This year’s Tony Awards will not be televised due to the ongoing writers’ strike. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Tony Awards Management Committee petitioned the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) for a waiver to allow the ceremony to air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on June 11. The committee backed up its petition by citing the box-office bump the Tonys telecast gives struggling Broadway shows. The WGA has denied this request which has added the Tony Awards to the many projects affected by the writers’ strike. The options that are reportedly being considered are (a) a non-televised presentation of the awards (e.g. a press conference or intimate dinner), or (b) postponing the dinner until the strike ends. The MTV Movie & TV Awards faced a similar crisis due to the strike.
Broadway Faces Trouble With Tony Awards Being Altered by Writers’ Strike
The Tufts Daily reported in October 2022 that Broadway theater was still struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, film and TV producers came up with ways to shoot their projects safely. Musicians canceled tours but were still able to release new music. The theatre industry, however, had to close 41 shows. The industry depends on the Tony Awards broadcast to garner attention for Broadway. The ongoing writers’ strike and its effect on the Tony Awards could mean further trouble for an already struggling industry.
This is not the only project affected by the strike. Moreover, many of those who have been affected are standing with the writers. Drew Barrymore stepped down from hosting the aforementioned MTV Awards. Pete Davidson, who had his SNL hosting gig canceled by the strike, handed out pizza to strikers in New York. How will those on Broadway respond to the Tony Awards not being televised due to the writers’ strike? Only time will tell.