We are always really excited when January hits and it’s time for BroadwayCon. But 2019 was a little bit different. This year, we were not in the huge Javits Convention Center, but at the New York Hilton Midtown, where the very first BroadwayCon began. It was a homecoming for a lot of us and the entire weekend really did feel like home. Yes, there were panels on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Cher Show, My Fair Lady, Mean Girls, Be More Chill, Dear Evan Hansen, 25 Years of Disney and all of our favorite Broadway stars, but this year was much more focused on the fans.
BroadwayCon is a place for our family to come together and talk about what we love. It’s a place for fans from all over the country to finally be who they truly are: theatre geeks. All weekend, the biggest stars and the biggest fans spoke about how they don’t truly feel like they fit in until they are around other theatre people. We spoke to the fans and asked them what they love about BroadwayCon. The overwhelming response was “I like meeting other people like me. BroadwayCon makes me feel like I’m where I belong.” It’s home. The stars spoke about the stage door and how Broadway is unique because of the fans and sense of community. We echo that sentiment, because this year it really felt inclusive and everywhere we went, people were singing and harmonizing together. One fan, Cheri, told us that before she came here that there were only three people that she knew that could sing all the songs to upcoming musical, Hadestown, but that here, there was a “huge sing-a-long”. Ben Cameron, Broadway veteran and host, created the Adopt-a-Newbie program during the Opening Ceremony. This brought new and old attendees together for the weekend and made everyone feel welcome.
This year focused not only on all of the amazing shows that are running right now, but also on mental health and how important it is to take care of yourself and to be yourself. We couldn’t agree more. The theatre shapes all of us. It unites us. It brings us together. It helps us discover who we are. We are theatre people. We dress up, we stand in line for hours to get the best seats, we forego going out to go to rehearsal, we would rather sing show tunes than pop music, we live and breathe the Great White Way. We are Broadway.
Here are just a few of our favorite clips from this year’s event:
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Broadway Musical Blog 