Tag Archives: CSTS

2017, 2018, Contest

(Re)Introducing our Global Event Coordinator for 2018

Leave a comment

As Bob Averell and his amazing crew finish up 2017, we are beginning to look forward to 2018 and an exciting year of fun filled fandom events. For the past 12 years, Browncoats all over the world have donated tens of thousands of hours of their spare time to organise events both big and small to celebrate our fandom and to support Equality Now, and 2018 is no different. Plans are already being made in cities across the globe. Will there be an event in your local area? All it takes are a few Browncoats to put on their cunning hats and make it happen!

The Global Team are here to help and we are pleased to announce that Annie Burnaman is returning to be the Global Event Coordinator again.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Equality Now, Events, Sponsors

There Was No Stopping the CSTS Signal in 2015!

1 Comment

With the auction closing out the 2015 Can’t Stop the Serenity season in November, it’s hard to believe another year is over. But what a celebration our tenth year has been!

59 events in 45 cities across 7 countries raised over $90,000 for Equality Now and 19 other charities (you can view the full list of donations and charities on the Global Donation Tally page). A Virtual Shindig covered the globe and Sean Faust donated 50% of sales from his song Signal. We had a huge auction with over 50 lots including many rare collectibles and items signed by a variety of Whedonverse favourites.

It may have been one of our most diverse years with Affiliate events that included fundraising raffles in booths at conventions, board game days, a concert, Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog* screenings and a painting class.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Equality Now, Events

Can’t Stop the Serenity 2015 Event Finale!

Leave a comment

The final events of the 2015 Can’t Stop the Serenity season are upon us!

Halifax is hosting the final screening event of the year this Friday night 30th October at Hal-Con. And what an action packed evening it’s going to be! There will be trivia, a silent auction, a special Barrett’s Privateers rendition of the Hero of Canton sing along and an Evil Laugh competition. And not only is Serenity on the big screen there’s also Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog*.

Entry to the event is by donation but as it’s at Hal-Con you’ll need a Friday pass to enter the venue. You can pre-order Can’t Stop the Serenity 10 year tshirts, patches and challenge coins for pick up at the event. Visit their website for ordering details and event schedule.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Events

A Mid Week Can’t Stop the Serenity Celebration Down Under!

Leave a comment

We’re excited another founding city which hasn’t held an event for a few years is coming back to Can’t Stop the Serenity as part of our 10th year celebrations this week!

Adelaide return for their 5th CSTS event this Wednesday 14th October at the gorgeous heritage listed Capri Theatre. Doors open from 6pm so there’s time to purchase merchandise, raffle tickets and bid on a specially commissioned airbrush piece and a Supanova poster signed by a Serenity crew member in the silent auction before Serenity rises again on the big screen at 7pm. There’s so much shiny to win, so make sure to bring plenty of cashy monies.

Firefly and Whedonverse costumes are highly encouraged and may be rewarded with Blue Sun Travel Posters. And if you bring any of these ‘food’ items from Hutt Street Centre’s Donated Goods Wish List along to the screening you can swap them for a free raffle ticket.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Equality Now, Events

It’s A Transatlantic Can’t Stop the Serenity Weekend!

Leave a comment

There are 3 shiny events this week of all shapes and sizes proving you can turn anything into a Can’t Stop the Serenity event.

It all starts on Wednesday 30th, the official release date of Serenity in North America, where a group of Browncoats in Crest Hill are getting together for a movie night shindig with friends and family. And what could be better than hanging out with loved ones watching your favourite characters and raising money for Equality Now.

On Thursday night, 3rd October, the Alamo Drafthouse in Fort Worth is doing a Serenity Quote Along, an interactive screening with cap guns, ships, tissues and Fruity Oaty Tea cocktails. The North Texas Browncoats will be there with a table selling Can’t Stop the Serenity merchandise and a donation jar for Equality Now so please give generously.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Events

Huge Weekend of Can’t Stop the Serenity Events as the Big Damn Movie Turns 10!

1 Comment

It’s the biggest weekend of the season coming up with 10 Can’t Stop the Serenity shindigs celebrating the official release date of Serenity. There’s cities celebrating their 10th CSTS, cities holding their 2nd or more event of the year and lots of horrible sing alongs.

The Alamo City Browncoats didn’t want to miss Can’t Stop the Serenity’s 10th year so will be having a table to raise money for Equality Now at Monster-Con in San Antonio this Saturday only. This is a free event so get along for a day of geeky fun and stop by the Browncoat table for a chat and make a donation. For more info or to help out by volunteering see the Facebook event page.

