BROADWAY BEARS XII 'Bear A Day On BWW' For BC/EFA: Day One - EQUUS!

Broadway's cuddliest friends kick off a new year with the 12th annual BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 St.), in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Sure to out-do last year's collection, 40 one-of-a-kind BROADWAY BEARS - each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing some of the theater's most legendary performers and/or performances - will be put up for auction.

BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you a daily sneak peek of some of the wonderful creations that await you at BROADWAY BEARS XII, first up is the amazing "Broadway Bear" from EQUUS!

Alan Strang with Nugget
EQUUS
2008
Signed by: Richard Griffiths, Lorenzo Pisoni and Daniel Radcliffe
Playing one of modern theatre's most disturbing and haunting characters, young Brit Daniel Radcliffe earned the highest praise for his Broadway debut this season in the critically acclaimed revival of Equus - one of modern theatre's most disturbing and haunting plays. This ursine tribute to the young man and his trusted equine "soulmate" captures the two at a highpoint - on one of Alan's late-night rides. Recalling the choreographed physicality of Broadway original, Nugget Bear has been posed leaning over from the waist, with his arms pulled-back straight behind his back. He wears a body-hugging, long-sleeved brown-mesh shirt and brown corduroy pants. His hooves have been fashioned from metal and have brown straps across the top. That evocative, skeletal horsehead, too, is metal-crafted and trimmed with leather strapping. Atop Nugget Bear is a miniature jean-clad Alan Bear, riding topless. Oh - and Nugget's hooded eyes? Yes - they do light up!
ORIGINAL DESIGNER: John Napier
BROADWAY BEAR CREATED BY: Nicolas Putvinski AND TED SOUTHERN

Once again this year's BROADWAY BEARS will be hosted by Bryan Batt ("Mad Men," La Cage Aux Folles, Beauty and the Beast, Jeffrey) with long-time Sotheby's auctioneer, Lorna Kelly.

This year's BROADWAY BEARS auction celebrates its 12th year with a stellar cast of cele"bear"ties representing recent Broadway hits like A Chorus Line, A Man For All Seasons, Avenue Q, Billy Elliot: The Musical, Boeing-Boeing, Equus, Gypsy, Hairspray, In The Heights, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Legally Blonde, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Shrek The Musical, South Pacific, Spamalot, Spring Awakening, Wicked, Xanadu, Young Frankenstein, along with bears from Broadway classics like Beauty And The Beast, Camelot, Cats, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mame, My One and Only, Peter Pan, The Producers, The Sound of Music, Starlight Express, State Fair, West Side Story, The Who's Tommy, The Wiz, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown.  

North American Bear Co., Inc. has again graciously donated the "bare" bears which were then handed over to top Broadway design teams who meticulously research, design, fit, sculpt, shoe, armor, hat, paint, dress, nip, tuck, tattoo, bejewel and feather the "bare" bears into true one-of-a-kind works of costumed theatrical art.

TICKETING INFORMATION

· VIP Tickets $150 each include an exclusive private preview of the Broadway Bears along with a cocktail, hors d'oeuvres and dessert reception from 6PM to 8PM as well as reserved priority seating for the Auction

· General Admission Tickets $35 each which include a cocktail and dessert reception and display of the Broadway Bears from 7PM -8PM as well as unreserved seating for the Auction

Reservations may be made by calling BC/EFA at (212) 840-0770. For those who cannot make it to the auction, but want to take part in all the excitement, live telephone bidding will also be available as are pre-registered fixed bids by calling (212) 840-0770, extension 268. Internet bidding is available by visiting www.BroadwayCares.org.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grants making organization. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes and other critical illnesses across the United States. Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $150 million dollars for critically needed services for people with AIDS and other serious illnesses.

BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors' Fund - including The AIDS Initiative, The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative, The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic at The Aurora in NYC, The Dancers' Resource and two supportive housing residences. BC/EFA also awards grants to over 400 AIDS and family service organizations yearly.

THE BROADWAY BEARS XII is sponsored by
The New York Times, Continental Airlines, North American Bear Co., Inc

For more information, please visit the BC/EFA website at www.BroadwayCares.org