After officially striking an agreement with the Tony Awards Management Committee earlier this month, the striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged their nominee members not to attend the show. This is after the WGA has agreed not to picket in front of the venue, which could urge celebrities and other invitees not to cross the picket and ultimately refuse to go to the show.
The WGA has been on strike for almost a month already after the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), despite continuous dialogues with the embattled union, fails to strike up a fair agreement with them with regard to compensation, residuals, and other labor-related requests.
WGA Urged Members To Boycott 2023 Tony Awards?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the WGA has been asking its members who were also nominated at the 2023 Tony Awards not to attend the upcoming ceremony on Jun. 11, 2023, at the United Palace in Washington Heights, New York.
However, not everything is harsh as it seemed. Sources confirmed to the outlet that the WGA has been asking their members to pre-tape their acceptance speeches should they win their respective categories. If this couldn't be the case, the WGA suggested that a non-member should accept their award on their behalf.
WGA 'Won't Picket' At The 2023 Tony Awards
The move came on the heels of the WGA's continued protest against the AMPTP and weeks after the union came into agreement with the Tony Awards Management Committee after the latter sought the former's green light in continuing a televised ceremony.
Initially, the Tony Awards Management Committee was open to doing two things - postponing the show for a later date after a deal has been negotiated between WGA and AMPTP; or opting for a non-televised ceremony.
However, the Tonys and Broadway would experience huge losses if the opportunity for a televised broadcast would be declined, as the Tony Awards is one of the most anticipated marketing efforts of productions throughout Broadway. Should this be slashed once again, the fate of many shows might be put into limbo too.
In support of their fellow Broadway workers, the WGA has given the committee a green light, so long as the show moves forward with an unscripted ceremony.
"As they have stood by us, we stand with our fellow workers on Broadway who are impacted by our strike," the WGA statement said.
However, the publication reported that a script was already developed way back before the strike began.
The 2023 Tony Awards will be hosted by Oscar winner and Tony nominee Ariana DeBose.
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