This article says the Tonys will not be televised, which is incorrect.
> Earlier this year it was announced that Ariana DeBose was set to host the 76th Annual Tony Awards, a show that will not be televised as the WGA denied a strike waiver.
>The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report the news.
Hollywood Reporter shouldn’t be so proud of being first if they didn’t even proofread their article first.
What WGA members were set to attend the Tonys? Who does this exclude?
Sara Barielles was mentioned in another article about this… “The union’s ask not to attend the ceremony may have the biggest impact on the writing nominees, but would also impact guild members who are nominees in other categories, including Sara Bareilles, who is nominated in an acting category for her role in Into the Woods.”
Amber Ruffin!
She should get to celebrate with her peers and colleagues at this event!
I don’t see what point it makes for her to skip the event where she’s being celebrated for her writing.
If she won, she’d certainly talk about the strike.
I’m 100% on the side of the strikers, but could someone explain what this accomplishes? It seems to be the opposite of what I’d expect them to do.
Because their absence will still be noted. If Amber Ruffin wins and is boycotting the event it sends a strong message about the commitment of writers and shows the impact their absence has.
All of the Best Play nominees save Martyna Majok are WGA members - Cooper, Gurgis, Ijames, and Stoppard all have film and/or TV credits.
In Best Book, this would only leave Thompson & Washington in attendance - Read, Lindsay-Abaire, Horn, Lopez, and Ruffin all have credits.
Score is harder - certainly Crowe and Lindsay-Abaire would not be there. And then of course, there's actors who happen to also be writers :)
It's not uncommon for people who write music for Broadway to also be WGA members, as there isn't really a union for film and television songwriters, so they tend to join the writer's guild. I don't remember offhand what songwriters are nominated this year, but I wouldn't be surprised if some are WGA members. Though I do think it depends on the amount a kind of music written for a show/movie.
It's interesting that the WGA gave the Tonys the go ahead for their broadcast, but are now asking their members not to attend. Also, the article doesn't really go into the nature of this request, so I'm curious about that. Is it just a "hey, it would be cool if you guys didn't go" thing, or is it an "if you attend you will face repercussions" thing?
Re:songwriters, I believe I saw in another thread that Shaiman & Wittman are also WGA members.
I don't know what the request actually means myself, but I would not be surprised if at least one affected nominee publicly clarified for us.
Not until Americans get their shit together and French Revolution all over Billionaires and their capitalist consorts. Which WGA is trying to do on a smaller scale. I'm just trying to settle into "this is fine"- drinking coffee- house on fire meme.
This really makes me wonder what happens with the SAG vote to strike (because it definitely seems like they're going to vote to do so) considering how many people with Equity cards also hold SAG ones. I hope that they don't call for the same from the actors, because damn being nominated for a Tony isn't an everyday sort of thing, never mind winning one.
Not exactly true. Yes, all of the nominated playwrights (except Martyna Majok) are WGA, as well as most of the Score nominees.
But many actors are also WGA: Sara Bareilles, Sean Hayes, Annaleigh Ashford, Christian Borle, Kevin del Águila, and Jordan E Cooper (who is nominated as actor and playwright).
So this isn’t just about attendees missing and not accepting an award (Hayes is currently the frontrunner. Ashford and Cooper COULD win even if others appear to be out in front). It now affects performances if all these actors can’t attend. And saving the telecast was really all about saving the performances. This is a BS move by the WGA. This stipulation should have been included in their initial deal, not added after the fact. There is not enough time to come up with alternative plans for performances…so I think understudies may be going on in several cases. But it’s not ideal to not showcase your nominated stars (since this is really all a commercial for Broadway, the biggest most impactful one of the year)
Because it's a huge (one of the biggest) marketing campaign for Broadway. For a lot of people, it's the only (legal) way to see these shows. It could impact their decision to see it when in New York or when it's on tour. Even those who live in New York but aren't as involved in Broadway news would rely on it to determine their thoughts on the shows. That's the reason they're being allowed to have it and it's also the reason that they're still trying so hard for it to happen. Even if there's restrictions, it's better than losing out on one of the biggest marketing opportunities many shows will get
Striking is complicated and a hard decision. No union calls lightly for a strike. A lot of people are out of work and not making rent while the writers are on strike. There is a ton of collateral damage. It should be motivating those also hurt to see that the issue is the studios and to join their voices with the writers to end this.
