Theater fans gear up for inaugural BroadwayCon

NEW YORK - If you're in midtown Manhattan late next month and see women in green makeup or folks strutting around in colonial outfits, fear not. They're attending the inaugural fan convention for Broadway.

The three-day BroadwayCon - sort of like a Comic Con for thespians - promises to connect theater fans with stage stars, but also wants them to leave with more than an autograph.

There will be meetups for fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber or Stephen Sondheim and one for theater fans who have tattoos. There will be panels about sound and costume design. "Cosplay With the Pros" will features tips from Broadway costumers.

The casts of "Rent," "Fun Home" and "Hamilton" will talk about their shows. There will be a seminar on producing and plenty of master classes led by veterans. There will be sing-alongs, a game show and a cabaret.

The event was conceived by Melissa Anelli and Stephanie Dornhelm, who co-founded GeekyCon, and the original "Rent" star Anthony Rapp. They've partnered with Playbill and the convention will be held Jan. 22-24 at the New York Hilton Midtown.

Although the Broadway community does have gatherings throughout the year, it hasn't had a full-on convention until now.

Enter the masterminds of GeekyCon, which grew from a love of Harry Potter to one of the largest and most recognized conventions for fans of fantasy films, television shows and young adult books.

The BroadwayCon lineup is constantly being updated, but some of the stars slated to appear include Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of "Hamilton," Jeremy Jordan, Michael Cerveris, Alice Ripley, James Monroe Iglehart, Billy Porter, Melissa Errico, Gavin Creel, Seth Rudetsky, Kerry Butler, Christian Borle and Brian d'Arcy James from "Something Rotten!"

Anelli, who was such a passionate fan of "Rent" that she slept outside its Broadway home at age 16 and eventually befriended Rapp, said BroadwayCon will attract at least two large groups of fans - the ones who heard the word BroadwayCon and said, "Move all of my cast albums out of the way so I can get to my computer to buy a ticket" and the "Next to Normal" fans, the "Rent" fans, the "Wicked" fans.

Tickets start at $50 and go up to a general pass with full access to everything for $250. Ten percent of profits go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Anelli said about half the several thousand expected attendees are under age 30. Attendees will likely give a boost to Broadway box offices during a traditionally slow month.

At BroadwayCon, there's no charge for autographs, though fans may have to enter lotteries.

Master classes in vocal technique with performers are free, but require registration and fill up fast.

Organizers encourage fans to show up in costumes from their favorite shows.