Museum of Broadway to Open in Times Square Next Summer

The Museum of Broadway, the first-ever permanent museum dedicated to the storied history, legendary artistry and lasting legacy of musicals, plays, and theaters, will open next summer in the heart of Times Square at 145 West 45th Street. Tickets for the museum are expected to go on sale later this year.

Internationally renowned artists, designers and theater historians will join forces to create an interactive, multi-floor experience that highlights groundbreaking moments throughout Broadway’s history. Visitors will travel through a visual history of Broadway from its birth to the present day, highlighting theater’s pioneers, landmark moments of social change and many of the most beloved plays and musicals of all time. There will also be a special exhibit called “The Making of a Broadway Show,” which honors the community of professionals—both on stage and off—who bring plays and musicals to life.

This interactive and immersive experience was founded by Julie Boardman and Diane Nicoletti and in collaboration with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Billy Rose Theatre Division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, Concord Theatricals, Goodspeed Musicals and additional partners to be announced soon.

“In the theater, we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us," Boardman said in a statement. "We are thrilled to create a museum honoring Broadway’s extraordinary history, the trailblazers who pushed the art form forward and celebrate its bright future."

The Museum of Broadway will also include a retail store, created in partnership with Creative Goods, that will sell everything from show-specific merchandise to bespoke products from small local businesses. An online store has already launched and includes a curated selection of products, including limited-edition Hirschfeld merchandise that will eventually be sold in the live store. Net proceeds from a line of costume-specific Hirschfeld drawings will be donated to the Costume Industry Coalition, which currently has its own Times Square exhibit, Showstoppers! Spectacular Costumes From Stage. and Screen, through September 26.