As you all know, The Book of Mormon on Broadway was an incredibly significant thing for me, and it was created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, two people who have been very influential on my life from a young age. Well, it turns out that everyone involved in the play have been very supportive of "Broadway Cares", the official charity of Broadway, which is dedicated to fighting AIDS. They've helped host events, they've donated items for auction, and they've raised a lot of money.
Last week, a very unique item was auctioned- a script for the play, signed by the entire production team - including Trey and Matt! I didn't think there was any chance I'd win, but I put in a bid in the last 3 seconds, and got it! It came in the mail yesterday!
I'll be honest, I paid more money for this than I'd like to admit. But in the scope of what this is, it was a good investment (it also counts as a charitable tax write-off). I paid half the appraised value, and it's worth a lot more - The Book of Mormon won 9 Tony Awards and is unquestionably the hottest ticket in the world right now. It's going to be around for a very long time. It's been called the best Broadway show in decades, and it's being credited with reviving musical theatre after a long decline in mainstream interest. And getting it signed by the entire production team is virtually impossible. At the theatre, only about half the cast signs autographs. And Trey and Matt are some of the hardest autographs in the world to get - they hate the Hollywood scene and celebrity culture, so they don't make a lot of public appearances. It's also signed by Robert Lopez, who co-created the play with them. Getting every signature like this isn't something you can do on your own. This may be the rarest and most valuable item in my collection. And more importantly, it carries a huge sentimental value. I've always wanted something signed by Trey and Matt, and now I have it; and we helped a good cause in the process!