Aug. 16 (UPI) — The Museum of Broadway announced Monday it will open the first permanent immersive museum dedicated to the history of theater in summer 2022 in Times Square.
Founders Julie Boardman and Diane Nicoletti postponed the opening of the museum at 145 W. 45th St., which had been scheduled to debut last year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“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,” Boardman said, according to Deadline.
Boardman is a four-time Tony-nominated producer and Nicoletti is founder of Rubik Marketing.
The museum will take visitors through the timeline of Broadway, highlighting pioneers in theater, social movements and game-changing plays and musicals. Immersive video projections will demonstrate the migration of the industry from the financial district to Union Square, Herald Square and Times Square.
A special exhibit honoring theater professionals will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the industry.
“We really thought it would be this great idea that was a hybrid of both an experiential museum that’s very interactive and colorful and fun, as well as making sure that we were really getting the integrity of the history of Broadway by including costumes and artifacts and historic elements as well,” Nicoletti told the New York Times.
Partners include the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, Playbill, Broadway Care/Equity Fights AIDS, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Concord Theatricals, Creative Goods, Costume Industry Coalition and Goodspeed Musicals.