Yesterday, May 12, The Broadway Show League kicked off its 57th season with Catch Me If You Can star Aaron Tveit and former New York Yankee player Jeff Nelson collectively throwing out the first pitch of the season. Joining them in the game were Broadway favorites including Will Swenson, Greg Jbara, Edie Falco, Billy Crudup, Tom Wopat, Mitchell Jarvis, Chad Kimball, Darren Ritchie and more! BroadwayWorld was on hand for the game and brings you photo coverage below.
Many of the best-known stars from stage, film and television have played in the League, which comprises people who work on Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, celebrities currently "on the boards," and members of the casts, crews, and orchestras, as well as union teams and theatrical organizations. The regular season schedule usually consists of nine or ten games, followed by playoffs to determine the champions in various categories, plus special games for charity, All Stars, and Old-Timers. The history of The Broadway League is linked to The Actors Fund. In 1955, an employee of The Fund, John Effrat, established a formal league comprising the casts and crews of Broadway shows who had been gathering since the early 1950s for informal picnics and softball games. Since then the League has continued to play on Thursday afternoons on the Hecksher Fields in Central Park.
The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that helps everyone- performers and those behind the scenes-who works in performing arts and entertainment, serving more than 12,000 people annually. Programs include social services and emergency assistance, health care and insurance, housing, and employment and training services.
For more information, visit www.actorsfund.org.
Photo Coverage: Peter James Zielinski
The 2011 Broadway Show League at Hecksher Ballfield
Aaron Tveit
Edie Falco and Tom Wopat
Mitchell Jarvis and Adam Dannheisser
Aaron Tveit in batting practice
Aaron Tveit in batting practice
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell
The Catch Me If You Can Team
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Aaron Tveit
Aaron Tveit and Brian Stokes Mitchell
Greg Jbara
Darren Ritchie
Chad Kimball, Darren Ritchie, and Greg Jbara
Ryan Jesse and Dominic Scaglione
Mitchell Jarvis
Will Swenson and Mitchell Jarvis
Will Swenson, Mitchell Jarvis, Ryan Jesse, Dominic Scaglione, Chad Kimball, Darren Ritchie, and Greg Jbara
Tom Wopat and Will Swenson
Billy Crudup and Tom Wopat
Billy Crudup and Tom Wopat
Edie Falco
Edie Falco and Billy Crudup
The Ceremonial First Pitch
The Ceremonial First Pitch
The Ceremonial First Pitch
The 2011 Broadway Show League at Hecksher Ballfield
