Hosted by Nikka Graff Lanzarone and special guest host Christopher Gurr, the special discussion/podcast is titled "Redefining Success On Broadway."
In this live podcast, The Ensemblist will be taking the idea of what it means to be a successful Broadway artist and turning it on its head - through the ensemblist experience! How do working actors define success? How is storytelling a catalyst for changing minds and lives? How are the life and career experiences of ensemblists another side of what it means to be successful on Broadway, even if their names aren't above the title?
Panel guests include Gaelen Gilliland Jennifer Sanchez, Megan Sikora, Phillip Spaeth and Marisha Wallace.
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. 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.
For tickets, full details on participation options and special hotel rates for the convention, visit BroadwayCon.com.
Also participating in the weekend are Broadway siblings Andrew and Celia Keenan-Bolger, Alice Ripley, Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Sawyer Nunes, Sam Poon, Taylor Richardson, Ripley Sobo, 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, David Rossmer, Laurence O'Keefe, Ted Chapin, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Peter Filichia, Stacy Wolf and Paloma Young.
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."
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."
