The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike continues and more discussions have ensued about the fate of the 2023 Tony Awards. The WGA began striking on May 2 after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach a timely agreement which was May 1. Because of the televised nature of the Tony Awards, the strike affects whether the broadcast can proceed as planned on June 11. Why?

Because all awards shows rely on scripts. Since the Tonys are a telecast, typically WGA union members are hired to write them. Furthermore, members of other unions — such as Actors’ Equity, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the American Federation of Musicians — have declared solidarity with the WGA. Therefore, members of these unions (which include Tony-nominated performers, those presenting awards, technicians to mount the production and musicians to play the show) have been instructed not to cross picket lines. In fact, Equity is circulating signups for members to join picket lines every Tuesday until the strike ceases. This does not bode well.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the Tony Awards Management Committee is set to meet on May 15 to determine next steps. There aren’t many options among industry leaders:

The Tonys could proceed with an untelevised ceremony — at a hotel ballroom, for example, which is actually how the Tonys began in 1947; the first-ever ceremony was held at the Waldorf Astoria as a dinner with approximately 1,000 guests. Over the next 18 years, the Tonys took place at hotels like the Waldorf as well as the Plaza and the Astor. The Awards weren’t broadcast until 1967, when the League of American Theatres and Producers (today known as the Broadway League) came on as a presenting partner with the American Theatre Wing. That first broadcast lasted one hour.

Or perhaps a shorter broadcast for this year’s Tonys is another option on the table, according to industry insiders. Rather than staging a full awards show at the United Palace, as planned, there is the possibility that prerecorded routines from nominated musicals could be combined into a sort of Tonys variety hour. This would be a lot to expect with only four weeks until the broadcast date.

Another option is to simply postpone this year’s Tonys until the strike has been resolved. There is no indication of how much longer the WGA strike will last. However, members are still picketing, and there have been no reports stating that the WGA and AMPTP have returned to the bargaining table.

Hmmm . . . are we out of options?

Photo Credit: Jay-Rey Rivera/Actors’ Equity Association