The Flea Market is a truly fantastic event for many reasons. First and foremost, it removes Broadway-branded items from landfills. Instead of those in the Broadway community throwing away their Broadway-branded swag, they stockpile it until the Flea Market. It turns trash into dollars for BC/EFA.
Same for show-related items that were used at the production or theater. Props, costumes, marquees, and unsold merchandise from closed shows don't go into the dumpster, they go into storage until the Flea Market.
Broadway fans get the opportunity to buy these items once a year. It's a win-win-win.
Over the years, more and more from the Broadway community put in more and more effort to make the Flea Market an even more profitable experience for theatregoers. They make baked goods, arts and crafts, and donate their time for photos and autographs.
I think BC/EFA should assign their volunteers to the table organizers a week before to help them get organized, make signage, provide bins & boxes, etc. They should also provide table organizers with a flyer on "tips to help coordinate lines and traffic at your booth."
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
