Fanfiction Theater Recap

On April 14th, we celebrated the joys of fandom with our second annual Fanfiction Theater. For me, it was extra-special, because it was the first time I got to experience it in person. It was everything I hoped it would be. If you're not familiar with the event, the concept behind Fanfiction Theater is simple. It's a night to share the wonderful stories, poems, and songs that people create celebrating their favorite fandoms. Whether it's expanding the backstory of a beloved character, like Gillian Daniels' "The Life and Times of May Parker," mourning the loss of one like Elaine Sigerson's "Mermaid Quay," or expanding on a universe like Carter Terry's "Forgetting a Coin for the Ferryman," fanfiction and other fan works allow for their authors to express their passions, emotions, and thoughts about the world in a setting that's often already familiar to readers (or in this case, listeners). The best fanfiction transcends the concepts and worlds it's rooted in, while still being a part of them.

We opened our evening with Tom Majkut, our EMH or "Entertainment Musical Hologram." Tom performed a series of wonderful Star Trek-inspired songs throughout the evening. (Plus one notoriously terrible Star Trek theme song.) Our hosts, Elise Sacchetti and Gary Spezzafero, kept us entertained between stories with "Advice for the Lovelorn," dramatic readings from the advice columns of 1950s and 60s romance comics. (Let's just say the advice is often questionable.)

The tremendous folks reading or having their stories read were Caitlin Walsh, Phoebe Sinclair, Carter Terry, Joan Leib, Gillian Daniels, Travis Trudell, and Elaine Sigerson.

Thanks to all of them for their generosity in sharing their stories with all of us! And to our good friend Bill at Imbrogna Photography and Design for capturing the magic. We laughed, we cried, and we may never look at a pair of gold hot pants the same way ever again.