Posted: 9/14/17 at 12:43pm
https://broadwaycares.org/flea-market-2017-autograph-table-and-photo-booth-participants/
Honestly, BC/EFA isn't even trying anymore.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 12:47pm
Thank you. I was thinking the same thing when I read it.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 12:55pm
I'm excited for Rachel Bay Jones and Laura Dreyfuss but that's about it. I'm mostly excited to go and meet up with friends honestly.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 1:01pm
I'm super hype! So many of my faves are gonna be there!
Posted: 9/14/17 at 1:07pm
Jordan Catalano said: "https://broadwaycares.org/flea-market-2017-autograph-table-and-photo-booth-participants/
Honestly, BC/EFA isn'teven trying anymore."
Not sure what I'm missing. This looks like a great lineup to me!
Posted: 9/14/17 at 1:11pm
Until fairly recently, they'd get a lot of people that you couldn't just catch at Duane Reade on any given afternoon.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 1:14pm
For a first-round lineup, it's not awful. I always keep in mind that it is ALWAYS subject to change and sometimes they sneak in a surprise or two at the last minute, even on the day of the event.
Sometimes, actors are even at the regular tables and you could grab their autograph and/or picture for free or much cheaper. The table is certainly not the be-all, end-all.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 1:17pm
I've never even done the autograph table but that lineup is disappointing. In the old days (more than three years ago), it wasn't just people who were currently in shows...
Posted: 9/14/17 at 1:37pm
And how many people get to go through for each 50-minute shift?
Posted: 9/14/17 at 1:39pm
I've never gone to the autograph/photo table because (in the few years that I've gone), there has never been anybody that I've had a hard time meeting elsewhere. There's nothing about this lineup that screams "opportunity" in the way that it would with someone like Nathan Lane or Angela Lansbury, maybe someone who has retired from the stage, or a composer/playwright who you can't just meet at the stage-door of their shows.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 1:49pm
It's interesting to see Once on This Island and Mean Girls sending representatives. Anastasia did the same thing last year before they started performances but I don't remember them having a presence at the booths/tables. It's not a bad list. I like most of the performers that I'm familiar with. But I'll probably skip it again this year just because it wastes too much time and I'd rather wander the market. Tempted to get Barrett to sign my Heathers CD but that's about it. Surprised to see some of the cast of Significant Other.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 3:44pm
Theres only like 2-3 people who really would have my interest, but even those I can probably find at their regular table.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 4:06pm
Not that I was going, (cause for me one time was enough), this sure isn't a great lineup. Until I actually went, I was always envious of the big names that those of you would encounter during past flea markets. This year...have at it. However, I still am looking forward to reading about your finds, especially the bargains.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 5:42pm
I wonder if a lot of actors from the big shows are getting "fan fatigue" between the stage door, social media, etc? I also imagine for people of certain notoriety (the Ben Platts and Phillipa Soo's of the world), the swarms of young fans at the autograph table could be intimidating/potentially dangerous.
Is it me, or has the Broadway fan culture become more crazy than before? Some shows seem to be enabling/encouraging fans more than others (Hansen, Anastasia and the recent Spring Awakening come to mind), but the level of fandom seems to be escalating like crazy (for SOME shows). Though it's fantastic that young people are engaged in theatre and going to shows multiple times and it's creating a national conversation.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 5:49pm
SomethingPeculiar said: "Is it me, or has the Broadway fan culture become more crazy thanbefore? Some shows seem to be enabling/encouragingfans more than others (Hansen, Anastasia and the recent Spring Awakening come to mind), but the level of fandom seems to be escalating like crazy (for SOMEshows). Though it's fantasticthat young people are engaged in theatre and going to shows multiple times and it's creating a national conversation."
It's not just you. The monetization of fandom has become a huge thing — I'd venture to say Broadway, if it were a singular entity, was trying to emulate sci-fi in a way, in terms of cons and fan engagement. (The Newsies trading cards certainly didn't help.)
Posted: 9/14/17 at 5:53pm
^ I agree that it's fabulous that recent shows (Hamilton, Great Comet, DEH, BMC, etc.) are getting young people into theatre. At the same time, the amount of posting at and "stanning" (is that what the kids are saying these days?) performers is kind of stunning to me. It seems like social media has opened up a lot of ways for very strong fanbases to emerge, from being able to connect with fans all over the world, reach out to performers directly, etc. Sometimes...I don't know, it just surprises me how far they can go? I can't really explain it because I don't have specifics, but certain fanbases seem so rabidly pro or anti shows/performers. I am pretty positive that people like Groff/Soo would be mobbed in a perhaps dangerous way (I think that among theatre-loving teens they're basically of a Brendon Urie-like stature, and we all know how that went). I mean, maybe it's more of the norm now, but I couldn't really imagine doing that sort of thing. But per your national conversation point, that is definitely a double-edged sword. There have been numerous positive social-media fueled Broadway conversations, but one of the last times this happened was with the Comet mess, that early on was negatively exacerbated by social media and this new sort of culture.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 5:54pm
SomethingPeculiar said: "Is it me, or has the Broadway fan culture become more crazy than before? Some shows seem to be enabling/encouraging fans more than others (Hansen, Anastasia and the recent Spring Awakening come to mind), but the level of fandom seems to be escalating like crazy (for SOME shows). Though it's fantastic that young people are engaged in theatre and going to shows multiple times and it's creating a national conversation."
I've definitely noticed that the stage door has become rowdier at a lot of shows in recent years... I'm all for engagement but a lot of them really need to learn manners and realize that just because YOU want to so badly meet so and so, you DESERVE to more than the dozens of other people that are also there... thinking the same thing... It's definitely escalated and is rather annoying for calm, mature fans who would love to chat a bit with the actors, when people mob the door just for a signature and to say they "met" someone when there are so many people there that they just get a hello and that's about it. It's becoming a pet peeve of mine.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 6:08pm
CorkySt.Clair said: "^ I agree that it's fabulous that recent shows (Hamilton, Great Comet, DEH,BMC, etc.) are getting young people into theatre. At the same time, the amount of posting at and "stanning" (is that what the kids are saying these days?) performers is kind of stunning to me. It seems like social media has opened up a lot ofways for very strong fanbases to emerge, from being able to connect with fans all over the world, reach out to performers directly, etc.Sometimes...Idon't know, it just surprises me how far they can go? Ican't really explain it because Idon't have specifics, but certain fanbases seem so rabidly pro or anti shows/performers. I am pretty positive that people likeGroff/Soo would be mobbed in a perhaps dangerous way (I think that among theatre-loving teens they're basically of a Brendon Urie-like stature, and we all know how that went). Imean, maybe it's more of the norm now, but Icouldn't really imagine doing that sort of thing. But per your national conversation point, that is definitely a double-edged sword. There have been numerous positive social-media fueled Broadway conversations, but one of the last times this happened was with the Comet mess, that early on was negatively exacerbated by social media and this new sort of culture."
Can you help me out? What does "BMC" stand for?
Posted: 9/14/17 at 6:08pm
CorkySt.Clair said: "^ I agree that it's fabulous that recent shows (Hamilton, Great Comet, DEH,BMC, etc.) are getting young people into theatre. At the same time, the amount of posting at and "stanning" (is that what the kids are saying these days?) performers is kind of stunning to me. It seems like social media has opened up a lot ofways for very strong fanbases to emerge, from being able to connect with fans all over the world, reach out to performers directly, etc.Sometimes...Idon't know, it just surprises me how far they can go? Ican't really explain it because Idon't have specifics, but certain fanbases seem so rabidly pro or anti shows/performers. I am pretty positive that people likeGroff/Soo would be mobbed in a perhaps dangerous way (I think that among theatre-loving teens they're basically of a Brendon Urie-like stature, and we all know how that went). Imean, maybe it's more of the norm now, but Icouldn't really imagine doing that sort of thing. But per your national conversation point, that is definitely a double-edged sword. There have been numerous positive social-media fueled Broadway conversations, but one of the last times this happened was with the Comet mess, that early on was negatively exacerbated by social media and this new sort of culture."
Can you help me out? What does "BMC" stand for?
Posted: 9/14/17 at 6:16pm
Miles2Go2 said: "CorkySt.Clair said: "^ I agree that it's fabulous that recent shows (Hamilton, Great Comet, DEH,BMC, etc.) are getting young people into theatre. At the same time, the amount of posting at and "stanning" (is that what the kids are saying these days?) performers is kind of stunning to me. It seems like social media has opened up a lot ofways for very strong fanbases to emerge, from being able to connect with fans all over the world, reach out to performers directly, etc.Sometimes...Idon't know, it just surprises me how far they can go? Ican't really explain it because Idon't have specifics, but certain fanbases seem so rabidly pro or anti shows/performers. I am pretty positive that people likeGroff/Soo would be mobbed in a perhaps dangerous way (I think that among theatre-loving teens they're basically of a Brendon Urie-like stature, and we all know how that went). Imean, maybe it's more of the norm now, but Icouldn't really imagine doing that sort of thing. But per your national conversation point, that is definitely a double-edged sword. There have been numerous positive social-media fueled Broadway conversations, but one of the last times this happened was with the Comet mess, that early on was negatively exacerbated by social media and this new sort of culture."
Can you help me out? What does "BMC" stand for?"
Be More Chill, sorry for the confusion!
Posted: 9/14/17 at 6:51pm
I'm a teenager and I honestly cannot understand for the life of me why so many other people my age are so into stanning (yes, it is what the kids are saying these days). I think the "craziest" thing I've ever done is wait an hour and a half for John Gallagher, Jr. to stage door after Long Day's Journey Into Night. And even then me and the ~10 other people there were all incredibly respectful/polite (one girl was a little frazzled, but she was hardly crazy). I like to think most people my age are smart enough to understand that actors are indeed people, but honestly I have no evidence to back that up beyond my own and my friend's experiences.
I do think it's a very specific type of teenager though: 14-18 year olds (usually girls) with tumblrs whose favorite shows (collectively) are Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Heathers and/or Be More Chill. I have a tumblr, too, and sometimes I can't believe the craziness that goes down on blogs that focus on those four shows (which, with the exception of one, I really enjoy myself — so I'm not hating on the shows themselves at all). The Falsettos and Spring Awakening coalitions get a little wild sometimes, too, but nothing like the others.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 7:14pm
What I have found in my experiences is that many of the younger actors who have a more ubiquitous social media presence tend to have more of that rabid fandom that can make the stage door a nightmare. However, conversely, many older actors I have met at the stage door (some of them legends in their own right) don't necessarily have fans clamoring to meet them (as their fans tend to be older/not engaged in this new age of fandom), and have been much more pleasant overall. As a result, I've had some wonderful experiences including John Lithgow, Tyne Daly, Kathleen Turner, Judith Light, and even Patti LaBelle.
Posted: 9/14/17 at 7:18pm
I'm a 16 year old girl and I want to apologize on behalf of all of the "stans" that have popped up over the last year or two. We're not all like that, I promise! There's a handful of us who love classics, I can't tell you how excited my mom & I are to fly to America to see Carousel in the summer! :)
Posted: 9/14/17 at 7:57pm
Stage doors are definitely crazier than they used to be. I was kind of hoping (and still hoping -- it's not too late to volunteer!) that actors like Mike Faist, who don't normally do the stage door, would participate in the Flea Market Autograph Table. It's much more controlled than the stage door, given the way it's set up (no selfies allowed, the actor is across the table, the line has to keep moving).
