Two big events are returning to NYC in October that give fans the opportunity to bid on pieces of Broadway history and to attend trailblazing shows for half the regular ticket price in intimate Off-Broadway venues, so mark your calendar to take advantage of these great offers during the first half of the month.
Broadway Flea Market – On Sunday, October 1, from 10 am-7 pm, the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction, supported by corporate sponsors The New York Times and United Airlines, returns to the heart of New York City’s Theater District with unique collectibles, celebrated stars, and unparalleled experiences. Treasure-filled tables from Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, theater owners and producing organizations, unions, guilds, marketing groups, ticket agencies, concessionaires, and fan clubs will line West 44th and West 45th Streets; a silent auction, with lots rotating every 30 minutes from 10 am-4 pm, will continue in Shubert Alley during the in-person event; and a live auction in the Times Square pedestrian plaza between 45th and 46th Streets will wrap up the special day.
Bryan Batt, currently starring Off-Broadway in Pay the Writer at Signature Theatre, returns as host of the live auction, alongside auctioneer Nick Nicholson, and Jelani Remy, now appearing on Broadway in Back to the Future: The Musical, will co-host the silent auction with veterans Todd Buonopane and Michael Goddard. Among the one-of-a-kind treasures and exclusive experiences up for bid, with online bidding open now, are handwritten and signed musical lyrics, lunches and backstage meetings with Broadway stars, props used in performances, rare vintage collectibles from Broadway, and autographed Playbills and posters from current and classic Broadway productions.
This year’s participating shows are: & Juliet; Aladdin; Back to the Future: The Musical; A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical; Hadestown; Hamilton; Here Lies Love; The Lion King; Kimberly Akimbo; Moulin Rouge! The Musical; Six; Some Like It Hot; Sweeney Todd; and Wicked. There will also be special tables honoring The Phantom of the Opera and the 40th anniversary of the original cast of La Cage aux Folles.
The popular Autograph Table and Photo Booth will also return this year, with a changing array of luminaries appearing every hour between 11 am-2 pm, on the deck of Junior’s on West 45th Street at Shubert Alley. Hosted by Jim Caruso and Ben Cameron, the stars will be there to sign your Broadway treasures and to take selfies; to see the list of scheduled performers, click here.
Every dollar raised will go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, to help ensure a safety net of services for those in the performing arts and to help provide access to lifesaving medications, counseling, healthy meals, housing, and more to those across the country living with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses. Over the 36 years since its inception in 1987, the event have raised more than $17.5 million, with a record-breaking $1,043,825 in 2022.
Off-Broadway Week – NYC’s Off-Broadway Week is never just a week! This Fall, the twice-yearly program runs for thirteen days, from October 3-15, offering 2-for-1 tickets to a wide variety of participating productions, including some of New York’s longest-running hits, cult favorites, unique theatrical experiences, and new works. The 2-for-1 offer translates to 50% off each individual ticket, with a two-ticket minimum, so you can attend multiple shows with this great deal, as long as you purchase them in pairs.
What distinguishes Off-Broadway from Broadway is not the location but the more intimate size of the theater, with 100-499 seats, compared to Broadway’s 500-1800. The term “Off-Broadway” emerged in the late 1940s for shows that were produced on streets near Broadway, though experimental theater had existed in other parts the City, especially Greenwich Village, for many decades. By 1956, the scene was so well established that The Village Voice created the Obie Awards to recognize the ground-breaking works. Some of the City’s most famous shows, featuring hip-hop, rock, puppetry, and unconventional themes, got their pre-Broadway start, or are still playing Off-Broadway, including. Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q, Little Shop of Horrors, Stomp, and The Fantasticks.
NYC Off-Broadway Week is produced by NYC Tourism in collaboration with the Off-Broadway League and sponsored by preferred payment partner Mastercard. Since its inaugural year in 2009, the program has sold over 100,000 tickets. Please note that tickets are made available in limited quantities, and the discount, using the code OBW23, is applicable only for select seats at each production’s discretion; not all seats for the performance are eligible for the 2-for-1 offer (only those noted as such) and all tickets are subject to transaction fees. All sales are final; no refunds will be issued.
The October 2023 participating show are: Alice in Wonderland the Musical; All the Devils are Here; Asi Wind’s Inner Circle; Bettinger’s Luggage; Bite Me; Blue Man Group; Dig; Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors; Drunk Shakespeare; Emergence, Friends! The Musical Parody; Gazillion Bubble Show; I Can Get It for You Wholesale; Killer Bois; La Breve y Maravillosa Vida de Oscar Wao; La Golondrina; Mary Gets Hers; Partnership; Perfect Crime; Poor Yella Rednecks; Radojka; Sabbath’s Theater; Saw The Musical; Singfeld! An Unauthorized Musical Parody about Nothing; Swing State; The Creeps; The Office! A Musical Parody; The Play that Goes Wrong; The Refuge Plays; Titanique; Tripping on Life; and Twisted.
For more information about Off-Broadway Week and to buy tickets, go online, where you can browse all 32 participating productions or filter by neighborhood and genre.
