Sending Playbills to be signed

My son and I saw Dear Evan Hansen in December, and sent one of our Playbills to the theatre to be signed after we got back home. It was the first time I had sent it to a theatre in NYC (I had previously sent to Big Fish and Hamilton in Chicago and got them both back signed by the whole cast), and I was surprised to get my unsigned Playbill back the other day with a note in it saying that if I wanted a signed playbill, I should send a SASE along with $40 check to Broadway Cares.

Is this the norm in New York? Is there some secret code I don't know? :) I'll be going back in April to see DEH again, Sweeney Todd, Great Comet and Waitress, and I'm wondering if it's even worth it to send them in after I get back.

Thanks for any insight - I'm not from around there, and that trip to DEH was my first time ever seeing a show on Broadway.

Josh

Hello Josh!

Many shows, especially popular ones, do require donations to Broadway Cares. The trend really started around 2012, I think, and the requested donation has been driven higher in the past few years as Playbill collecting has become more popular. There actually are designated collection periods-- for Easter Bonnet and Gypsy of the Year-- during which most shows will not send out Playbills without a donation

For example, "Hamilton" off-Broadway requested donations of $60, though on Broadway they requested $40. However, that show generally no longer fulfills Playbill requests, and has only been selling signed Playbills during the collection periods on Broadway. Other shows that request donations are "Beautiful" ($20) and "A Bronx Tale" ($25) "Great Comet" is sending out only unsigned Playbills, reporting they are unable to accommodate requests for signed ones. Basically, it all comes down to whether (1) the cast is willing to donate their time to sign Playbills, (2) whether the stage management team wants to deal with fan mail requests, and (3) whether they decide to collect for Broadway Cares even in un-designated collection periods.

Thank you all so much for responding! I have a Hamilton Playbill still out from when we went to see it in December. Sounds like there's no point in trying Great Comet after I see it in April, but I'll give Waitress and Sweeney Todd a chance. I just think there's no cooler souvenir of an awesome show!