JESUS FUCKING CHRIST IT'S A QWANCON
So I may be a bit biased since I’m one of the organizers, but seriously this was a super awesome day. I was waffling on if I should actually post a summary of the day, but this is as much for me as everyone else, so I can remember the day as well, sO HERE WE GO.
We started the day with a meet and greet slash autograph slash picture session, in which everyone could get autographs of the actors, talk for a minute or two with them, and take pictures of or with them. All of the actors were FANTASTIC, Jack and Jenn in particular were I think the stars of the show. Jack was sat right next to Randy and at one point he started pulling up Randy’s presents and making fun of how popular he was. “And look at this…and this…and I got this..oh shit there’s more. This one…” They were also making fun of and laughing at each other, and overall there was a really fun feeling. I couldn’t hear much of what was said since I was mostly running around taking pictures with everyone’s cameras or getting things ready, but I was around for when a friend asked Randy to sign the ‘Right Guide’ prop from Silence and Randy and Jenn(who was on Randy’s other side) lost it reminiscing about the play. Jenn reassured us that they didn’t steal the prop but laughed and said she knew exactly where they got it from.
All of the members of QWAN (AND ME. ME I GOT SOME TOO) got m&ms with pictures from QWAN, their faces, or the QWAN logo on them and every one of them was delighted and absolutely lost it. They were a lot like kids in a candy shop(fitting?) and all of them were very personable with everyone.
After the Meet and Greet we moved into an Open Tech rehearsal, where we and the fans got to sit in on part of QWAN’s preparations for NOTES!!! and SWAN!!! Most of the time was devoted to trying to work out a scene in which Christian(playing Stephen Connolly in Notes) gives Jack(Sheba) a bracelet. QWAN used a Snap bracelet(yeah. A snap bracelet) and they were trying to figure out how it would be funniest. They talked about it for about ten minutes until Matt Wilkas(who had been performing in Spiderman: Turn out the Dark during the Meet and Greet) came in and suggested something, which they tried, and it worked perfectly. Matt Wilkas: Problem Solver extraordinaire. They also worked on a few other scenes like the ending of SWAN where Jenn Harris as Nina interrupts the dramatic last dance scene to switch to an acceptance speech that made fun(a lot of fun) of Natalie Portman and featured a lot of the word ME. (ME who dressed myself, ME who put my makeup on ME who took ballet for OVER A YEAR.) They also spent a lot of the rehearsal trying to remember where they were supposed to sit. Jack and Randy were put on Marley-finding duty - a Marley is a protective mat that’s put over the stage to make cleanup easier that the cast uses for SWAN. Jenn said that all the props they used were made by Jenn’s mom so kudos to Jenn’s mom!
Once the Open rehearsal was done QWAN had a bit of closed rehearsal time, and then it was time for the shows! QWAN did their double bill NOTES!!! and SWAN!!!, which they’ve performed multiple times around NYC but we still had an absolutely PACKED house - we actually had to turn a few people away because we were sold out. I GOT A HUG FROM JUSTIN SAYRE I’M JUST GOING TO PUT THAT OUT THERE BUT I’M TOTALLY FINE.
I saw all of Notes, and was doubled over laughing at a lot - a LOT - of it. Still my favorite moment is when Jenn climbs into the audience as the dying Portia and then proceeded to roll down the rows and over people. I didn’t get to see much of SWAN as I was on door duty(we had to have someone at the front door all the time) but I did sneak in to see Randy’s SWEET GIRL and a few of Nina’s freak outs and ‘Nina’s really fucking tired of people that look like her.’ And Randy sticking Jenn’s hand in his mouth. I missed the ballet part at the beginning and the drop trou parts(sadface) but the parts I did see were absolutely fantastic.
And I only stared at Randy a little bit I promise.
After the performance was over and the house had been cleared of everyone but the convention attendees we had a short talkback with the actors about how they had formed QWAN, how they chose films, and if they had anything new in the works either as a group or individually.
They confessed that Christian had actually not been part of the group originally - he had replaced someone they said -, but that the name QWAN had come around after he joined. They also explained that Jenn was really the one they had all known, that Matt and Jenn had been friends for ‘17 years girl,’ Randy and Jenn for 10, that Jenn and Jack had met at the Berkshires whiles they were both working there, and that they had originally gotten the idea when Jenn had introduced Jack to Phillip. They had gone out drinking, and Jack learned that Phillip did an amazing Judy Dench impersonation. It just so happened that Jack did an amazing Cate Blanchett. Phillip confessed that he had always wanted to act out a scene from NOTES, so together with the others(because Jenn had never seen Notes on a Scandal) they watched the movie with the script in hand and got the idea to maybe parody the entire thing as opposed to just the one scene. And so QWAN was born. Jenn conversed with RAndy a bit about how she couldn’t remember whether he had said he wanted to play BIll Nighy or whether they had decided for him but she did recall that after one of the first performances a woman had come up to him and said that he did a wonderful impression that reminded her of someone in another movie and the actor she was talking about had been Bill Nighy, proving how spot on his caricature was. Jack at one point confessed that ‘Christian is like a full on Libra, so he either likes someone or ABSOLUTELY hates them’ to which Christian looked mildly offended in an amusing way.
It was interesting to note that Randy is actually the oldest in the group, and Phillip is the youngest by three years.
They were secretive about their coming projects, Jack saying that while they didn’t want to give away exactly what they were doing, they had a possible new murder mystery parody in the works ‘because murder mysteries are always really campy and fun) possibly as a Halloween show. Christian said that whenever he goes to see a movie he has two things he hopes for: that either it’s really good or that it’s perfect for QWAN and Phillip said he has the same hope. They also said they’d love to do The Bodyguard. When asked if they would be interested in going full time as a group they said that while they absolutely love doing it they think that part of the great thing about QWAN is that it always changes and is always such a bblast for them - which the audience picks up on - because they only do it every so often. They think that if they did it as a longer run it might lose its hilarity. Plus, Christian added, it stays something great to pick up when they have nothing else going on.
They then all said what projects they were doing next - Matt is in Spiderman for a few more months - you can see him on Saturdays at 1 and Sundays at 2 for the next few weeks, then on Wednesday and Saturdays. Jack has a project he is working on to premiere in the spring of next year, Randy doesn’t have anything lined up after Harbor but did mention a vacation afterwards, Jenn said that she actually hadn’t done anything all summer because she had been busy(making drunkercise youtube videos?) doing a music video for a band which is PREMIERING TODAY. For the band The Julie Ruin. She said that it had involved her Barbie collection. Yes. Christian is going to the UK for a few weeks very soon to do a series of Workshops, and he also just finished filming a movie called Those who Wonder. I believe he may have also mentioned another film? But I can’t remember. And sadly I missed what Phillip said other than that he is involved in a New Web Series called Whatever This Is because we then had to wrap things up to start cleaning up the theatre.
All in all it was a super fantastic day - the actors were all great, the fans and audience were perfect as well. Randy was pretty quiet during most of the Q&A part, but that was mostly because no one could get a word in edgewise around Jenn, Jack, and Christian. He did have a few things to add here and there, and he was personable the whole day.
For Jack, Jenn, Matt, and Phillip it was their first fan event signing and meeting fans and they were all completely wonderful at it. Jack and JEnn especially were all over the fans and a huge hit - Jack more often than not would tell fans to do a pose with him or ask after the pictures if he looked fabulous enough. I might be a bit of a Jack fanboy so sue me he’s presh okay. YAY QWAN.
