It seems like only yesterday that Talkin' Broadway made its debut on the Web. We've been so busy that we forgot our birthday on January 31st. Many people ask me how it began and how it got so big and popular with theater fans throughout the world.

Well, it goes back to 1996. I had observed that on the Web, especially in theater chat rooms, was that all I was hearing was "Rent Rocks," and Sondheim and Webber were certainly represented back then as well. And I had this thought. There is more to Broadway and theater than Rent, Phantom, or Sweeney Todd. While there is certainly nothing wrong with any of those, I just felt there is more. There was a Jerome Kern, there was an Irving Berlin, there are the current young voices in the way of composers and lyricists who need to be heard and talked about, and there is a history of Broadway that needs to be told.

I didn't want a personal Web page, I wanted a Web Site, a big one too. I hired a graphics designer and off we went. The original site was built completely by exchanging thousands of e-mails. Once the site debuted, I knew it wasn't finished. And I had this theory that if you put just one brick in place each day, eventually you would end up with a building. And that's what I set out to do.

Along the way, web-friends began to e-mail me offering to participate in the Talkin' Broadway family of writers. Through the years it's now expanded to 25 volunteers who either write, design, or maintain the site. If you go to our home page, you'll see all the different sections we have developed in a "zine" format.

I always wanted a place where theater fans could congregate under one roof, so to speak, from all over the world to discuss Broadway or theater. As a result, our message boards are quite active. Just yesterday, for the first time ever, a blind person, using a computerized speech synthesizer, was able to post a message on one of our boards. She's a real theater buff and one of her favorite songs is "Gonna Build a Mountain." She was frustrated that she couldn't participate in the chat, but she overcame that mountain, so we welcome her and Razzle, her guide dog, to the Talkin' Broadway family. How cool is that!

And so, we continue into our fifth year, and I'd just like to take a moment to wish the staff of Talkin' Broadway a belated Happy Birthday! And they are:

          Staff of Talkin' Broadway



          Owners,

          Editors, & Publishers........John Gillespie

                                       Ann Miner

                                       Michael T. Reynolds



          WebMaster....................Ann Miner

          Graphics/Design..............Ann Miner/Miner Miracles





          The Columns:




          What's New On The Rialto.....V.J. (that's me :)

          Broadway Reviews.............Thomas Burke

                                       Wendy Guida 
									   

          Sound Advice.................As credited

          Cabaret......................Jonathan Frank

          Restaurant Revue.............Marilyn Hansen & Hulda Lawrence

                                       with M.J. Boyer 
					
          Broadway Bound...............Michael T. Reynolds

          Broadway 101.................Robert C. Rusie

          Spotlight On.................Ed Feldman

                                       Nancy Rosati

                                       V.J.


          On The Boards................Michael T. Reynolds

          Off Broadway.................Marge Shapiro

                                       Matthew Murray

                                       Seth Christenfeld

                                       Wendy Guida

                                       Genese Lefkowitz		

          Contributing writers.........Melinda Hesbacher

                                       Jill Hobgood

                                       Nancy Rosati


	  Cabaret......................Jonathan Frank  

          Regional:



          Atlanta.................Harper Strom

          Boston..................Ryan DeFoe

          Cincinnati..............Scott Cain

          Las Vegas...............John Gillespie

          Los Angeles.............Jerry Howard, Sharon Perlmutter

          Phoenix.................Dwight Jenson

          Pittsburgh..............Ann Miner

          San Francisco...........Richard J. Connema

          Seattle.................Jonathan Frank

          Toronto.................Antonio Tan

          Washington, D.C.........Michelle Butler

And also the staff of Itdb Internet Theatre Database, whom we are associated with for over a year now.

All right everyone, now get back to work!

Internet Theatre Database

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