The Early Days of the BWW Board: Any Info??

[esparza 333]

I was wondering if any posters had any information about the beginning days of this board including maybe a few memories or links of the some old old threads. I ask this because I have had this idea mulling in my head for a while about telling the story of this board through some sort of media. I know Jerby did a web show last year based on this board which I enjoyed a lot but my vision for it is a little different. I am not exactly sure how it would be presented, maybe it would be a movie or a series or even a stage production!!!!! (Much like the BWW Musical on this board a few years ago.) I am still in the very early stages of the idea itself and I am not sure if I would tell the story of this particular board or do one loosely based on this board. I am leaning more towards the former and would love if any one of the veteran posters or even Craig and Rob could share some information or links to some of the original threads. I have been posting since 2007 and have read the boards since 2006. I know the boards started in 2003 (correct me if I'm wrong) and while I have seen many of the older threads from searching the archives and from back in 2006 I would love if any of you could share memories and information!!!

Thanks In Advance

[jo]

If I remember right, a number of us were posting on a now defunct message board at Broadway.com at the time the BWW board was created. I was one of the refugees from that other board ( which announced it was ceasing operations) and welcomed the chance to continue discussions about the theatre on Craig and Rob's new website/message board.

Check out my JoinDate for this board.

[Dollypop]

I was one of the earliest members of the board. I, too, was a regular at Broadway.Com.

There were some wonderful, long-running threads here:

Rob and Craig's Broadway Theme Park

Brendan Stryker's Cyber Funeral and....

That full evening of Minelli Madness

[chinkie azn jai]

I guess my fondest memory of the early days of BWW was the chat room. People would plan a time and day and meet in the chat room and have awesome conversations.

[nmartin]

Who was the poster who started the Kitsch thread? She always had a Sally Struthers avatar. She was wonderful!

[Yankeefan007]

Where did Matt G go?

[jacobsnchz14]

http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://www.broadwayworld.com/board

Besides using the Search option on BWW, I went here to see some of the older threads. You can access most of them still. Obviously, it doesn't go back as far as 2003. lol. Seeing the thread postings and number of views for THE LITTLE MERMAID and BILLY ELLIOT rumors/news.

[LizzieCurry]

I'm 95% sure that when the site debuted, there was no board. It took a few months.

[SNAFU]

I miss the Angels of the Month threads!

[PalJoey]

Can you post an archives link like that for the Off-Topic board?

[CapnHook]

There are very few who have an earlier "Joined Date" than I do. Indeed, over at Broadway.com, an announcement was made on their late message board that they were closing it because people there were being extremely rude and hateful. Not sure why that decision was made (you get hate-posts in most online message board communities). I vaguely remember the backlash against Broadway.com for their decision, people were pleading to keep the board open.

Then, Rob either created a post or replied to some existing threads informing us that he created a brand new website for us to join and chat on. So literally, within a few hours, many of us made the move and a community was instantly built here.

I miss the old days. Back when we had high hopes for an original show in the works called BROOKLYN and before WICKED attained an annoying mega-fanbase.

[dramarama3]

WOW. Thanks for that link to archives...just went and found posts of my old account from 2006 and 07. Blast from the past...everyone's avatars!

[Sally]

I don't post on BWW a lot, but it has always seemed more friendly than the old Broadway.com board. I was pretty active there during Dance of the Vampires run-up, previews, and short run, and things got pretty nasty at times.

I'll match my join date against anyone's

[jacobsnchz14]

The archive links won't work for the Off-Topic Boards. Sorry guys. :[

[givesmevoice]

You can actually just go to the Off-Topic Board from the links that jacob posted, like you would when viewing the board normally.

[SueleenGay]

The thing I find interesting as an old timer, is watching the posters who were very young when the board started grow into mature, thoughtful and intelligent individuals. There are a few I could name the I am very fond of that seem to have literally grown up on this board.

You might want to seek out those posters and find how this board shaped them and influenced them in their growing up and views of theater and the world in general.

[jacobsnchz14]

@givesmevoice Really? Didn't try that. lol. Figured I needed a separate link for the other board.

[tazber]

The Kitsch thread was started by Big Fat Blonde.

She sadly passed away a couple of years ago.

[jacobtsf]

I am one of many who grew up on this board and it really has played a major role in how I matured.

I began lurking in July of 2003 (I was just about to turn 16), but didn't join for almost a year later. Coming from a small town BWW was the first diverse community I was a part of. I've learned so much in the years I have been here, both about theatre and about the world. The early days of BWW featured amazing discussions and incredible debates, and though we do see both on the boards today they are not as frequent as they once were.

[CapnHook]

OMG anyone remember Jose' ?

[Dollypop]

Does anyone remember Tamimi? children&art?

[Katurian2]

This is such a wonderful thread already! I wasn't here at the start, but like jacob I went through my teen years on BWW. I had just barely turned 15 when I created my account, and had been lurking at least a year prior! I'm so glad BWW rescued me from the Wicked fanboards I was on at 13/14 and showed be the beauty of Sondheim and the rest of Broadway! :)

[Yankeefan007]

I miss the chatroom.

[spiderdj82]

The chatroom was the best.

I've said this before, but I wish we could go back to the winter '04 - winter of '05 of the off topic board. That was fun and pure epic.

[LizzieCurry]

OMG the chat room. I remember being in there with you guys at like 1 or 2 a.m. Eastern.