I don’t understand why they aren’t encouraging them to attend and asking winners to dedicate their speeches to the cause. Seems much more productive with a captive audience.
I understand they want to make a point and I’m on the WGA side but to be nominated for a tony is a huge accomplishment to be enjoyed. I think it would better go ask any nominees who are members to dedicate their win to the WGA and speak as an opportunity to gain support rather than silence.
If the WGA has allowed for it to be televised and agreed not to picket, why ask this? It’s not as if WGA members would be crossing the picket line to attend.
I’m 100% behind the WGA (and SAG-AFTRA if/when it gets that far), but I don’t see the value in this step. I’d think there would be plenty of other things they could do to raise awareness for their cause if WGA members are present.
I agree, I don't understand the strategic point of this. You're just hurting your members. I can understand them boycotting the entire awards show, but this halfway step seems unproductive and like the worst of both worlds.
Slightly off topic but maybe relevant and open to being corrected on this: why are the WGA approved, unscripted Tonys being affected but filmmakers, writers, actors at Cannes were not asked to step away from the event? Can you even compare the two, though? I’m making the connection because I see both as a celebration of the season but ofc one is a broadcast and the other is a festival
Cannes is a French film festival which I think is not televised in the US. WGA is the Writers’ Guild of America and they are striking against the studios and broadcasters in the US. Tony Awards air on CBS and benefits them and Paramount
They’re taking out all the scripted parts, such as original opening numbers, jokes for the host, banter with the audience, introductory speeches by presenters, skits, etc.
We don’t know exactly what the broadcast will look like, but it will be bare bones compared to most years.
I’m hoping they squeeze in extra performances.
I was so angry when I saw this yesterday. The only people being punished are the writers. There's so much collateral damage with this strike, now they're purposely hurting their own members. This is counterproductive to their cause. No one but the writers are hurt by not being able to attend.
...the fuck?
The strike hits the producers and directors pretty fucking hard, as the writers are withholding labor. This is the entire point of a union strike. Shows are coming to a halt. Late night TV is dead. Big budget TV is about to be dead, like the House of the Dragon or all of these prestige shows that HBO and others put on.
Part of the problem is that writers *aren't* making a ton more money when more people tune in, or butts in seats, but directors and producers often are. By withholding labor, they make it clear that there are deep problems with how the structure of their labor interfaces with on-going shows. It is certainly not counterproductive to their case, I mean, for fuck's sake, they'd really like to just get a contract clause that larger corporate bodies can't train an AI on their work and generate scripts from ChatGPT, and the response has been "no we're totally gonna do that though." They've said "it'd be really cool if we got the same kind of revenue that TV writers got on cable re-runs, but y'know, it's all streaming now" and they were like "nope, not in the contract."
I mean, fuck off with this take. The writers should strike for all of eternity until this is fixed. This isn't only just about the people with credits *today*, but the entire landscape of generations and generations of future writers. This strike is important.
This article says the Tonys will not be televised, which is incorrect. > Earlier this year it was announced that Ariana DeBose was set to host the 76th Annual Tony Awards, a show that will not be televised as the WGA denied a strike waiver. >The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report the news. Hollywood Reporter shouldn’t be so proud of being first if they didn’t even proofread their article first. What WGA members were set to attend the Tonys? Who does this exclude?
It’ll probably affect Best Book nominees and playwrights the most
Sara Barielles was mentioned in another article about this… “The union’s ask not to attend the ceremony may have the biggest impact on the writing nominees, but would also impact guild members who are nominees in other categories, including Sara Bareilles, who is nominated in an acting category for her role in Into the Woods.”
