![\"A](\"https:\/\/tvobsessive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/FullSizeRender-3.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nI love the Harry Potter fandom. It\u2019s kooky, creative, and smart. When I spend organised time with Potterphiles, it\u2019s always good fun.<\/p>\n
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I first discovered MISTI-Con in 2015. I know one of the showrunners, Clay Dockery, from the Doctor Who<\/em> fandom. He\u2019s a co-organiser and the creative director. It was in this capacity that he tapped me to come to add to the con experience. Clay is a showman as well as a showrunner, and he likes performance at his cons. I\u2019m an actor and a musician. He invited me there to play music and help with a show they were putting up. I had a blast.<\/p>\n I love helping run MISTI-Con because it is such an amazing experience, because the attendees are so intimately connected. It\u2019s so much more like a family reunion than any other con. —Clay Dockery, Creative Director<\/p><\/blockquote>\n MISTI happens every two years, and up until this year, has been held in Laconia, New Hampshire. This year it was moved to Tarrytown, New York. A great bonus for those of us in the tri-state area, to be sure. However, believe me when I tell you that magical pilgrims come in from all over for this event. It\u2019s worth the trip, just like it was worth it for me to go to New Hampshire that time. I\u2019ve played lots of other cons, including other Potter cons. But MISTI is an experience unlike any other con I\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n The name, \u201cMISTI\u201d, is an acronym. It stands for \u201cMinistry Interdepartmental Service Training Institute\u201d. Unlike most cons, which are about guests and panels (and I love those too), MISTI is an immersive experience. It\u2019s not about big-name guests. The premise is that it is set sometime after the Second Wizarding War, and the event itself is part of a larger story. The time I went in 2015, the plot of the weekend was a Wizarding World Fair, reminiscent of a renaissance festival. This year (and remember how I said the showrunner was my friend from the Doctor Who<\/em> fandom?) the theme was time travel.<\/p>\n My job was to help write and perform in the big Friday night stage show. It was part jukebox musical and part parody show. Lawrence Neals, the founder of GeeklifeRules, was the host and the con’s entertainment director. He\u2019s a fantastically talented and glorious nerd with whom I hope to perform a great deal in the future. When he\u2019s not performing for a living, Lawrence helps his other nerdy friends find a performance venue. His regular Cosplay Cabarets in Manhattan are marvelous.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want to spend too much time gushing about the performances at this con. I really don\u2019t. The panels, the cosplay, the merchandise, everything was amazing. And I\u2019ll get to them, I promise. But damn, playing this show was fun. It was called \u201cAlbus and Scorpius\u2019s Excellent Time-Travelling Adventure\u201d. If you think that sounds like a perfect venue for ridiculous antics, clever lyrics, and some damn fine entertainers, you\u2019re right. Imagine \u201cCell Block Tango\u201d rewritten for six Azkaban inmates. And that was only the tip of the iceberg of awesome.<\/p>\n Full disclosure, I didn\u2019t personally get to any panels this time. But MISTI offers a huge variety of panels and discussion groups. They run the gamut, from the literary and academic, to straight-up fandom. A highlight for me was chatting with a woman for a bit about a panel she had just attended. It was about Squibs, and how they are basically the service animals of the Wizarding World. See what I mean?<\/p>\n This year also boasted panels with topics like LGBTQ Issues In Fandom, Cosplay 101, and Wizard Dueling. Dueling. How cool is that? There was also a craft fair, where merchants strutted their fabulous homemade stuff. You could buy a new wand, a witch\u2019s hat, clothes, art; you name it. Among other things, I came away with a Gryffindor keychain-type holder for my lipstick. I told you these people were creative.<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t the only musician there that weekend. The Wizard and nerd rock experience was extensive and eclectic. Among other things, I led a Les Miz singalong with my ukulele. The Blibbering Humdingers did a song comparing love to a natural twenty. Kate the Chanticleer, a fantastic local singer\/songwriter, had her MISTI premiere on Friday and rocked the house. When I asked her how her weekend was, she said, \u201cwhat a wonderful, creative, and supportive group of people. I\u2019m so happy that I got to attend and perform!\u201d Also making their MISTI debut were The Misbehavin\u2019 Maidens, a bawdy and funny quartet of women from the D.C. area. Google these people, download their music. You will thank me.<\/p>\n This was our very first MISTI-Con and it was fabulous! We’ve been to a lot of conventions, and this experience was something entirely unique. The atmosphere was relaxing, everyone was welcoming, and we felt like we were ‘preaching to the nerdy, nerdy choir’ with the more educational aspects of our music. We hope everyone has a good a time as we did! —Misbehavin\u2019 Maidens<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I wish MISTI happened every year, as opposed to every other year. I get why they do it that way, though. It\u2019s for fans and by fans, and they pour their heart and soul into it every single time. They\u2019d probably drop dead if they did it more often. It\u2019s very clear that it is a labour of love for all involved, attendee and showrunner alike. And it has appeal for every sort of fan. From cosplayers and roleplayers to gamers and people who just like to talk about their favourite books and movies, there is something for everyone. And it is just heartwarming, from the minute you walk in the door. If I could make a whole con my Patronus, it would be this one. \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Entertainer](\"https:\/\/tvobsessive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/FullSizeRender.jpeg\")
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