Applause Shop launched by Laura Heywood and Susan Vargo to help theatre artists

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

An online marketplace, designed to provide financial support to theatre artists during the pandemic, has been created by Laura Heywood (@BroadwayGirlNYC) and producer Susan Vargo.

The pair will be auctioning off Broadway merchandise and memorabilia via the marketplace, with a portion of every sale donated to non-profit organisations that support the arts, civil rights, racial equality, arts education and LGBTQAI+ inclusion.

Over 1,500 of the items have been acquired for the cause from the estate of the late Tony Award-winning lighting designer Howell Binkley; a collection of memorabilia and one-of-a-kind gifts spanning 52 Broadways shows including Hamilton, Jersey Boys, Come From Away, Ain’t Too Proud and Kiss of the Spider Woman. His items will be auctioned on a rolling basis beginning on 12 March, one year after the Broadway shutdown, and proceeds from these items will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Heywood said: “Theatre artists have access to so many items that their fans would cherish. Playbills and posters from shows they have seen and those they appear in; cast-only apparel and opening night gifts; even correspondence between friends — much of what ‘industry folks’ have accumulated over the years amounts to valued collectibles for fans worldwide.”

The full inventory can be explored here. 

If anyone is interested in donating or consigning items, please contact Laura@ApplauseShop.com.