The Utah Browncoats are also holding an affiliate event at a convention when Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog* closes out Salt Lake Comic Con at 8pm on Saturday.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Equality Now, Events

It’s A Can’t Stop the Serenity West Coast Weekend!

Leave a comment

There are three shiny screening shindigs happening in North America this weekend.

We are so happy to welcome another new city to the Can’t Stop the Serenity fold when Surrey BC hosts its first event at Kwantlen Polytechnic University this Friday night. And what an event it’s shaping up to be! Along with screening Serenity and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog*, there will be music interludes, a silent auction, door prizes, merchandise for sale and refreshments. Some of the shiny up for auction include Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse season one dvd set signed by Felicia Day and Patton Oswald, a “Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh” poster signed by Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes and Jennifer Schwalbach, and a limited edition Serenity comic signed by none other than the Captain himself, Nathan Fillion.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Events

A Weekend Full of Can’t Stop the Serenity Fun and Games!

Leave a comment

It’s going to be an epic September with 20 events this month, 5 of them happening this weekend!

It begins with 3 events on Saturday across 3 different countries.

Grand Prairie, AB kicks things off at noon at the Collins Recital Hall at GPRC with an afternoon packed full of geeky goodness. They’ll be screening Geek and Sundry’s fantastic web series about ghost hunters, Spooked as well as the first season of The Guild and of course Serenity.

There will also be cosplay contest and a scene contest where groups or individuals can play out versions of their favourite scene. And of course it concludes with Serenity on the big screen. Don’t forget to bring some coin for the auction. Tickets can be purchased for $10 at Grande Prairie Live Theater.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Equality Now, Events

Another City Makes Its Can’t Stop the Serenity Debut This Weekend!

Leave a comment

We welcome Newtown, CT to the Can’t Stop the Serenity family when Nerd Night in Newtown hold their first screening event this Sunday!

They will be showing Serenity and Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog* at the Edmond Town Hall, doors open at 5.30pm when registration for the Cosplay Contest begins. You’ll want to find your best costume as the winner will be invited to ride on the Newtown Arts Commission Float in the Labor Day Parade. Weapons are not permitted so please leave Vera and her kin at home.

Sean Faust will be making his fourth appearance at an event this year to play some tunes and lead everyone in a sing-along of the Hero of Canton. There will also be raffles and merchandise for sale so make sure you bring bags of cashy money!… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Equality Now, Events

Something Horrible Is Coming to Albuquerque on Friday.

Leave a comment

Albuquerque returns with its second event for 2015 this Friday!

The Albuquerque Browncoats are turning their slot at Bubonicon 47 into a Can’t Stop the Serenity event when they screen Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog*. Although a free for convention members, a $2 donation is encouraged as this is a fundraising event. You can find it at 9.30pm on Friday night in the Santa Fe room of the Albuquerque Marriott Uptown.

There will be a raffle, prizes for which include a limited edition QMx Penny Maquette graphic novels and tshirts. Tickets are just $1 each or 6 for $5. A signed copy of Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography is also being auctioned, so make sure to bring plenty of cashy money. All proceeds go to Equality Now.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Events

A Double 10 Year Can’t Stop the Serenity Celebration this Saturday!

Leave a comment

Two founding Can’t Stop the Serenity cities celebrate ten years of events this weekend!

We start off on Saturday with the Pennsylvania Browncoats Rivers and Bridges Brigade proudly celebrating 10 years of Can’t Stop the Serenity events in Pittsburgh. The doors of the historic Hollywood Theater open at 5pm where the evening kicks off with games, raffle ticket and merch sales followed by an accoustic performance by Sean Faust, his third CSTS event this year! And of course Serenity on the big screen.

Entry for the event is free but since this is a charity event, a minimum $10 donation to Equality Now is strongly encouraged. And don’t forget to bring lots of cashy money for the shiny merch and raffle which includes some CSTS 10TH Anniversary items, Serenity soaps, Train Job posters by Caroline Moore and some gorgeous hand made items from Expressions by Jen.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Events

A Trivia Night Far, Far Away

Leave a comment

This week we break atmo on the other side of the world in Perth, Australia with a Sci Fi Quiz Night Affiliate event on 21st May.

Gather your favourite sci fi fans and form a team or be assigned to a team and meet new Browncoats. Don’t forget to dress up as prizes are being awarded best costume and quiz winners! Thanks to local sponsors White Dwarf Books, Comiczone, Game City and PokéPerth there’ll also be lots of shiny up for grabs in raffles and an auction.

Tickets are just $18 and are available here. All proceeds go to Equality Now and Living Proud LGBTI Community Services of WA.

This event sold out last year so get your tickets before they’re gone!

