Wait in the Wings’ Broadway History Harvest Will Return This September

Do you have any treasures from the theater world hiding away in a closet or on a shelf? If so, there’s people who want to see them! 

On Saturday, September 26, 2026, Wait in the Wings invites theater fans, performers, and members of the theater community to help answer that question at the Broadway History Harvest, a free community archiving event at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in Manhattan.

The event gives people a chance to bring their own pieces of theater history (including photographs, costumes, props, correspondence, and merchandise) to be digitized and preserved. Participants also record brief oral histories, sharing the memories and experiences connected to the materials they bring. All physical items are digitized on-site and returned to their owners.

Last year’s inaugural Broadway History Harvest documented 125 items representing 45 Broadway and Off-Broadway productions and more than a 100 years of theater history, from the Ziegfeld Follies to The Notebook. The collection, available to view for free (without paywall or registration) at archiveinthewings.omeka.net, also includes stories connected to icons including Jonathan Larson, Bernadette Peters, and Stephen Sondheim. 

The 2026 Broadway History Harvest will take place on Saturday, September 26, 2026 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in Manhattan. The event is free and space is limited; advanced registration is highly suggested.

Register at: https://tinyurl.com/bwayharvest26

Please note: To encourage the preservation of materials that are less likely to be represented in traditional archives, the History Harvest does not accept Broadway programs.

About Wait in the Wings

Wait in the Wings is a YouTube documentary series dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Broadway and theater, with more than 150,000 subscribers and 18 million views. Friends of Wait in the Wings, its 501(c)(3) nonprofit partner, furthers the educational mission of Wait in the Wings by supporting fundraising, volunteer opportunities, and events that create media, digital archives, exhibitions, and resources for educators, students, and theater lovers that share the history of theater. Learn more and support today at waitinthewings.org.