WGA Won't Picket Unscripted Tony Awards; Broadcast Set For June 11th

The Tony Awards will air as originally scheduled on June 11th, and WGA has agreed not to picket the broadcast, which will consist of non-scripted segments. What does this likely mean for the broadcast? You'll likely see performances from nominated shows, an in-memoriam segments, but not host-led banter or elaborate opening numbers.

In a statement released this evening, the WGA has agreed not to picket the broadcast due to alterations to the show made by Tony Awards Productions (a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing) to conform with specific requests from the WGA.

A statement from the union reads, "...the WGA will not be picketing the show. 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. As they have stood by us, we stand with our fellow workers on Broadway who are impacted by our strike."

On Friday, the union rejected a waiver submitted by the ceremony's organizers that requested the broadcast go on as planned on June 11. Earlier today, it was reported that The Tony Awards Management Committee would appeal to the Writers Guild of America and ask the guild not to picket the televised awards ceremony, to potentially move forward with the broadcast.

The last WGA strike lasted for three months in 2007-08. The 2023 strike officially began on May 2, 2023, with main issues revolving around increased pay, better residuals from streaming media, AI "writing" regulation, and staffing minimum requirements.

At this time, all other awards ceremonies of the 2022/23 theatre season, including the Drama League Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, etc., remain uneffected by the strike.

The 76th Annual Tony Awards nominations were announced on May 2, 2023. Check out the full list of nominees. At this time, the cermony is still set to be hosted by Academy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Ariana DeBose from the historic United Palace in New York City's Washington Heights on Sunday, June 11.

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