And not to fret if you can’t make it, Perth has some cunning plans for more events this year.… Read more…

2015, CSTS Global, Equality Now, Events, Firefly and Serenity

My Journey to a Million Dollars with the Browncoats by Mandy Sullivan

1 Comment

Thirteen years ago, I had never heard of Firefly. I had been working at Equality Now for quite some time and, as usual, we were struggling for funding. I got a call one day, from Renee Balmert from something called “the California Browncoats.” She wanted our address in order to mail out a check to us representing proceeds from “ComicCon.” The check was for over $3000, a staggering amount of money from one donor, at least it was in our experience. Apparently Joss Whedon had told them we were his favorite charity and they decided to give all the money to us. We were thrilled and grateful and Renee and I started up a conversation as she explained to me what Firefly was and what the Browncoats were.… Read more…

2013, 2015, CSTS Global

A New Organizer Speaks

Leave a comment

(This was first heard on The Signal podcast. Our thanks to Craig Kurumada for allowing us to reprint it here)

I confess that when I first heard of Can’t Stop the Serenity, I thought that these events would be something I personally might visit, but never help create. I imagined them to be similar to a big conventions. Well, not as big as DragonCon, but big enough to be put on by professional organizations and have a few celebrities. The cities were generally large metropolitan places with hundreds and hundreds of Browncoats able to raise thousands of dollars for Joss Whedon’s favorite charity, Equality Now.
Big league stuff.

So it took a while for me to connect a couple of dots. Please understand, I live in a small town: Arcata, California has 16,000 people when school’s in session.… Read more…

2014, Events

Moving into October

Leave a comment

The last month of the 2014 Can’t Stop The Serenity season sees some exciting events happening. This weekend there are 3 very different types of Serenity Screenings.

First up is London, England. All the online tickets are sold out but at time of writing there are still a few left for sale at the door. The day starts at 4:00 and there will be showings of Dr. Horrible, Serenity & some Firefly inspired music videos. A silent auction has some great prizes as does a raffle. A costume competition will claim the middle of the event, so get those outfits finished! The Mad Hatter is a wonderful pub so you’ll probably want to get something to eat & drink while you are at it.

The South Florida Browncoats are holding their screening in Pembrook Pines this year at the South Regional Library.… Read more…

2014, Events

Seven Events in Three Countries

Leave a comment

The shiny just keeps on happening! This weekend there are events in Australia, Canada and the United States.

First up is Nowra, Australia holding their third CSTS screening. If you have been following the posts on their Facebook page, you’ll know they have an exciting evening planned with all sorts of amazing prizes. As well as Serenity there will be Dr. Horrible’s Singalog blog, a Costume contest, an auction and door prizes.

After a great success showing Serenity, Toronto is back showing Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog. There will also be games and prizes. Wonder what exactly is Wonderflonium? Find out this and more. Follow them on Twitter for daily updates.

The day ends with the Arizona Browncoats having their 2nd event in as many weeks! This time it is Tucson’s turn.… Read more…

2014, Events

CSTS In the Southern U.S.

Leave a comment

On Saturday Aug 23, the SRF Browncoats are hosting a screening at the Hurricane Bar & Grill in Miami Springs, Florida. There will be raffles, Dr. Horrible, Serenity and a local fan group will be hosting a Firefly themed Wheel of Fortune Game. The Hurricane has a full menu and bar. There is no admission for entry but hey – this is a fundraiser, so donations will be gladly accepted in cash, checks, paypal and credit cards. There will be special gifts for all who donate $25.00 or more.Even more details here.

On Sunday, the North Texas Browncoats are back with Can’t Stop The Music, an evening of awesome live music, burlesque and a showing of Dr. Horrible. The fun starts with Dr. Horrible at 6:00 with the last musicians starting at 12:30.… Read more…

2014, CSTS Global

Birthday Weekend

1 Comment

Every year many CSTS cities hold their events around Joss’ birthday, June 23rd. This year we have 4 cities celebrating.

First up is Lawrence, Kansas. They always put on a good time and this year promises to be more of the same. They will show Serenity of course along with some of the other content we have been lucky enough to get permission to show. And then there is the Prize raffle. You’ll want to bring extra credits for that!

Boston is back for their 9th year holding a midnight showing at the historic Coolidge theatre. Their 2nd charity is Rosie’s Place and anyone who brings a non-perishable food item will entered into the raffle for some fun prizes. Their website has a list of what items are most in need so check it out!… Read more…

2014, Equality Now, Events, Why Can't Stop The Serenity

Make the World a Better Place (and Have Fun Doing It)

5 Comments

Morgan B, age 12 wrote this essay for school. We think you will be in awe at this young woman’s grasp of what is important.

