If you're looking to get some entertainment treasures and support a good cause with your purchases, then you should attend this year's Broadway Flea Market, September 22nd from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation's leading industry-based HIV/AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. Supporting the annual Flea Market & Grand Auction, where Broadway fans and stars come together to celebrate the upcoming Broadway season, helps to fund the social service work of The Actors Fund and award grants to AIDS service organizations nationwide. This free event is open to the public and takes place in the center of the Theater District along West 44th Street (between Broadway and Eight Avenue) and in Shubert Alley.
Auction items range from rare Broadway memorabilia to once-in-a-life-time entertainment experiences to delight and surprise. You can bid for the chance to appear onstage in the wedding scene and mega-mix curtain call of the smash-hit "Mamma Mia", or for the opportunity to go backstage with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart after watching both "No Man's Land" and "Waiting for Godot" from VIP house seats. You could also add the Robin Williams "Bengal Tiger" cast-signed windowcard to your collection. Or how about staying warm with Broadway's "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" opening night scarf?
You can go online and start the bidding now in the Pre-Auction at www.biddingforgood.com
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. you can connect with dozens of celebrities and take home some great pictures at the photo booth. This year’s celebrities have collectively won 27 Tony Awards and received 74 Tony nominations. Among those scheduled to appear are Tony Winners Cherry Jones, Judith Light, Debra Monk, Bebe Neuwirth, Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, and Alice Ripley, as well as other Broadway favorites.
Many tables feature one-of-a-kind show memorabilia and unique items you won’t find anywhere else. Last year's items included a set of trading cards featuring the cast of "Newsies" and handmade beeswax candles with miniature mustaches made by Mavis Simpson-Ernst, one of the youngest cast members from "Evita". It’s the only place where you can find props, costumes, and all sorts of interesting minutiae from the Broadway community.
While you’re having a blast meeting your favorite celebrity or picking up that poster of your favorite musical, you can celebrate knowing you’re contributing to helping those in need. The money raised at the Broadway Flea Market ensures that more people will have access to health care, medications, and support services. Every purchase and donation helps to reach individuals and entire families in need of a nutritious meal and a safe place to call home.
Can you really call yourself a fan of Broadway if you don’t attend this event? Perhaps -- but why wouldn’t you attend? Your presence adds to the spirit and generosity of the theatre community that makes the Flea Market an incredible success. With fans coming from all over the world, this once-a-year market with items so rare you can’t find anywhere else is worth the pilgrimage.
