Broadway Cares Flea Market: Great Day, Great Cause

This past Sunday, I joined thousands of other theater lovers and members of the theater community at the 26^th annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction, which is held every year by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA). It was a beautiful fall day to hunt for treasures amongst the many tables that lined West 44^th Street and Times Square.

Broadway Cares is a not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization that provides essential services for people with AIDS and other illnesses across the country. Through the generous efforts of the theater industry, the twenty-six yearly flea markets have collectively raised approximately $9.9 million. It’s one of my favorite charities, and I love being able to support it by attending the flea market every year.

The treasures come from many Broadway shows (both past and present) and other theater-related organizations. Broadway and television celebrities come to sign autographs, and the day caps off with the Grand Auction, where special big-ticket items and unique experiences are sold to the highest bidder. This year’s flea market outdid all others, setting a new record by raising a phenomenal $681,892.

This was my sixth visit to the Broadway Cares Flea Market. I started going in 2007 when I first discovered Spring Awakening and the three lead actors (Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, and John Gallagher, Jr.) were signing autographs. Of course, this was long before each of them became famous outside of Broadway! I’ve been coming back ever since.

Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, me, and John Gallagher, Jr.
Can't believe how young we all looked in 2007!

I didn’t spend a ton of money this year, but I found a bunch of really great stuff. Here’s the list:

• Rent t-shirt from the Hollywood Bowl
• Tony Awards bag
• Spelling Bee luggage tag and magnet
• Collapsible box from Broadway Cares
• Once cast recording discounted to a really great price because the case is cracked
• The 2012 Tony Awards playbill
• Signed prop bus ticket from American Idiot
• Spring Awakening light-up pen
• Set of Newsies trading cards that were one of the last sets printed

But perhaps the best find came when I discovered a Funny Girl Playbill with a very young Barbra Streisand on the cover from October 1964. Her biography is so refreshingly charming and funny, especially knowing this was written only a few short years before she became a recording icon.

I had a great time at the BC/EFA Flea Market as always, and everyone was warm and friendly. I only wish that more of the current shows came to sell some of their memorabilia. The older stuff is great to find, but younger generations of theater fans also really enjoy finding things from shows that they’re fond of. But it’s still always nice to see hundreds of Broadway lovers and performers gather to celebrate their passion for theater and donate to an amazing cause. I can’t wait until next year!