!Every year, there is an amazing convention in NYC that focuses on Broadway for the whole weekend! The convention includes panels with Broadway stars, performances, a big marketplace with tons of merchandise, and autograph/photograph sessions with actors. I was lucky enough to go last year, and this year I went with my younger sister. She really wanted to go after hearing about my great experience last year, and I was glad to show her around. The transportation was a little tricky, as the weekend of the con was the first weekend I had come back to school after winter break. My Dad was the best person in the world and drove me home and to the convention. I was really thankful he helped out, as it made the weekend much smoother.
My sister and I woke up super early, and we drove about 2 hours to NYC. I was super pumped, as I had been waiting for this day the whole entire year. As we arrived at the Jacob Javitts Center, the registration area (the place to pick up our badges which granted us access to the con) was already bopping to Broadway songs. I knew this was the start of a great day!
As I entered the marketplace, I saw a huge area full of booths with Broadway merchandise. Our first stop of the day was a "School of Rock" panel with the current Broadway cast. It was fun listening to their stories, and the audience even got to ask some of their own questions. I saw "School of Rock" back in December of 2016, so I loved this panel!
Our next stop was the "Dear Evan Hansen" cast panel. This was at the MainStage part of the convention center, and was very packed. It was cool to see, but my sister and I got really hungry halfway through it. We made an important decision to go get food at the food court since we were starving.
After lunch, we headed back to the MainStage for a "SpongeBob Squarepants" cast panel. Each actor sounded just like their character! I was blown away by how nice they seemed, and how packed the area was. The cast was only there for half the time (as they had to go perform their matinee show!), so we headed out.
My sister and I love the show "Waitress", so after SpongeBob was over we went to a panel with two former little girls who had been in the show recently. BroadwayGirlNYC (a person who is known throughout social media for interviewing Broadway stars) was conducting a Q and A, so we listened in on that. The girls were so cute, and even sang for us! Afterwards, my sister took a picture with both of them, and I got their autographs!
We then took our time wandering through the marketplace. I bought a couple of items, met some awesome people, and got some ribbons for my lanyard. I entered many giveaways, and even got a free "Matilda" poster!
My sister and I love dogs, so it was only natural for us to go to the Broadway dog training panel. The man hosting it had been a trainer for over 40 years, and trained the original Sandy in the "Annie" production at the Goodspeed Theater in CT. He took turns bringing out multiple dogs, including another Sandy, a Toto, and my favorite, the original Bruiser from "Legally Blonde". The dogs were so obedient, and it was so cute!
The rest of the day consisted of autograph and photograph sessions. We got autographs and a picture with Alex Brightman, who was in the original cast of "School of Rock", and autographs from Lesli Margherita who was in the original and closing cast of "Matilda".
With one more trip around the marketplace, we completed our adventure. I had the best day ever, and I'm pretty sure my sister did too. If you love Broadway, this convention is really recommended. I'll definitely be going next year!
