The WGA has made a statement that they will not picket the Tony Awards, thus clearing the way for the Broadway celebration to be broadcast live on June 11, 2023, with some adjustments. The ‘no picket line’ assurance means that members of other unions will now be able to attend and work the Tony Awards without crossing a WGA picket line.
“Tony Awards Productions (a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing) has communicated with us that they are altering this year’s show to conform with specific requests from the WGA, and therefore the WGA will not be picketing the show.” The statement ends with, “As they have stood by us, we stand with our fellow workers on Broadway who are impacted by our strike.” – WGA statement
It should be noted that the WGA has not granted a waiver to the Tonys, which they made clear in the statement, “As has been previously reported, the Writers Guilds of America East and West (WGA) will not negotiate an interim agreement or a waiver for the Tony awards.”
This meaning the broadcast will still need to avoid scripted banter and may potentially have to forgo a scripted original opening number if it has yet to be written. However, performances from the nominated shows and the actual presentation of the awards themselves will be able to be broadcast.
The guild further stated that they feel that the restrictions on the show due to the waiver denial were because of CBS and Paramount’s actions: “Responsibility for having to make changes to the format of the 2023 Tony Awards rests squarely on the shoulders of Paramount/CBS and their allies. They continue to refuse to negotiate a fair contract for the writers represented by the WGA.”
The WGA statement on the evening of May 15 came after the Tony Awards Management Committee on the same day said they would again ask the WGA to reconsider their earlier denial of a waiver and allow the broadcast to find a way to proceed as scheduled. The WGA stating there would be no picket line is that way forward and was well received by fellow unions. Actor’s Equity president Kate Shindle quickly thanked the WGA via Twitter, as well as encouraged AEA members to show strong solidarity with the WGA, “to double down on showing up at their pickets.”
As of now, it appears the 76th Annual Tony Awards ceremony on June 11, at the United Palace in New York City, will be broadcast live on CBS (8-11 p.m. ET/5- 8 p.m. PT) and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
To see the list of 76th Annual TONY Awards nominees you can click here.
Here is the full WGA statement:
