Why Did You Join BWW?

"Just curious," as they say.

In planning a trip to NYC from the West Coast, I was searching the vast internet for information about Broadway shows.  Up popped BWW.  Many years later, here (still) I am.

And you?

Updated On: 9/19/24 at 12:02 PM

I was a high schooler who cared more about theatre than anyone else I knew, and I wanted to find a community where I could have two-way conversations about Broadway.

 

Thanks for the company these last 10 years, friends.

I came across these boards four years ago, right during the heat of the pandemic, with Broadway shut down and everything. I had already been in a bunch of groups on social media, but this one seemed to be different. I have enjoyed the discussions over the years, even when some got out of hand, but we all share one thing—our love for theatre, Broadway, and beyond.

I LOVE MUSICALS! I hope to visit NYC soon to see some shows and wanted to connect with others and keep up on the latest news! Hi everybody!

I can't remember how exactly I found BWW, but hard to believe it was 20 years ago.  Looking back at posts from those early days, it's funny how obvious it is that most active users were very young. 

Get information and opinions from other people who love theater.

I only set up this account 3 years ago to start a thread when I was gathering research for a play I'm working on, but I want to say I started regularly visiting this forum some time around 2010/2011. I have some fond-ish memories of a now-defunct theatre-themed social media site that I was a member on in the late 2000s-early 2010s (I want to say it was called either BroadwaySpace or TheatreWorld). It was kind of fun gossiping and discussing a subject I cared so deeply about (and one that I rarely ever found people to discuss with in real life), which is probably why I was always drawn to the idea of joining this forum. For one reason or another, I always settled on just being a spectator. In fact, I only planned on ever starting the one thread and leaving it there - and yet, here I am.

I try to keep a reasonable distance when it comes to the internet and social media, and I'm certainly not the eager and bright-eyed teenager I was in my BroadwaySpace/TheatreWorld/whatever-that-site-was-called days, but I'll admit there is still an appeal. As far as actually sharing goes, my policy is the same as in real life: If I have something that I feel is worth saying or contributing, I shall say or contribute.

Updated On: 9/20/24 at 09:02 PM

I think I joined almost when the site started. Not sure how I discovered it but assume it must have been shared somewhere else and that is how I knew about it. But over 21 years and I'm still here says a lot. :)

I stumbled upon the Broadway.com message board in 2002 while researching whether or not Molly Ringwald was still in Cabaret at the time. I was immediately sucked in, and absolutely adored reading the musings of seasoned theatre goers. Broadway.com put the kibosh on their message board when some users (such as username Machoman, later Finding Namo) got a little too heated, and the website dropped the message board to protect their brand.

Shortly thereafter I found BWW, and posted for years under a different username. At some point, I took a break to be a human, and came back unable to log back in, so I created a new account.

I have learned so much over the last 20+ years, across both platforms, but the reason why Broadway.com pulled their forum is precisely why I do not participate much around here. More back and forth between posters, and even when someone is trying to make a valid point, it is a huge deterrent for me. I came to the boards for connection and theatrical anecdotes as a lonely teen, but there is not much activity around here these days, compared to past years. Any valuable intel is quickly mined and I move on nowadays because it is honestly too much, the behavior of some. Comes with the territory, certainly, but it does not necessarily open the door for new users to comfortably engage. 

I was 16 when I joined BWW, but had been a member and more active on the now-defunct Musicals.net for several years (I think I joined there when I was 12 or 13!). When that site started going down the tubes- and it did, badly- I switched over here.

Updated On: 9/21/24 at 11:34 AM