The Theatre Museum was established in 2003, continuing the educational mission of the Broadway Theatre Institute, which had engaged more than 100,000 New York City students and adults since its founding in 1986. Its founding board included Tony Award-winning producer Stewart F. Lane and Helen Marie Guditis. Based in Manhattan, the museum describes its mission as preserving, protecting, and perpetuating the legacy of theatre, including Broadway, and it holds a provisional charter from the New York State Department of Education as a nonprofit educational corporation. Rather than operating a public exhibition space, it functions as a 'museum-at-large,' presenting its work primarily through an annual Awards for Excellence ceremony, held since 1995, that has honored institutions and performers including Jujamcyn Theaters, Ellen Burstyn, and Gwen Verdon.