Tonys live show cancelled over writers strike

Organisers have cancelled plans for a live Tony awards show, due to fear of disruption by Hollywood’s striking writers. 

The decision was made after the Writers Guild of America denied a request for a waiver that would have allowed the show’s producers to stage a live show without writers protesting outside the Tony Awards’ venue in New York City.

Officials feared a live telecast on June 16 would be doomed by the threat of a picket line, which other members of Broadway’s creative community were expected to honour. Without big names, the telecast would have been awkward at best.

Theatre workers belong to different unions, but the longtime broadcast home of the Tony Awards – CBS – is part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which is the group that the WGA is striking against.

The Tonys have long been a prestigious event for CBS, but the show itself is more important to Broadway producers, who rely on the exposure on the national network to market their productions. 

The televised ceremony doubles as a widely seen advertisement for what’s currently playing; often productions struggling to fill seats will stay open in hopes that a win, or even exposure via a notable musical number, will boost ticket sales.

The decision to cancel the live show comes as many productions are still struggling to regain their footing after the COVID-19 pandemic closed Broadway for 18 months.

The Tony Awards Management Committee and CBS plan to meet on Monday to sort out whether they should go forward with a show composed of prerecorded segments, including musical numbers, or if they should postpone the event until the writers’ strike is settled.

The Tonys’ decision follows last week’s pivot by MTV. The network opted at the last minute to pre-tape its Movie & TV Awards after Drew Barrymore stepped down as host of the live ceremony and the Writers Guild of America announced plans to picket outside the venue in Santa Monica.

The red carpet was also scrapped after stars reportedly dropped out of the event.