turning up in your work clothes. But not every event has a historical theme affixed to it! Costumes are a must if you want to take guests back in time properly and if you’re really wanting to make your party stand out, why not hire costumed characters to complete the look? Coming with astonishingly detailed costumes that make for fabulous photos, we provide actors who can play anyone from history be it a poor peasant worker through to royalty!Don’t forget to hire a costume for yourself as well.

Royal Footmen and Jesters

Well it’d hardly be a historical affair without some form of comedy would it? The royals famously enjoyed being entertained at their banquets by many a fool and you can recreate this by hiring royal footmen or jesters to add to the flavour of your historically themed event. They don’t just meet and greet either; the jesters are able to perform on stilts, entertain with incredible acrobatics too.

Lutists

It Isn’t really a party if you don’t have music now, is it? We acknowledge that the idea of long summer nights is now a couple of months behind us, but that’s no excuse not to have some form of olde entertainment front and centre for guests to enjoy. Be they providing background music or a short and intimate show, lutists are sure to impress. With full regalia as standard, you’ll almost certainly believe that you have gone back in time.

All the fun of the fair

Posted on by

Fairground rides are a firm favourite for old and young, they date back to the Victorian era where the carousels were a family favourite. Nowadays funfair rides can have a little bit more ‘thrill factor’ about them, whether it be whizzing around upside down that are not for the faint hearted – but even so lots of fun. Hired fairground rides can range from these white knuckle rides, ghost trains, dodgem cars, cup and saucers or the old favourite horse carrousels.

Rides such as these could be booked for a charity event, launch party, corporate party, private party or maybe a wedding with a difference if you were inviting a lot of ‘young at heart’ guests.
Fairground stalls and games

Fairground stalls for hire are great fun; it may be a candy floss stall, hotdog stall or a skill game where you win a prize at the end or not forgetting ‘hook a duck’. These fairground stalls would be perfect for that something different for your event. These stalls could be just for fun or for profit.

You may be organising a fete, charity event, corporate event or just a private party where you want to impress your guests with a few stalls and games. The smell of hotdogs and candyfloss will tempt your guests and then they can play a few games!!

This would be great for an older child’s party or a teenager. You would also probably get a lot of respect for organising such an event too!!

An event well received

Posted on by

A lot of the time we get feedback on acts that are on our website. This is a great way for other event hosts and planners to hear from the performer’s happy past clients! Sometimes we stumble upon a particularly moving review that makes us proud to connect hosts with extraordinary entertainers. Here’s what somebody hired from our website to liven up their party!

“I was searching for some kind of fun and unexpected entertainment for a birthday party for my wife. We were having live music after dinner but I wanted something to kick off the party with a spark of fun after everyone arrived.’

I wanted to hire something very special for my wife’s Birthday and knowing that my wife adored Fred Astaire I took the opportunity of hiring a celebrity lookalike; and I was very glad I did. I had the opportunity of talking to the act before and to go through all the particulars. The act told me he was rehearsing for a theatrical play in the West End and told me about all the other roles he has been involved with.

When my Wife’s birthday arrived. I was so excited for my hired act to come in. When he walked into the party there was definite ‘stage presence’ he engaged with my wife and his stage act dance was so authentic. She blushed but loved every minute of it.

A group picture was taken with the Fred Astaire lookalike surrounded by all our guests.

A Star Wars event

Posted on by

Star Wars: For many young padawans and a fair few not-so-young padawans, this is the film event of the year and the only way to properly celebrate will be to hold your very own Star Wars party. Here’s a few ideas to get you started as you ponder whether you should go as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo or Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Naturally upon entering the party, you’ll be wanting to experience the delight of Star Wars from the get-go with a string quartet playing the Star Wars party theme. This has worked at many previous party themed events. It gets people in the mood to have fun and more importantly, puts them in the right mindset for what is going to be a thrilling experience.

Upon entering the party, have a drink – a Star Wars cocktail perhaps? – at your Star Wars themed bar (or alternatively go with the style seen at the Force Awakens premier party) before venturing on and sampling the entertainment. Hopefully this won’t be in a galaxy far, far away but fairly close by.

As you meander through your event venue, you might begin to notice a few recognisable faces. Whether you’ve gone for lookalikes or costumed characters, a Star Wars party is only really complete when you feel as though you’re in amongst the action. Other Star Wars party ideas might include an area to duel with lightsabers.

We love a BB-8 inflatable balloon hirers, naturally you can always pick someone else from The Force Awakens, but BB-8 is quite clearly the cutest choice (sorry, R2D2 and C3PO). And once that’s done, you can savour the memory of the occasion by basking in the glory of a Star Wars Photo Booth.

And finally, as the party is fully under way, it might be an idea to ask your party band to turn up the music and play the ultimate song. Enjoy your evening and ‘May the Force be with you’!!!