The all-day event, held on September 25th under often threatening--but not rainy--skies, extended beyond its traditional West 44th Street location to include the Times Square pedestrian plaza on Broadway between West 43rd and 44th Streets. It featured 63 tables of Broadway memorabilia, from the ubiquitous old Playbills seen at nearly every other booth, to classic items of theatircal nostalgia, from more than five dozen celebrities at the Autograph Table & Photo Booth, to 203 lots up for bid in live and silent auctions.

The inaugural edition of the event in 1987 raised $12,000. This year's total was up $70,000 over last year. The 25 editions of the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction, which is produced by and benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), have raised a grand total of $9,185,327.

"It's wonderful to see so many BC/EFA supporters and theatre fans from all over the country, and exhilarating to witness such extraordinary efforts by New York's theatre community – from Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, unions, guilds, theatre offices and other theatre-related businesses – who work so hard in the weeks leading up to this event," said Tom Viola, executive director of BC/EFA. "We all come together to sell and auction an amazing array of incredible, hand-crafted, silly, hard-to-find, tasty, remarkable and one-of-a-kind treasures, experiences, memorabilia and just plain 'stuff,' all in an effort to help BC/EFA fund hundreds of vital social services organizations. It truly confirms that we can care for one another – and have a heck of a good time doing it!"

Producing this year's event turned into an exercise of "logistical mastery," said Viola, because of anticipated construction in Shubert Alley, where many of the event's activities traditionally take place. This year, the Grand Auction and several of the larger tables made the move into Times Square.

"We met the challenges presented by the expected unavailability of Shubert Alley so well that the necessity of re-imagining the day, in fact, re-invented it," Viola said. "Without a doubt, the new configuration is now 'the map' for future editions of the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction. It feels as if we have brought new life to the event that will serve BC/EFA – and all those who benefit from its financial success – very well in the years to come," he said.

Fifty-six tables filled West 44th Street from Seventh to Eighth Avenue, as well as another seven in Times Square. Collectively, those tables raised $273,886 and represented nearly every show on Broadway and several off-Broadway shows, as well many organizations within the theatrical community.

The creativity found on New York theatre stages spilled onto the tables as one-of-a-kind items appeared. The company of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark created bracelets from the Kevlar cables used in the show's web-slinging and flying sequences. Follies delivered printed party invitations carried in the show that were signed by the stars who received them. Fans could get a Wicked make-up session or buy handmade holiday ornaments from the company of Billy Elliot.

"It's a significant commitment to decide to have a table at the BC/EFA Flea Market," explained Kim Russell, the producer responsible for booking and making arrangements for 63 tables to participate in the Flea Market. "Whether it's a show, union, guild, merchandise company or other theatre-related group, they find their own volunteers, create and/or collect merchandise to sell, design their table layout and look and help spread the word that they'll be there. We guide, advise and provide them tables and chairs. The rest is up to them and they do a magnificent job."

The decision to include all of West 44th Street and the Times Square location allowed for more of the show-specific tables to be in locations more convenient to their theatres.

"Cast members could easily drop by their table between and before shows," Russell said. "Sales were up at tables compared to last year and I think the layout had something to do with that."

The 10 tables raising the most money this year were: Wicked with $15,367; Follies with $14,819; TDF with $11,635; Broadway Beat with $10,580; The Phantom of the Opera with $9,313; The Book of Mormon with $9,229; How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with $9,192; Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark with $7,697; United Scenic Artists Local 829 with $7,346 and War Horse/Lincoln Center Theater with $7,217.

In all, the 63 tables represented a wide range of the theatrical community on Broadway and off, from Anything Goes, Cirque du Soleil's Zarkana, Rent, Million Dollar Quartet and Avenue Q to The Actors Fund and Actors' Equity, Broadway Green Alliance and The Broadway League; from Michael Crawford International Fan Association to the Educational Theatre Association. Each added to the wide variety of memorabilia and merchandise priced from free (particularly during the closing hour) to hundreds of dollars.

Production Manager Nathan Hurlin was tasked with figuring out how to move the Grand Auction's on-stage and behind-the-scenes production from the protected confines of Shubert Alley to the wide-open pedestrian plaza.

"Because we weren't adjacent to a theatre with a basement, we had to figure out everything from how to store the auction items throughout the day to how we could power lights and sound," Hurlin said. "The Times Square Alliance was fabulously helpful. We presented ideas to them and they helped us make them work in collaboration with the New York City Street Activity Permit Office and the local police precincts, Midtown North and South."

The Grand Auction portion of the day included both live and silent auctions, as well as instant-experience "flash auctions," which were new this year.

"We had more live and silent auction items than we've ever had," said Michael Graziano, BC/EFA producing director. "Putting up new items every half hour instead of hourly definitely increased the adrenaline of the crowd and excitement of the bidding. And our flash auctions were a big hit, both in terms of raising funds and adding entertainment for the spectators."

The live auction included 63 lots and raised $201,500. The auction was masterfully executed by the longtime BC/EFA auctioneer Lorna Kelly and her new "assistant," actress Tasha Lawrence, who recently appeared in Broadway's

Good People and comes from a family of auctioneers. Perennial host Bryan Batt (TV's Mad Men) kept the audience entertained with his witty "ad libs" and hilarious double entendres.

The top-selling lot was a day at The Phantom of the Opera, including a walk-on role in the Broadway show with special costumes and make-up, which went for $10,500 to two bidders, raising $21,000 for BC/EFA.

Among the actors appearing this year were: Josh Gad, Nikki M. James, Andrew Rannells and Rory O'Malley from The Book of Mormon; Colin Donnell, Sutton Foster, Adam Godley and Joel Grey from Anything Goes; Patina Miller from Sister Act; Danny Burstein, Jayne Houdyshell, Ron Raines and Terri White from Follies; Nick Adams and Tony Sheldon from Priscilla Queen of the Desert; Jackie Hoffman (with whom I was briefly trapped in the bowels of the Music Box Theater), Brad Oscar and Roger Rees from The Addams Family, Rose Hemingway from How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Hunter Parrish, Telly Leung, Lindsay Mendez and Anna Maria Perez de Taglé from Godspell, Seth Numrich from War Horse, Judith Light and Thomas Sadoski from Other Desert Cities, as well as Charles Busch, Bobby Cannavale, Jason Danieley, Joyce DeWitt, Michael Emerson, Ana Gasteyer, Montego Glover, Jonathan Groff, Megan Hilty, Beth Leavel, Marin Mazzie, Laura Osnes, Patrick Page, Adam Pascal, Carrie Preston, Anthony Rapp and Alice Ripley. Entertainer Jim Caruso returned as host of the Autograph Table, keeping fans engaged with impromptu interviews with celebrities.

The 25th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction was sponsored by The New York Times and United Airlines.

The 26th Annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 23, 2012, on West 44th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenue, across Broadway in the pedestrian plaza between West 43rd and West 44 Streets and the deck of Junior's deck.

"It worked so well, we'll do it again!," said Graziano.

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