The 2011 Tony Awards will be given out tonight at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan's Upper Westside. In celebration of Broadway's biggest event, the 2011 Tony Awards Showcase is now on exhibit at the Times Square Visitor Center and Mini-Museum (Seventh Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets in Manhattan, next to the Palace Theatre). Admission is free to the general public. It runs until the end of June. The showcase features historic Tony memorabilia from the past 65 years, including an actual Tony Award, posters, Tony Playbills, gala invitations, video footage from current Tony-nominated plays and musicals as well as interviews with the 2011 Tony Nominees, and much more. The display also includes costumes from several Tony Award-winning Best Musicals, including Rent and Thoroughly Modern Millie, provided by Theatre Development Fund's Costume Collection. There is also a commemorative clock provided by Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet, which has been signed by many of the 2011 Tony nominees. The clock will be auctioned to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity fights AIDS. "The Times Square Visitor Center and Mini-Museum, located right in the heart of Times Square, is the perfect place for us to celebrate the Tony Award legacy and our 65th Anniversary," said Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of the Broadway League. "We are thrilled to share these pieces of Tony history with everyone."
