2023 Tony Awards Will Air Unscripted Broadcast, WGA Will Not Picket Ceremony
Striking members of the Writers Guild of America announced Monday that they will not picket the 2023 Tony Awards, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Last week, the union denied a request for a waiver to allow the ceremony to air on June 11 as planned. In a statement late Monday, the WGA said that it will not “will not negotiate an interim agreement or a waiver for the Tony Awards.”
However, the upcoming ceremony will conform with WGA requests, the union stated; as a result, the WGA no longer plans to picket the awards show.
In adherence with these requests, the Tony Awards will air an unscripted, televised broadcast. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ariana DeBose is still expected to fulfill her role as host in one form or another, though not using any scripted material.
“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.” It’s currently not clear what changes will be implemented.
The 76th Annual Tony Awards was set to take place at the United Palace in New York City, with a pre-show of performances billed as The Tony Awards: Act One streaming live on Pluto TV, Paramount Global’s FAST platform. The main awards ceremony was set to broadcast live on CBS and on Paramount+.