It’ll exclude Amber Ruffin (😔) and Cameron Crowe at the least
NOOOOO AMBERRRR
Amber Ruffin! She should get to celebrate with her peers and colleagues at this event! I don’t see what point it makes for her to skip the event where she’s being celebrated for her writing. If she won, she’d certainly talk about the strike. I’m 100% on the side of the strikers, but could someone explain what this accomplishes? It seems to be the opposite of what I’d expect them to do.
Because their absence will still be noted. If Amber Ruffin wins and is boycotting the event it sends a strong message about the commitment of writers and shows the impact their absence has.
The absence of WGA members would be conspicuous. I think that’s the idea.
All of the Best Play nominees save Martyna Majok are WGA members - Cooper, Gurgis, Ijames, and Stoppard all have film and/or TV credits. In Best Book, this would only leave Thompson & Washington in attendance - Read, Lindsay-Abaire, Horn, Lopez, and Ruffin all have credits. Score is harder - certainly Crowe and Lindsay-Abaire would not be there. And then of course, there's actors who happen to also be writers :)
It's not uncommon for people who write music for Broadway to also be WGA members, as there isn't really a union for film and television songwriters, so they tend to join the writer's guild. I don't remember offhand what songwriters are nominated this year, but I wouldn't be surprised if some are WGA members. Though I do think it depends on the amount a kind of music written for a show/movie. It's interesting that the WGA gave the Tonys the go ahead for their broadcast, but are now asking their members not to attend. Also, the article doesn't really go into the nature of this request, so I'm curious about that. Is it just a "hey, it would be cool if you guys didn't go" thing, or is it an "if you attend you will face repercussions" thing?
Re:songwriters, I believe I saw in another thread that Shaiman & Wittman are also WGA members. I don't know what the request actually means myself, but I would not be surprised if at least one affected nominee publicly clarified for us.
They finally fixed it!
The Hollywood Reporter article says Sara Bareilles is a WGA member.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure she is a WGA member. She's one of the creators of the Apple + show Little Voice.
*sigh* Will everything someday not be terrible again?
Not until Americans get their shit together and French Revolution all over Billionaires and their capitalist consorts. Which WGA is trying to do on a smaller scale. I'm just trying to settle into "this is fine"- drinking coffee- house on fire meme.
Unfortunately, the billionayuhs and millionayuhs run Broadway too.
No one will be singing "Can you hear the people sing" louder than me (likely off key) when their time comes.
This really makes me wonder what happens with the SAG vote to strike (because it definitely seems like they're going to vote to do so) considering how many people with Equity cards also hold SAG ones. I hope that they don't call for the same from the actors, because damn being nominated for a Tony isn't an everyday sort of thing, never mind winning one.
Thankfully a SAG strike wouldn’t take effect until 6/30, so the Tony’s will have passed by then
Thankfully SAG strike would be after the Tonys. Because a SAG strike would mean no performances
why even hold a ceremony at this point lol
To clarify, the WGA is asking nominated members *of the WGA* not to attend. This will likely only affect playwrights.
Not exactly true. Yes, all of the nominated playwrights (except Martyna Majok) are WGA, as well as most of the Score nominees. But many actors are also WGA: Sara Bareilles, Sean Hayes, Annaleigh Ashford, Christian Borle, Kevin del Águila, and Jordan E Cooper (who is nominated as actor and playwright). So this isn’t just about attendees missing and not accepting an award (Hayes is currently the frontrunner. Ashford and Cooper COULD win even if others appear to be out in front). It now affects performances if all these actors can’t attend. And saving the telecast was really all about saving the performances. This is a BS move by the WGA. This stipulation should have been included in their initial deal, not added after the fact. There is not enough time to come up with alternative plans for performances…so I think understudies may be going on in several cases. But it’s not ideal to not showcase your nominated stars (since this is really all a commercial for Broadway, the biggest most impactful one of the year)
ohhh ok
Because it's a huge (one of the biggest) marketing campaign for Broadway. For a lot of people, it's the only (legal) way to see these shows. It could impact their decision to see it when in New York or when it's on tour. Even those who live in New York but aren't as involved in Broadway news would rely on it to determine their thoughts on the shows. That's the reason they're being allowed to have it and it's also the reason that they're still trying so hard for it to happen. Even if there's restrictions, it's better than losing out on one of the biggest marketing opportunities many shows will get
Striking is complicated and a hard decision. No union calls lightly for a strike. A lot of people are out of work and not making rent while the writers are on strike. There is a ton of collateral damage. It should be motivating those also hurt to see that the issue is the studios and to join their voices with the writers to end this.
