There were some posts today on Facebook that may or may not have the effect of drawing new members here or of attracting existing members back. I wanted to put out a welcome mat for those who aren't already widely known in the existing FTC community. Posting in this thread is by no means required, but I wanted a friendly place for introducing yourself if the FTC experience is new to you -- or even if you think you might have been forgotten.

For the record, I'm Chris Lampton, one of the two site operators. I joined the original Finishing the Chat forum in 2002 and stayed with it until the owner closed down the servers. I'm a freelance writer, published author, and computer-game nut. I live with @AmyG, the other site operator, a professional graphics designer and Web developer who takes care of all our technical problems. Feel free to message us privately if you have questions or, ideally, post questions on the open board to encourage other members to join in.  

The FTC community has traditionally been one of the friendliest, most welcoming communities on the Internet. I'm sure it will stay that way, so don't be shy. If trolls show up I'll deal with them, but legitimate criticism and good-natured sarcasm are welcome and would never be taken as in any way antagonistic.

And we love topic drift, though the Daily Thread is the best place for posting material that's completely random.

Hello! My name is Elliott.

I fell in love with Sondheim and his work during what I like to call my Great Musical Theatre Binge my freshman year of high school (2008/09). Something inside me snapped and I just began devouring any and every cast album I could find. I was an active member of Musicals.net's forums, which is where I found my first online community. I tried joining the original FTC around the same time, but could never get my registration approved, so I just sort of read a bunch of discussions as an outside observer.

Fast forward. I'm 24 now, college graduated, and a working actor, dramaturg, and musician based in Atlanta. I live with my girlfriend of five years (also a scholar of musical theatre and a big Sondheim devotee). We co-own a theatre company. I'm glad to be here. Hopefully this forum can rejuvenate itself a bit.

Aside from theatre, one of my other loves is film. I'm sure I'll be posting in that subforum. 

I'm also active on AwardsWatch, Tumblr, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Instagram, as well as Facebook, if anybody wants to follow me on any other platform.

 

Welcome to the Cookie Jar, Elliott!

Your experience and knowledge seem extraordinary from someone who, from the standpoint of a greybeard like myself, is so young. (I'm not going to say what my age is, but it's more than twice yours.  ).

I'm really looking forward to seeing you post and am pretty sure you're going to be a valuable member of this forum. As you're aware, we're looking to revitalize the site and new members, especially articulate and knowledgeable ones like you, will go a long way to helping us do that.

BTW, David Rahall over on the Facebook FTC, is also from Atlanta. And I respect you hugely for founding a theater company!

Elliott, what name did you post under at musicals.net?

Welcome! 

Welcome!