Broadway Bears XI Auction This Sunday!

Broadway's cuddliest friends kick off a new year with the 11th annual "Broadway Bears" auction this Sunday, February 17 at 7PM 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.

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 11th year with a stellar cast of cele"bear"ties representing recent Broadway hits like Curtains, The Drowsy Chaperone, Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Spamalot, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Spring Awakening, Xanadu and Young Frankenstein, along with bears from Broadway classics like Cats, Gypsy, The Music Man, Nine, Peter Pan, Sunday in the Park with George, Titanic, and West Side Story. 

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.

The entire Broadway Bears XI collection can be previewed online at www.BroadwayCares.org

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 (BC/EFA) is the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fund raising and grant making organization. BC/EFA is the on-going, committed response from the American theater community to an urgent worldwide health crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of this community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States. Since it's founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $140 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV and other related illnesses.

The Broadway Bears XI is sponsored by The New York Times, Continental Airlines, and North American Bear Co., Inc.

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