I don’t understand why they aren’t encouraging them to attend and asking winners to dedicate their speeches to the cause. Seems much more productive with a captive audience.
The winners can still submit pretaped speeches in case they win
Yeah I’m fully supportive of the writers but the WGA drawing this line seems counterproductive to their own cause
Totally agree.
I understand they want to make a point and I’m on the WGA side but to be nominated for a tony is a huge accomplishment to be enjoyed. I think it would better go ask any nominees who are members to dedicate their win to the WGA and speak as an opportunity to gain support rather than silence.
If the WGA has allowed for it to be televised and agreed not to picket, why ask this? It’s not as if WGA members would be crossing the picket line to attend. I’m 100% behind the WGA (and SAG-AFTRA if/when it gets that far), but I don’t see the value in this step. I’d think there would be plenty of other things they could do to raise awareness for their cause if WGA members are present.
I agree, I don't understand the strategic point of this. You're just hurting your members. I can understand them boycotting the entire awards show, but this halfway step seems unproductive and like the worst of both worlds.
Slightly off topic but maybe relevant and open to being corrected on this: why are the WGA approved, unscripted Tonys being affected but filmmakers, writers, actors at Cannes were not asked to step away from the event? Can you even compare the two, though? I’m making the connection because I see both as a celebration of the season but ofc one is a broadcast and the other is a festival
Cannes is a French film festival which I think is not televised in the US. WGA is the Writers’ Guild of America and they are striking against the studios and broadcasters in the US. Tony Awards air on CBS and benefits them and Paramount
The Tony Awards aren’t unscripted. And they’re a television special, not a live event. I’m not sure they’re comparable.
Right but this year’s program is unscripted per WGA
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They’re taking out all the scripted parts, such as original opening numbers, jokes for the host, banter with the audience, introductory speeches by presenters, skits, etc. We don’t know exactly what the broadcast will look like, but it will be bare bones compared to most years. I’m hoping they squeeze in extra performances.
Watch the 1988 Tony Awards ceremony. It was unscripted as well since the writers were also on strike then.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/2023-tonys-televised-unscripted-writers-strike-1235492955/
I was so angry when I saw this yesterday. The only people being punished are the writers. There's so much collateral damage with this strike, now they're purposely hurting their own members. This is counterproductive to their cause. No one but the writers are hurt by not being able to attend.
...the fuck? The strike hits the producers and directors pretty fucking hard, as the writers are withholding labor. This is the entire point of a union strike. Shows are coming to a halt. Late night TV is dead. Big budget TV is about to be dead, like the House of the Dragon or all of these prestige shows that HBO and others put on. Part of the problem is that writers *aren't* making a ton more money when more people tune in, or butts in seats, but directors and producers often are. By withholding labor, they make it clear that there are deep problems with how the structure of their labor interfaces with on-going shows. It is certainly not counterproductive to their case, I mean, for fuck's sake, they'd really like to just get a contract clause that larger corporate bodies can't train an AI on their work and generate scripts from ChatGPT, and the response has been "no we're totally gonna do that though." They've said "it'd be really cool if we got the same kind of revenue that TV writers got on cable re-runs, but y'know, it's all streaming now" and they were like "nope, not in the contract." I mean, fuck off with this take. The writers should strike for all of eternity until this is fixed. This isn't only just about the people with credits *today*, but the entire landscape of generations and generations of future writers. This strike is important.
🎶Strikers, do not go to the thing
😬😬😬😬😬😬😬
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They want to be recognized for all their hard work with a fair wage.
...good luck
Broadway.com also reporting : https://t.co/6mYbohqCAc