By HEATHER SURPRISE
Special Contributor
NORTHAMPTON
– In-Con-Ceivable was held for the second year at the Northampton Clarion August 28-31.
In-Con-Ceivable is a multimedia convention with the focus soley on celebrating geeks and nerds and everything we love. With no particular genre or medium in the spotlight, there is really something for everyone. The convention is family-friendly, so it is a great show to bring your little cosplayer along to. This year I had the pleasure of not only enjoying the con as a normal guest but as a panelist, as well. This was my second time paneling at a convention. Thanks to The Doctor Who Club of Western Mass, I participated in panels addressing the topics of Timelord biology and the women of Doctor Who. We had a smaller audience so we were able to have more tailored discussions. It was a fun time and a great experience.
Panels were not the only things at this convention. The Angry Geeks had a live recording of their show. The comedic pair had planned special guests and randomly pulled guests from the audience. Throughout the recording they gave out prizes for answering trivia, appearing on camera, or any other reason they could come up with. Another comedy show to see was +2 Comedy, a pair of geeky guys with geeky jokes. They made several appearances at the con with their own shows and collaborating with other performers and events. The Shimmy Ninjas had three shows this year. This skilled group of dancers is known for their cosplay dance costumes and choice geeky music. The big show of the weekend was their belly dance interpretation of Alice in Wonderland in collaboration will several other local dancers. Alice in Wonderland also included a humorous Muppet Christmas Carol style narration by +2 Comedy.
For those that don’t just like to sit and watch, there were some opportunities for more active participation. There was no sitting and watching for the belly dance 101 workshop. Everyone got up to learn how to dance like a Shimmy Ninja, including Thor. If you wanted to test your knowledge, three lucky patrons got to play a very geeky game of Jeopardy hosted by Greggo’s Games. Greggo also hosted a few rounds of Shut the TARDIS, a Doctor Who themed twist on Shut the Box. There was also gaming, karaoke, and a tea party. The cosplay contest this year had some stiff competition. With awards for best craftsmanship, best in category, best in show, best youth awards, and more a lot of skilled cosplayers earned recognition for their work. Audience, and competitor, favorite was a very tall and accurate Baima from Big Hero 6.
In-Con-Ceivable was a fun time. They had a few technical difficulties and +2 Comedy was called upon to stall on a couple occasions. Everyone involved handled issues with grace and humor. RJ Wagner is the founder of this delightful event. He and his wife have put a lot into In-Con-Ceivable and made it a very special convention.
