The curtain has fallen on the Tonys‘ scheduled air date: The annual theater awards ceremony won’t air on CBS as planned on June 11 after the Writers Guild of America denied a waiver for the show to air during the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike.
The producers of the Tonys are currently weighing two options, according to The Hollywood Reporter: either hold the ceremony on June 11 as planned without televising it, “perhaps in the form of an intimate dinner or press conference with nominees and media in attendance,” or postpone the ceremony in the hopes that the writers’ strike will be resolved and it can be aired at a later date. A decision is expected Monday morning.
The Tony Awards Management Committee formally petitioned the Writers Guild this week for a waiver to produce the show, noting that the Tonys help publicize Broadway shows and give them a much-needed boost in ticket sales. (The awards were set to air on CBS and also stream on Paramount+.) The guild rejected the petition, though, with the strike well into its second week with no signs of being resolved anytime soon.
The Writers Guild of America officially went on strike last week after talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down despite months of negotiation. The WGA’s current agreement with the AMPTP, which represents the nine largest studios in Hollywood, expired on May 1. Among their demands, writers are seeking an acknowledgment of, and correcting for, the way that streaming has affected the work, compensation and working conditions of writers. For the latest on how the strike will affect your favorite TV shows, check out our handy-dandy explainer.
Do you think the Tonys should be handed out without a TV broadcast, or is it worth waiting to see if a deal can be reached? Hit the comments to share your thoughts.
I’d postpone, those productions deserve to have their samples seen (even though three different performances of Sweeny Todd, two (?) different performances of Into the Woods and one of Parade have Tony Awards footage from the past are on youtube)
I would postpone also. If they do proceed with the intimate, then I hope they film a special showcasing the various nominated musicals / plays and winners. Being in the Midwest on a limited budget, I can’t go fly and see Broadway shows but I still love watching them and it gets me excited for the more local touring productions that follow the bigger successes.
They should move forward with the ceremony and award the Tonys in an intimate setting. Maybe CBS could tape and air performances for the nominated musicals, no writers needed or necessary, and that will help publicize the shows. Or something to that affect. The WGA is playing dirty not granting a waiver, what did Broadway and the Theatre Alliance ever do to not deserve one? While I’m pro WGA and understand what they are fighting for, trust me when I say this is a fight they will not fully win without making some concessions to their demands. Money talks in the entertainment industry and the world. The studios have all the money and will eventually get Scabs and AI to do the work. The DGA and SAG contracts will be settled before the writers. Wait and see…
did you hear about wga snitch list idea? that news broke today and a awful idea.
Why is it an awful idea?
DGA and SAG stand with WGA. I doubt they will sign anything if there’s not also an acceptable deal in place for WGA
Daytime Emmy’s cancelation should be next as that was scheduled the following week
Yep. Unless they do something similar to what the MTV Movie/TV awards did but that was/would be lame. I feel for them though having just gotten back to broadcast.
A shame, really. Playwrights aren’t mistreated the way movie and TV writers are. The Guild could easily have granted this simple request.
However, it does air on TV, and most if not all awards shows are full of trying-to-be-clever bits that require writing. Unless it was a dry “The nominees for this category are these, and the winner is” I can definitely see their point in refusing it.
Nonsense. They can perform musical numbers (as they always do) and scenes from plays (as they sometimes do) and then present all the awards, not just the ones in the big categories. They can easily fill two hours without scripted banter.
I think they should be PPD, reschedule it for after the strike even if it means it’ll have to be joined in progress on CBS due to NFL overrun plus 60 minutes in its entirety (or have the 1st hour be P+ only)
POSTPONE IT!!!!
I love the little taste of Broadway we get every year.
I hope that none of the Tony Awards nominees/presenters/performers would we willing to cross the (theoretical) WGA picket lines. Entertainment unions solidarity is very important!
In all of this the people I feel most sorry for are the Front-of-House Workers at all the Broadway Theaters: The Box Office Workers, the Ushers, the Concession Stand Workers, the Souvenir Stand Sellers, the Janitors/Custodians who keep the Theaters clean… Without the Tony Award telecast boost these shows would’ve gotten, these theaters might sit empty with those shows closing.
Yes this.
I get solidarity and it is a great gesture. But these kind of decisions do more harm than good for a lot of people
I hope they postpone. My daughter loves watching the Tonys. It’s inspiring for theatre kids.
The problem with postponing is that some shows that are Tony-nominated but on life support can’t hold out an indefinite time to see if a Tony win can boost their chances of survival.
I say have the ceremony without the scripted banter. Just present the awards and do numbers from the shows: both of which CBS can either broadcast live or tape for future broadcasting.
That’s too bad…I always love watching the Tonys. Why don’t they film it and then not air it until after the strike?
Noooooo…. I love the Tony’s.
It’s such a great opportunity to get a glimpse of what is going on in Broadway for those of us who live at a distance.
I have often picked up a soundtrack, or made it a point of trying to catch a travelling version of a show that I first noticed at the Tony’s.
Unlike most of the other award shows, the Tony’s really does contribute to the industry.
Hopefully they can postpone. That seems especially petty of the WGA.
Can you please update this story. I understand the televised ceremony is beck on…