FAQ
- What the heck is Barricade Day anyway?
- Do I have to sign up?
- Is this a convention? Will there be vendors and celebrity guests?
- I don't know anyone in the fandom. Can I still come? Will I be horribly out of place?
- Is this safe? Will I (or my child, or my pet chinchilla) be murdered or molested by internet predators?
- Which day are you going to see the musical?
- What language is the show in?
- Do I have to be able to speak French?
- Who's behind this crazy scheme?
- What the heck is Barricade Day anyway?
Barricade Day is actually two days, the 5th and 6th of June. The revolution scenes in Les Mis are set on those two days, during the entirely non-fictitious insurrection of June 1832, so they've become a sort of fandom holiday. It was only logical to use them as the date for a fan gathering, the more so since they fall on a Saturday and Sunday in 2010.
- Do I have to sign up?
No, but you're encouraged to. The RSVP page is there for the convenience of the organizers, to get an idea of how many places to book for tours and restaurant reservations and the like. It's fully expected that people will show up without signing up, that there will be last-minute arrivals and cancellations, and that we'll attract a few more people just by walking around, so there will be wiggle room in the estimates. However, if it turns out that we have more people than we have dinner places, we might have to turn away some people who didn't sign up.
- Is this a convention? Will there be vendors and celebrity guests?
It's an unofficial gathering, not a convention. The Les Mis fandom just isn't that big or that organized. There are no plans for vendors, although if you'd like to sell memorabilia or costume pieces or plushies or something, email us and we can work something out.
Since this is a relatively small gathering we won't have 'celebrity guests' in the usual sense of getting a big-name actor to sit behind a table signing autographs and chatting with fans. There will be an unofficial trip to the stage door after the show to ask cast members to sign playbills, but they're under no obligation. There's also an open invitation: any current or former cast member who joins us for dinner or any of the meetup activities gets drinks on us (through the donation account).
- I don't know anyone in the fandom. Can I still come? Will I be horribly out of place?
Of course you can come! Anyone interested in Les Mis is welcome. Even if you don't know anyone, you have a ready-made topic of common interest to open conversations with.
- Is this safe? Will I (or my child, or my pet chinchilla) be murdered or molested by internet predators?
First of all, Paris is generally a very safe city, especially the central areas. All of the meetup events will be in public in a large group. Marianne, the chief organizer, is a student in Paris, speaks French, and knows the city well. She will be responsible both for making sure everyone gets around all right in an unfamiliar city, and for handling any emergencies that might require local assistance (such as doctors or police).
Secondly, many of the people organizing and attending this event know each other well, either through real-life friendships or through a long history of active, enthusiastic, non-creepy, non-predatory participation in the Les Mis fandom online. And fandom in general does not tend to attract shadowy internet predators in the way that, say, Myspace and Facebook do. There is no guarantee that creepy people won't show up (see above question; anyone is welcome to attend), but there will be a core group of organizers and sane fans who do not want to have their fun spoiled by sketchy types, and who will forcibly eject anyone who engages in inappropriate behavior. Everyone involved is instructed to be proactive about stopping unacceptable behavior before it has time to escalate into an incident.
However, if you or your parents are still nervous about meeting people from the internet, please don't hesitate to contact us with your concerns. If needed, we can provide details on the real-life identities of the gathering's organizers, as well as contact information and answers to any questions about safety.
- Which day are you going to see the musical?
There will be fans at the evening performances on both June 5th and June 6th. Some will be seeing both shows, some will be seeing one or the other. There will be matinee performances both days, but since these interfere with the tours and activities, there are no plans to see the matinees en masse.
- What language is the show in?
The show will be in English. It's part of an international tour originating in the UK.
- Do I have to be able to speak French?
While speaking a bit of French would certainly help you get around Paris, the meetup and all associated tours will be in English.
- Who's behind this crazy scheme?
Well, the whole thing started when Marianne, who's spending a study-abroad year in Paris, heard about the tour and said, "Yay! I can see Les Mis on Barricade Day!" It quickly spiraled from "I think I'll invite a few friends to see it with me" into "Hey, who else is interested in doing this?" The volume of responses suggested that it could turn into a Large Event, and the crazy scheme was born.