BroadwayCon 2017 ...at The Javitz Center...- Page 3

[Taryn]

Posted: 4/10/16 at 9:12pm

You can definitely rent the Javits without actually using the entire convention space.  Obviously NYCC rents the whole thing, but that's not at all a good comparison; NYCC is one of the biggest conventions in the country.  But smaller conventions can compress just down to certain areas so you're not trekking over the whole compound.

[KCW]

Posted: 4/11/16 at 8:12am

Tickets go on sale today at 1, who will be buying? They changed the VIP purchase level to "gold," which seems to be the same thing of guaranteed photo booth and autograph booth sessions, priority seating but also has a bus from partner hotels, (why would you not walk or take the metro) a bunch of merch and an invitation to the invited dress rehearsal for the opening. It also says a perk is, I kid you not, BroadwayConcierge to answer questions. Are you going to be there helping those Gold members out, BroadwayConcierge?

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 4/11/16 at 11:47am

JOHN. CAMERON. MITCHELL.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/11/16 at 11:51am

Just wait nine months! We'll see who's still gonna be there.

I already bought my ticket since I went during the first year and used the link they emailed previous attendees. The gold perks are more impressive than last time, but I still opted just for the weekend pass.

KCW, I can see the shuttle being a great idea if you're mobility-impaired and/or just don't want to walk to the 7 in the snow.

[Golenboybway]

Posted: 4/11/16 at 5:22pm

Do you think they will have regular shuttles for people staying at the hotel too?

[KCW]

Posted: 4/11/16 at 5:44pm

It does not state that that is a perk for any level other than gold. Walk, take the Metro or (sigh) a cab.

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 4/11/16 at 6:52pm

As exciting as a lot of the guests are, I won't buy my pass until I have an idea of the programming which probably won't come for a while. That was my biggest gripe with the snowmageddon- all the panels I really wanted to see were on Saturday...

[Marianne2]

Posted: 1/13/17 at 2:39pm

Bumping this up because it's only 2 weeks away. Is anyone else going? I can't wait. Kind of interested to see how this all works out this year versus last. 

And as a shameless plug, I am running the "I Just Love Theatre!!" Meetup on Saturday at noon. I'm actually surprised, but excited to have gotten picked to do this. It's just a way for fans with little or no theater experience to get together to talk about it. Hopefully it will be fun. 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 1/13/17 at 3:38pm

I'll be there on Saturday as well. Still waiting to hear about my workshop results. My ticket didn't cost me anything because I had a credit refund from Snowmageddon.

I'll be the one cosplaying as Dawn from Waitress, so be sure to say hi!

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 1/24/17 at 4:11pm

Got accepted into the Jenn Colella and Beginner Dance workshops. All my papers are ready to go....I just need an apron for my cosplay now. No snow in the forecast- pretty pumped!

[Marianne2]

Posted: 1/27/17 at 2:27pm

Is anyone else here? So far it is going a lot smoother than last year. I am not at the Marquis hotel though,  so I can't comment on transportation or perks for there. But, the panels don't feel stuffed and it's easy to navigate through the space.  Will be interesting to see what happens for the line for main stage opening. That was scary last year. Hopefully the plan for that is better like everything else is so far.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 1/27/17 at 5:12pm

Marianne2 said: "Is anyone else here? So far it is going a lot smoother than last year. I am not at the Marquis hotel though,  so I can't comment on transportation or perks for there. But, the panels don't feel stuffed and it's easy to navigate through the space.  Will be interesting to see what happens for the line for main stage opening. That was scary last year. Hopefully the plan for that is better like everything else is so far.

"

I'm glad to hear things seem to be going smoother so far, and having no blizzard probably helps. I completely forgot BroadwayCon had started; most of my free time has been taken by this current political clusterfffffck such that a few of my hobbies and interests have suffered. :/ I'd love to hear about the panels, though!

[delaney725]

Posted: 1/27/17 at 5:26pm

Halfway through day one and BOY am I glad I bought the Gold tickets in the first batch. Weather is beautiful, opening number was awesome, "In Trousers" panel great. I have my kids with me this year, and I was really worried that the 10 year old would be bored. Nope. She got to meet Fredi Walker-Browne on somebody else's ticket (she had an emergency and had to go so she passed out all her autograph and photobooth tickets), got to see Lesli Margherita kill it in the opening number and is now chilling in the Gold lounge while the rest of us drink our Starbucks. So far, money very well spent. When I get to meet Joel Grey, Chita Rivera and Jeremy Jordan later, I bet I'll be happy too. 

