Taking the format of a school yearbook, the ninth edition of The Playbill Broadway Yearbook is packed with photos (more than 4 000, many in color) and memorabilia from the entire 2012-2013 Broadway season.

This edition documents the more than 80 Broadway shows of that season – not just the new shows, such as Matilda, Motown, Lucky Guy, and Bring It On!, but the long-running ones from seasons past, such as Phantom of the Opera, The Book of Mormon, Once, and Wicked. The book features photos of not only the actors – even Sunny, the dog who portrays Sandy in Annie... plus his understudy, Casey – but producers, writers, designers, stage managers, stagehands, musicians, ushers. This year's roster is expected to top 10 000 (human) names.

There is also a wealth of photos from Broadway insider events, including “Gypsy of the Year ” “Broadway Bares ” “Forbidden Broadway ” and the annual Broadway League softball championship players. For this edition, each production was asked to appoint a member of the cast or crew to report on things only those who worked backstage would know: opening-night presents, who got the Gypsy Robe, daily rituals, celebrity visits, favorite health tips and regimens, memorable ad-libs, and so on. Correspondents range from dressers, doormen, and dancers to, in some cases, the star of the show.