The 30th Annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction raised an all-time record $782,081 for the charity Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, September 25.
More than 70 stars of stage and screen took part in the event, which offered collectibles from stage shows old and new, and gave fans a chance to meet and collect autographs from their favorite stars in Shubert Alley and West 44th and 45th Streets west of Times Square in Manhattan.
The fundraising total topped the previous record of $756,655, set last year.
“I’m so proud and thrilled to see this remarkable event grow into the biggest day of the year for the Broadway fan in all of us—whether we work onstage, backstage or cheer from the audience,” Broadway Cares executive director Tom Viola said in a statement. “Every dollar earned at the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction will go back into our community and across the country as Broadway Cares continues to provide vital, lifesaving support to the people who need it most. The money we raise from a signed Playbill or prop, a walk-on experience or opening night ticket package has the potential to change someone’s life.”
Visitors to the event got a chance to meet Broadway performers Christy Altomare, Michael Arden, James Barbour, Bryan Batt, Richard H. Blake, John Bolton, Alex Brightman, Danny Burstein, Haven Burton, Carolee Carmello, Will Chase, Leanne Cope, Corey Cott, Jason Danieley, Ariana DeBose, Jennifer DiNoia, Jordan Donica, Brandon Victor Dixon, Ali Ewoldt, Robert Fairchild, Aaron C. Finley, Lora Lee Gayer, Drew Gehling, John Glover, Mandy Gonzalez, Joel Grey, Josh Grisetti, Ann Harada, Heather Headley, Jessica Hecht, James Monroe Iglehart, Ben Jacoby, Rachel Bay Jones, Judy Kaye, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Chilina Kennedy, Derek Klena, Jeremy Kushnier, Diane Lane, Lexi Lawson, Kara Lindsay, Lesli Margherita, Marin Mazzie, Rob McClure, Andy Mientus, Melanie Moore, Javier Muñoz, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O’Hara, Rory O’Malley, Christopher John O’Neill, Brad Oscar, Ben Platt, Courtney Reed, Jelani Remy, Nic Rouleau, Megan Sikora, Carrie St. Louis, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Jenna Ushkowitz, Ana Villafañe, Max von Essen, Adrienne Warren and Jessica Keenan Wynn.
Two Broadway-related upcoming TV events were also represented. From NBC’s production of Hairspray Live! sent Maddie Baillio, Harvey Fierstein, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Jerry Mitchell. Fox TV’s upcoming The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again supplied Reeve Carney, Victoria Justice, Ryan McCartan and Ben Vereen.
Many individual shows and theatre-related organizations hosted tables with special memorabilia and merchandise related their their title or mission. These tables raised $395,601 of the total this year. The top 10 tables were: Hamilton with $38,976; Wicked with $22,185; “Pik-a-Tik” with $17,621; Creative Goods Merchandise with $16,821; ATPAM with $16,148; Waitress with $11,705; artist Justin “Squigs” Robertson and The Lights of Broadway Show Cards with $11,602; Reel Time Video Production with $11,115; School of Rock—The Musical with $10,433; and The Color Purple with $10,404.
A special table, dubbed Act III, featured items from recently closed shows, including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Finding Neverland, Fun Home, Les Misérables and Shuffle Along…. It raised $12,334.
The event concluded with a live auction of Broadway goods and services, hosted by Bryan Batt and Nick Nicholson, which raised a record-breaking $301,400. Some of the most eagerly bid-upon items were walk-on roles in Broadway’s shows. The top-selling lot of the day was a walk-on role in the musical Kinky Boots, which went for $15,000.
Jen Cody and Michael Goddard co-hosted the silent auction throughout the day, which raised $80,080. The top selling silent auction item (at $3,250) was an “At This Performance” sign from Shuffle Along…, autographed by its starry cast. Two Hamilton items—a poster signed by the original cast and a handwritten and signed musical phrase of “Just You Wait”—each went for $3,000.
