Set to take place Jan. 22-24, 2016, at the New York Hilton Midtown, BroadwayCon will give fans an all-access experience with performers, musicians, dancers, choreographers, writers, designers and more. The three-day event promises panels, performances, workshops, keynotes, autograph and photo opportunities, concerts, meet-and-greets, Q&As and a lot more.
Fans eager to snag tickets to the event shouldn't hesitate; previous ticket batches sold out in just hours.
For tickets, full details on participation options and special hotel rates for the convention, visit BroadwayCon.com.
Playbill has partnered with BroadwayCon to present the event created by theatre lovers for theatre lovers. Melissa Anelli, Stephanie Dornhelm and original Rent star Anthony Rapp conceived the event.
The latest talents to join the event are Ted Chapin, President and Executive Director of Rodgers & Hammerstein; theatre columnist Peter Filichia, Legally Blonde writer Laurence O'Keefe; Jennifer Ashley Tepper, theatre historian and Director of Programming at Feinstein's/54 Below; "Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical" author Stacy Wolf; and Tony-winning Peter and the Starcatcher costume designer Paloma Young. Tepper has also signed on as program consultant for BroadwayCon.
They join a lineup that includes James Monroe Iglehart, Rebecca Luker, Courtney Reed, Jonathan Groff, Billy Porter, Joshua Safran, Ann Harada, Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, John Johnson, Hal Luftig, Arielle Tepper Madover, Daryl Roth, Barbara Whitman, Bernard Telsey, Skylar Astin, Susan Blackwell, Jenn Colella, Gavin Creel, Matt Doyle, Tamika Lawrence, Telly Leung, Michael McElroy, Andy Mientus, Seth Rudetsky, Jason Tam, Steve Rosen, Sarah Saltzberg, Dan Lipton and David Rossmer.
Additional talent will be announced in the coming months.
Panels and talkbacks in the works include "Creating a Cast Recording," "Why Our Favorite Shows Close," "The History of Theatre and Social Change," "Producing 101," as well as a Main Stage with programming that spans behind-the-scenes stories from classic shows, to talkbacks with stars, Broadway-themed game shows and more.
"BroadwayCon is going to be a theatre-lover's dream come true," said Philip S. Birsh, Playbill President and CEO. "Fans will not only be able to meet their favorite stars and the backstage folks who make it all happen—but they’ll spend the weekend with like-minded people and make new friends. The great thing about theatre is that it's a communal experience. BroadwayCon builds on that in exciting new ways. Playbill is delighted to partner with Mischief Management to bring fans and members of the theatre community together for this one-of-a-kind event where they can engage on a whole new level."
"Playbill is an indispensable force in the theatrical world, which it has been serving for more than 130 years," Anelli said. "From the moment we started talking with them, we recognized a natural ally, and like-minded spirit. Playbill's expertise and ties to the Broadway and theater community will help ensure BroadwayCon speaks to the heart of every fan. We have already been working with them for several months and are confident this partnership will mean even greater opportunities for fans while retaining the pure enthusiasm that led us to create this event in the first place. It just isn’t a Broadway show without a Playbill, and it wouldn't be a Broadway convention without them either!"
BroadwayCon co-creator Rapp said the event will be "much more democratized" compared with other large-scale conventions like ComicCon and added that "part of the mission is to be charitable. We want this to be a way that theatre artists can directly interact with fans. We're all human beings, and we're all part of this community together. Beyond on-on-one interactions, we want to give up-close-and-personal experiences of the shows from panels, too."