We all know that sometimes terrible things happen in the world, but did you know that in many countries women have almost no rights? In places like Yemen, Sudan, and Pakistan, young girls may be beaten, married, or even sentenced to death by their own families with few or no legal consequences. However, human rights organizations like Equality Now are working to change that. Can’t Stop The Serenity is a series of movie screenings held annually to benefit Equality Now. Serenity is a Sci-fi movie created by Joss Whedon, so if you are a Whedon fan and care about women’s rights, you should definitely come to a CSTS event near you.… Read more…

2013, 2014, Equality Now, Events, Why We Are Here Stories

Why ‘Can’t Stop the Serenity’?

Leave a comment

Last May Vancouver Organizer Samatwitch wrote about why Vancouver holds CSTS events each year. Thanks to her for giving us permission to reprint this from their website.

Why do we do this? Why do organisers spend so much time and money for each event? Why do people volunteer, paying for their own tickets to do so? Why do Browncoats – and others – keep coming out to CSTS events?

Partly of course, because the events are fun. Each city is different and has ideas and plans that work for them. A lot of people come out to see Serenity on the big screen or to sing along to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Some people come to spend an afternoon or day with their friends at a fun event – or to bid on an auction item they can’t find anywhere else, especially handmade items.

… Read more…
2013, CSTS Global, Equality Now

Over $900,000 raised in 8 years

Leave a comment

We are very pleased to announced that in 2013 Can’t Stop The Serenity raised $115,420.00 for Equality Now and 20 other charities. This is $5,000 more than in 2012 and brings our total to over $900,000 U.S. over the last 8 years. New cities joined with their events and we had screenings in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Thank you to all our sponsors, organizers, and participants, for contributing to this tremendous success! Whether you bought a Tshirt, donated to an event, bid on an auction, attended a screening or spread the word, we deeply appreciate your commitment and generosity in helping us to support the rights of women and girls worldwide.… Read more…

2014, CSTS Global, Events

Registration for 2014 Events is Open!

Leave a comment

2014 marks our 9th Annual CSTS season and we are looking forward to welcoming our fellow Browncoats, whether veterans of the cause or new organizers! We are grateful and excited that folks are interested in holding their own CSTS events to raise money for Equality Now.

Registration is open now, so you can start planning a Can’t Stop the Serenity event for 2014. All the information you need to get you started can be found in the Host An Event section on the menu above.

Most CSTS events are known as “Screening Events” where Joss Whedon’s “Serenity” is shown on the big screen in conjunction with auctions, raffles, contests, merchandise sales and other multimedia (pending licensing arrangements).

If you’re unable to organize a Screening Event (due to funds, location or proximity to other Browncoats), an Affiliate event may be the answer.… Read more…

2013, Events

The Final Screening of the Season

Leave a comment

Salt Lake City is seeing the CSTS event season out with style!

On Oct. 26th,the Utah Browncoats will gather to see Serenity once again. There will be an auction and raffle and some shiny swag for sale. Firefly/Serenity costumes are very much encouraged!

Tickets are $10.00 in advance and $15.00 at the door.… Read more…

2013, Events

September Heats Up

Leave a comment

We started September with an awesome event in London but this coming weekend sees two screenings and an Affiliate.

It is always a great time with the Chicagoland Browncoats and this year will be no different. The Screening this year is at the Genesee Theatre with ample parking, and public transit to get you there. There will be an stupendous silent auction (check the website for details and pictures), a costume contest, Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog and of course, Serenity. All Whedonverse characters are welcome for the contest. We hear rumours of a special video too- one which can only be seen at the Chicagoland screening.

The Alberta Browncoats are back with another Affiliate event, this time showing seasons 1-3 of the Guild at the Happy Harbour Comic shop.… Read more…

2013, Events

From the Atlantic Ocean to the Desert

Leave a comment

Saturday Aug 17 is a busy busy day for Can’t Stop the Serenity with three events running.

First up, with the doors opening at 4:00, is a Mighty Fine Shindig put on by the South Florida Browncoats. There will be raffles, merchandise, Serenity of course and a lot of mixing and mingling. A costume contest is sure to please as will a screening of Dr. Horible.

Further up the coast, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, they aren’t satisfied to show Serenity and Dr. Horrible once! Nope, these Browncoats are offering a chance to see everything twice! Doors open at 4:30 with Dr. Horrible at 5:00, followed by Serenity at 6:00. Or you may prefer go to the later shows starting at 9:00. In between there will be a silent auction.… Read more…