Student Blog: D.I.Y. Playbill Binder

Playbills are such an iconic piece of memorabilia that audience members receive when seeing a play or musical. It lists the cast members, crew members and everyone who was involved in the show to give them credit for their hard work.

Whenever I see a show, I make sure to grab a Playbill or two. (Sometimes three when I saw Hamilton) These free souvenirs are a great way to look back and document all the shows you have seen, including where and when.

Though Playbill does sell their own binders to collect the booklets, they are a little pricey. So, a few years ago I thought, "Why not make my own?" And I did!

These are super easy to make with minimal supplies needed. You can find everything you need at Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Office Depot/Staples!

Supplies:

1. Mini Binders (holds 5.5 x 8.5-inch pages)
2. Sheet Protectors (5.5 x 8.5 inches)
3. Letter Stickers (optional)
4. Playbills!

The first step is to gather your supplies. Depending on the ring size of each binder, that will tell you about how many Playbills can fit in each. So, estimating how many you currently have, you might need one binder to start out or you might need five.

Next step is to clip in the sheet protectors to your binder(s). These will allow you to display your Playbills without worry of them getting ruined and getting mixed up.

Then you can decorate! I decided to put "Playbill" on the spine in a vertical line so I could read it if it was sat on a bookshelf. You can do the same as I or if your stickers are small enough, do it horizontally. Another option is to place the letters on the front cover of the binder if you want a clean spine. You could also add some theater themed stickers or number the binders, so you know which order they go in as well.

Lastly, put your Playbills in the sheet protectors! I personally like my Playbills in chronological order so I can keep track of which shows I have seen every year. Also, if I have a physical ticket or other flat souvenir from the show, I like to place that on the back side of the Playbill in the sheet protector facing out. If you do not like this idea though, you could always double up your Playbills in one sheet protector.

I think these binders are a great way to display your Playbills on a bookshelf, side table, or literally anywhere else! It helps keep things tidy and easy to find a Playbill if you need to look back into one.

Right now, I have one full 3-inch ring binder and another that is almost full. I also keep a separate binder for the shows that I have been in. As a performer, I like to keep track of the years I do certain shows and having a Playbill binder specifically for my performances, is an excellent way to organize those memories.