The union representing thousands of high-profile television and film writers denied a waiver requesting Broadway officials to allow the Tony Awards ceremony to go ahead with a live television broadcast on its scheduled June 11 date, two people said. Friday about the decision. night.
The refusal by the union, the Writers Guild of America, described by people granted anonymity to disclose confidential discussions, jeopardizes one of Broadway’s greatest nights — a major marketing opportunity that is even more important in the fragile post-shutdown theater economy. Industry leaders say that without the ability to reach the broad audience that tunes in for a Tony Awards broadcast, several of the newest musicals are likely to close.
Broadway boosters are still hoping that the writers’ guild can be persuaded to change their mind this weekend. But industry leaders acknowledge that such a turnaround seems unlikely. Without a Writers Guild exemption, a live broadcast ceremony is essentially impossible because much of Broadway, including nominees and hosts, would refuse to cross a picket line.
The management committee of the Tony Awards, the group charged with overseeing the broadcast, has scheduled an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss how to proceed.
One option would be to postpone the entire event until after the strike has been dealt with, in which case some money-losing Broadway shows would most likely close rather than wait in hopes of an eventual boost from a broadcast. Another option would be to present the awards in June in a non-televised manner, which would significantly reduce the marketing value of the awards. But they could try to make up for that by staging some sort of blinding song-and-dance-heavy broadcast after the strike ends.
Neither side was scheduled to speak on the record Friday night, but several people close to the talks described the state of affairs after The Hollywood Reporter reported that the waiver had been denied.
For Hollywood, the Tony Awards aren’t a priority — it’s a niche ceremony watched by 3.9 million people last year, which is less than other awards shows like the Oscars (18.7 million) or the Grammys (12.5 million).
But for Broadway, the stakes are huge. The Tony Awards are the industry’s biggest marketing moment — a chance to introduce viewers to shows they’ve never heard of, and to remind them of the joys of musical theater — and that kind of reach is especially important now, with Broadway presence that has yet to reach prepandemic levels. Four out of five Best New Musical nominees don’t sell enough tickets to cover their running costs for many weeks, and all could use the box office boost that a win, or even a well-performed number at the awards show, often provides.
“The Tony Awards is the biggest commercial for the industry overall, and for a show like mine, which is unbranded and just about to finally start seeing some lifeblood, it would be devastating not to be a part of it.” of this,” said Mike Bosner, the lead producer of “Shucked,” one of five shows vying for the coveted Best New Musical award, before announcing the refusal.
“Our whole timing from when we opened the show was based on being part of the run-up to awards season when there is a lot of attention for the show and there is national exposure,” he said.
Even before news of the WGA’s decision to deny the dissemination of the waiver, some producers were pessimistic. “I suspect there won’t be any airing,” Robert Greenblatt, one of the producers of “Some Like It Hot,” which is also nominated for Best New Musical, said earlier. Greenblatt knows all sides of the business – in addition to being a frequent Broadway producer, he is also a past chairman of NBC Entertainment and WarnerMedia.
If the Tony’s are delayed or derailed it will damage a lot of shows. “Especially this season, as we are still recovering from the Covid shutdown, it would be extremely devastating not to get that opportunity – to not be able to showcase how many amazing and diverse plays and musicals are currently on Broadway,” said Eva . Price, a lead producer of “& Juliet,” another contender for Best New Musical.
The WGA strike has already affected one awards show: last weekend’s MTV Movie & TV Awards. The host, Drew Barrymore, dropped out in solidarity with the union and the ceremony turned into a pre-recorded affair after the WGA announced it would peck.
On Wednesday, in anticipation of hundreds of protesters marching on picket lines, Netflix abruptly announced it was canceling a large in-person Manhattan showcase it was hosting for advertisers the following week, turning it into a virtual event instead.
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive, also said he would not be attending the upcoming PEN America Literary Gala at the American Museum of Natural History, a major literary event planned to honor him. In a statement, Mr Sarandos said it would be best if he pulled out “given the threat of disrupting this wonderful evening”.
In 2008, the last time the writers went on strike, organizers of the Golden Globes had to cancel the awards show after the WGA actively staged demonstrations and actors said they would not cross picket lines. Instead, the winners were revealed at a press conference. But during that strike, the WGA granted waivers to some television ceremonies, including the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The organizations that present the Tony Awards, the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing declined to comment; they would closely monitor the situation but would not know how to proceed. Representatives from the WGA and CBS, the Tonys’ longtime broadcaster, also declined to comment.