[Marianne2]

Posted: 1/28/17 at 8:41am

Day 1 was so much fun. I hope to remember as much as I can.

My favorite panel of the day was Melissa Errico's. She was very engaging and sang a bit. It was filmed by ABC, and I think you can find it online on their website. 

I also went to the Out-of-town tryouts,  From Page to Stage, and Legacy role panels. 

Because I had stayed for the entire From Page to Stage panel, I had no issues with a line getting into the Opening ceremony.  However, I ended up sitting so far away from the stage that I could barely see. And others couldn't see in front of me, so they all either sat up super tall or on their knees. I wish they didn't just do a wide shot of that the entire time on the screens next to the stage because that did not help people in the back see at all. I think it would have been a little more engaging if I could see.

The rest of my night was spent in the mainstage area. So, I saw everything going on there. The highlight was the Annie 40th Anniversary panel.  Martin Charnin and Charles Strouse were there. And out of the orphans we got Andrea McArdle and Shelley Bruce. And also we had Mary Jane Houdina,  the original dance captain, I believe,  and Steve Boockvor, the original dog catcher.

Listening to Julie Taymor talk about The Lion King was interesting too. It made me interested to see what her original version of the show would look like versus what exists. 

Don't Quit Your Night Job was funny as always.  It made me miss their monthly show they used to do before the Zipper Factory closed. 

And last of the night,  Michael Cerveris and his band, Loose Cattle,  performed. They were good. I actually didn't know he did this as well as acting. I was glad to have stayed as I debated leaving at 10. Oh, and Beth Malone performed a little with them too. 

All in all, it was a great first day. Can't wait to see what today brings. And totally nervous for my program. 

 

 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/28/17 at 9:35am

Months later and the OP still hasn't fixed the spelling in the subject line.

 

Anyway, this BroadwayCon did go a lot more logistically smoothly than last year. I'm not a fan of the impersonal cavernousness of the Javits, or the lack of raked seating at the mainstage, but I guess it'll do!

[Marianne2]

Posted: 1/29/17 at 9:11am

It's the last day. 

Yesterday was so much fun. Best panel for me was the Being Out on Broadway panel.  It got really emotional,  but necessary.  

I wish I had started off my meetup a little better,  but I was so nervous.  I apologize to anyone who came and probably thought "this girl has no idea what she's doing."  But, I think it turned out okay in the end. It was so cool hearing what everyone else had to say about being there and our passions for theatre without the pressure of being knowledgeable of everything. 

Lesli Margherita need her own 1 woman show. She is hilarious. 

And again with the mainstage,  seeing from the back was an issue. I get having to move the camera angles takes work, but the wide shots are terrible. The images are smaller than what I can barely see on stage.

[10086sunset]

Posted: 1/29/17 at 9:54am

Thanks for the updates Marianne! They are enjoyable to read...

[Pootie2]

Posted: 1/29/17 at 2:28pm

Marianne2 said: "It's the last day. 

Yesterday was so much fun. Best panel for me was the Being Out on Broadway panel.  It got really emotional,  but necessary.  

I wish I had started off my meetup a little better,  but I was so nervous.  I apologize to anyone who came and probably thought "this girl has no idea what she's doing."  But, I think it turned out okay in the end. It was so cool hearing what everyone else had to say about being there and our passions for theatre without the pressure of being knowledgeable of everything. 

Lesli Margherita need her own 1 woman show. She is hilarious. 

And again with the mainstage,  seeing from the back was an issue. I get having to move the camera angles takes work, but the wide shots are terrible. The images are smaller than what I can barely see on stage.

"

Thanks for the updates. It was very brave of you to even take up the responsibility for leading a gathering in the first place, so don't be too hard on yourself; I bet others were nervous too.

In any case, it sounds like lines weren't much of a horrendous issue compared to the first time and they need to work on the visual accessibility of the main stage, but otherwise this venue is much better than the previous? How was food/drink accessibility, or maybe everyone learned their lesson from the first try...

[nycesq]

Posted: 1/29/17 at 9:52pm

Misc. thoughts:

 

no security or bag checks upon entering.  At comic con, security is like going thru a TSA airport  line.

 

at the main stage, the video screens should have been throughout the seating  area and should have zoomed in on the respective speaker.

 

the food options there were lousy.  The Javits Center should have had food and drink concessions at the rear of the main stage area to facilitate the delivery of food services.

 

I thought  the show last year  was more fun as it felt more intimate.

 

due to the problem Broadwaycon had with actors equity, I believe this adversely affected some of the programming  offered to the fans.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 1/29/17 at 11:15pm

I agree that the food could have been better. But, it essentially was just a cafeteria.  At least the lines to pay for things weren't 500 miles long. That was a huge issue at the Hilton.  

I also agree that more screens and closer shots would have helped the mainstage area tremendously.  

Was the union thing an issue still?  I would have assumed actors wouldn't have shown up at all if it was.  I don't know how this stuff works. 

I'm sad it's over. It was nice to be in that bubble this weekend with all of the horrible things going on in the world. It was a place for people to be themselves without the fear of people judging and being mean. 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/29/17 at 11:32pm

The Javits food situation was stupid. By Saturday at 2, TasteNY had run out of soup AND sandwiches. Luckily, there was Sunac just a few blocks away -- I really liked the soup!
 

DQYNJ repeatedly thanked Equity (and made a few jokes), so I thought it was resolved, too? Though a friend told me her theory was that the cabaret had more songwriters than it normally would have, to appease Equity. Maybe a total performing time type of situation?

[mpkie]

Posted: 1/29/17 at 11:38pm

Today was my first day of BwayCon ever. Not sure if I care to go back. I did all of today's Main Stage events and a walkabout in the marketplace. I dunno, the panels were pretty boring. I guess it being so big made it feel very low energy, and other than Hamilton, people don't know how to make jokes (which is fine but then I expect you to burst into song!). The closing ceremony was not worth waiting for or sitting through, and I wish I had gone home 90 min earlier as a result.

That's all the bad. All the good? So chill. No bag check? Awesome! Free tote? All right! I got to "sleep in" a bit (I live 90 min away, so not that much), waltzed in late at 10:45am, took 2 min to get my badge. Walked into the main stage, plenty of bathrooms, and no issue grabbing a seat. 5 min later, Dear Evan Hansen panel started. While I felt blind as a bat and really didn't realize how badly I needed binoculars, I'd still rather not have to worry about getting in and getting a seat. I also brought my own food/snacks, so I didn't have to worry about that. 

It felt so spacious, in a good way. My only frame of comparison was to New York Comic Con, which was disgustingly packed. I remember having to walk around for 30 min to find something to eat, followed by another 30 min to try to find a spot to huddle to eat... And had to do it some little corner next to a wet path - EW! I don't care to go back to NYCC either. But the panel I went to there was so entertaining. I guess I just can't be happy, haha. Or I need a con that splits the difference.

I definitely prefer Elsie Fest to this. Or an actual play/musical. Or a show at Feinstein's/54. Glad I got to check it out though.

The meetup you hosted actually sounds something that is up my alley. I'm not super knowledgeable about theater but I love it and I know a lot more about it than the next person (as long as they are not on this board or at BwayCon, haha). 

[Marianne2]

Posted: 1/30/17 at 3:38am

That's a shame, mpkie.  I personally loved all of the smaller room panels, plus the reunion panels that I attended. The panels that weren't as enjoyable were the ones that were difficult to hear. But, I fault that on the speakers not speaking loud enough or into the microphones. 

I agree that I thought they would go a little bigger for the closing because last year ended up so short and last minute.  But, it was nice. Maybe it was fine for me because I had been there all weekend versus just today. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 1/30/17 at 9:40am

According to NYT, the decision that was reached with Equity was less performing by the actors, which is why there seemed to be songwriters performing as filler. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/theater/broadwaycon-resolves-dispute-with-actors-equity-association.html?_r=0

 I'm curious what material was ultimately nixed after the agreement with Equity, though.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 1/30/17 at 11:24am

They were going to do the jukebox thing on Saturday.  That's where the audience voted for songs for performers to sing. Instead they changed it to the slumber party, which was still voting,  but not as much music.  There was truth or dare where on dare people sang part of songs. Andrew Briedis, Annoying Actor Friend, posted a tweet chosen by the audience.  And then there was choosing facts about who was up there. 

And a lot of song writers were in the program the night before that was supposed to be actors. 

I guess they wanted to make sure the opening and first look at shows didn't have to get cancelled. 

Now is the equity rule by performer or just total amount of performance by members?  Just asking because Lesli Margherita appeared so much.