Writers Guild will not picket 2023 Tony Awards
May 16, 2023
Washington [US], May 16 : The Writers Guild of America will not picket the 2023 Tony Awards, the union announced on Monday.
In a statement, the union said that it will not negotiate an interim agreement or a waiver for the Tony Awards, as previously reported. The statement added it will not picket this year's show in whatever form it does move forward, reported Hollywood Reporter.
"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 guild said. "As they have stood by us, we stand with our fellow workers on Broadway who are impacted by our strike."
Along with a message of solidarity for the Broadway community, the statement placed responsibility for the waiver denial on CBS and Paramount.
"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," the statement said. "They continue to refuse to negotiate a fair contract for the writers represented by the WGA."
The news comes the same day as the Tony Awards Management Committee decided it would appeal to the WGA and request that the striking writers not picket the televised awards ceremony to potentially move forward with the broadcast. It followed a decision on Friday by the guild to deny the show's producers a waiver to proceed with the televised ceremony during the ongoing strike.
The 76th Annual Tony Awards ceremony was scheduled to take place on June 11 at the United Palace in New York City and is set to air on CBS, from 8-11 p.m. ET/5- 8 p.m. PT and also stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
