Autographs: How to Request a Playbill + My Playbills

No Longer in Production

I LOVE receiving Playbills. It's one instance that can get you a mega-stars autograph. It's a no brainer, honestly. It takes a few more stamps than a 4x6 but it's soooo worth it.

 1. Get together your paper and envelopes. I use either one of two different kinds of envelopes. I use large greeting card envelopes (I find these ALL the time at the Goodwill or any second hand store cheap by the packs, usually has large Christmas Cards. I just toss those. :O) Or I use the smaller Manila Envelopes sized at 6x9.

Playbills are about the size of a 5x7 photo only thicker. If you've never seen one they are pretty nice looking books that tell all about the play/musical and who stars in it. You'll also find ads for other productions.

2. Write a nice letter to the set manager or the
cast and ask for a signed playbill. Don't be standoffish, be polite, tell them what you love about the production or the cast.


 3. I fold my envelope up and put it in a regular standard mailing envelope. One stamp will go on this envelope. Two stamps on your SASE.

4. To find the addresses of the theatres that these plays/musicals are being performed you can check on their official websites or go to Playbill.com. Each show has it's own page and does display the address of the theatre. Address it to the Play Name (I.E. The Little Foxes, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, etc).

5. Mail and WAIT. Be patient. These productions are super high energy and super busy. I'm still waiting on some I mailed off two months ago. I know they will come...I just have to be patient. I've received some in as little as two weeks and some in about 4 months.

6. Open and Enjoy. These can be a bit pricy to protect. I'm hoping Dear Old Santa Clause sees fit to bring me a Playbill keeper, as of now I keep them in 8x10 sleeves in a binder. A lot of the time they will be signed in silver or gold. I think those look stunning but they are really tough to protect as those two ink colors tend to flake (RIP to some of my lost Autographs).

No Longer in Production

There are some productions that will not send you a playbill. Hamilton will send you an unsigned playbill with a letter stating they can get upwards of $300 per playbill.

Hello Dolly is another one. They will send you an unsigned Playbill then ask for a $50 donation to Broadway Cares/Artists Fighting Aids, which is a very good cause. If only I had $50. 

 I'm eagerly waiting for Waitress and Kinky Boots. I'm hoping they come really soon. What Playbills have you gotten? Let me know if you have any questions. I've only been collecting autographs a year and I learn something new every day! :)

For other Autograph Collecting with Casey posts click below:

Autographs: How to Find Celebrity Addresses
How to Request Autographs Through the Mail