BroadwayCon in Review - Day 1

It's hard for me to talk about just how lovely BroadwayCon is without thoroughly gushing about everyone and everything. It's just one of those things that you need to experience to really understand what makes it so wonderfully unique. However, I am going to try to give you a sense of its awesomeness by writing small samplings (vignettes if you will...) of each day of the Con, which will hopefully send you head over heels and push you to buy a ticket for next year's event!

Here goes Day 1...

~ Shopping the Vendor Hall: So. Many. Cool. Things. The vendor hall is a Broadway lover's dream. Everything you can think of - tees, prints, jewelry, decals, etc. - are all there for purchasing. Last year I went hog wild, but this year I tried to keep my head. I managed to purchase a super cute Come From Away necklace (that matches my Come From Away Playbill flower headband from last year perfectly), and some decals that will need to wait until I get a new car to reveal their sheer Broadway awesomeness. My favorite vendor is Desiree Nasim. She creates minimalist prints of the casts of Broadway shows. Last year I purchased Falsettos, and this year I couldn't resist the brilliant cast of Come From Away and the originally brilliant cast of RENT.

~ Photos with Lin: You may remember that I'm most terrible with celebrities. TeeRico, the company owned by Lin Manuel Miranda's family must have heard, because a version of Lin was ready and waiting for me at their booth. Lifesize Cutout Lins in 2 different poses were swamped with con-goers all weekend. And of course, I was also one of those people. 

~ In the Heights 10 Year Reunion Panel: Somehow, I've yet to see In the Heights. However, that didn't stop me from wanting to see the panel. Lin was attending this year, in the flesh so you can't blame me for wanting to be in the Room Where it Happened. This cast is so lovely and so like a family, that you couldn't help by smile and laugh at their inside jokes. The panel was moderated by Luis Miranda - Lin's dad - who was funny and warm. You could tell how proud he was of these people and how much the cast loved him and his son. 

~Arts & Advocacy: Now more than ever, advocacy in the arts community is so incredibly important. And the organizers of BroadwayCon seemed to understand that. There were many panels outlining how the arts can highlight certain issues. The attendees at the panel I attended shared how they advocate for issues they feel are important, and provided ideas and examples of how attendees can get motivated to help. It was a very clear representation of how this convention is not strictly about being a fan of Broadway. It's about sharing in something with like-minded people, and empowering those people to get involved. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. 

Now if all of that hasn't caught the attention of your purse-strings yet, tune in soon to see what Saturday and Sunday brought to the gaggle of Broadway Lovers.