**This is the story of New York's theater history. This is your story.**

From ticket stubs to props...what have you held onto and collected over the years? We want to help preserve it! We want to see your personal treasures of Broadway & Off-Broadway history and hear the stories behind them.

Sign up to guarantee your free slot for the first ever Broadway History Harvest, hosted by Friends of Wait in the Wings. When you arrive, we'll digitize your pieces, record your story, and give everything right back to you. After the event, we'll upload it everything into an online archive, so theatre lovers, researchers, and teachers can access it for years to come!

About Wait in the Wings:

Our mission is to turn theatre strangers into theatre experts without them even knowing. Wait in the Wings produces free-to-access documentaries on our 150K subscriber YouTube channel, live screenings & seminars, conferences, workshops, and community gatherings.

Our 501(C)3 partner, Friends of Wait in the Wings, furthers the educational mission of Wait in the Wings by supporting—through fundraising and volunteers—the production of media that shares the history of theater. Friends of Wait in the Wings is led by a devoted board of directors & committees comprised of artists, philanthropists, advocates, and storytellers, all of whom share in a passion for developing diverse and equitable theatrical community and safeguarding theatre history.

Our Broadway History Harvest is presented with support from Broadway World and The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Thank you!

Questions?

What kind of objects & stories are we looking to preserve?
All items & stories should be connected to Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tour, or pre-Broadway tryouts (no regional/community theater for now!). In an effort to gather less commonly archived items, we are not preserving Playbills or Programs at this event.

Props and costumes
Personal theater photos (photography of a Broadway marquee, backstage in costume, your dressing room, stage door at your favorite show...)
Stories and items connected to shows on the Wait in the Wings Endangered List
Stories and items connected to our upcoming documentaries:
- Twisted (StarKid)
- Love! Valour! Compassion!
- Dance of the Vampires/Tanz der Vampire
- Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and the costume designer Eiko Ishioka
- Raggedy Ann: The Musical Adventure
Stories and items connected to shows and topics covered by Wait in the Wings
Designs for costumes, stages, or set pieces
Cards, letters, notes, or documents related to Broadway or Off-Broadway productions
Objects that are "born digital" (pictures, videos, design files). You can email them to us!
Uniforms and name tags (ushers, theater employees...)
Promotional Merchandise
Opening Night gifts

Is pre-booking a spot required?
Pre-booking your slot is highly recommended, as we will have highly limited availability for walk-ins.

How much can I bring with me?
1-3 (if you don't have an object but do have a story to share, we'll take your photo!) A scrapbook, photo album, or collection of approximately 20 photos counts as "one" item.

What if my item doesn't have a personal story? I bought it online or from a flea.
That is your story! We'd love to hear what made you buy it, why you care about the show your item is from, and what it means to you.

What if my item is too big, fragile, or valuable to travel with?
If you can come to the Harvest to share your story, please reserve a spot and make a note on your sign up form. We'll walk you through submitting photos of the item. If you can't make it either, please see below!

What if I'm not in NYC or I can't make it that day?
Wait in the Wings Patreon members will have the opportunity to submit digitally...and we hope to expand digital preservation in the future! Stay tuned for information about future events.

My prop/costume is damaged, is that okay?
Yes! That's part of it's story, especially if you know how it happened...like a stage used newspaper from Newsies that got torn by dance!

Are we accepting donations?
If you would like to make a donation of an object or photo collection, arrangements may be made by emailing juliannawitw@gmail.com. Monetary donations aren't required, but are appreciated, and can be made by card on this page or by cash, check, or Venmo to @friendsofwitw at the event.

Is there an elevator available?
The elevator is located at 400 West 43rd street, it is the Manhattan Plaza apartment building elevator. Please call or text the History Harvest team at 610-823-6268 when you arrive so we can meet you and escort your through the backstage area.

What if it rains?
You can't rain on our parade, we're rain or shine!

2026 Broadway History Harvest

Presented by Friends of Wait in the Wings (and you!)