WGA strike impact on the 2023 Tonys- Page 6

[JasonC3]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 6:24am

I was talking with a theater friend today and purely as an intellectual exercise he wondered what an AI- generated Tonys script would be like.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 9:15am

JasonC3 said: "I was talking with a theater friend today and purely as an intellectual exercise he wondered what an AI- generated Tonys script would be like."

Seeing that AI is one of the points they're striking over, that would go over very badly! 

As I said before on this thread (which I am now not following with regularity), the exception for the Grammys occurred 3+ months into the 2007-8 strike when everyone was sweating more than they are now. The Tonys are one month from today.

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 9:41am

JasonC3 said: "I was talking with a theater friend today and purely as an intellectual exercise he wondered what an AI- generated Tonys script would be like."

That would not end well at all.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 11:53am

As I said it was a friend just curious as to what the results would be, something anyone could try on their own right now who has an account with one of the Chat AI bots.  He wasn't suggesting it be used.  He was reacting top all the ones you see on Twitter where people are putting in interesting prompts and getting mixed, but often quite amusing results.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 5:35pm

The MTV Movie awards are this weekend hosted by Drew Barrymore - who said she is not crossing picket lines - so I think that will be a good indicator of how the Tonys will go - although they've got more time for a resolution. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 6:07pm

RippedMan said: "The MTV Movie awards are this weekend hosted by Drew Barrymore - who said she is not crossing picket lines - so I think that will be a good indicator of how the Tonys will go - although they've got more time for a resolution."

 

You're a little late for that -- those were last weekend.

 

https://www.out.com/gay-tv-shows/mtv-movie-and-tv-awards

 

 

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 6:20pm

For whatever it’s worth, while the strike in 2008 was resolved before the academy awards,  it did impact another big awards show. That would be the golden globes. They gave out the awards in what was basically a glorified press conference. Hopefully that doesn’t happen with the Tonys.

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 7:54pm

According to the Post (for those discounting it less than 100%), tomorrow there is a meeting of the admin committee which is to vote on a "plan." And Johnny claims the Wing wants a postponement but the League of course doesn't. What he doesn't seem to know is how the committee is stacked. 

NYPOST

[JasonC3]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 12:25pm

New York TImes article (gift link)

"Hollywood Writers’ Strike Puts the Tony Awards in Jeopardy"

Not a lot new in the piece, but a good summary of what's at stake and where things were at the time of publication.

[David10086]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 1:46pm

For what it's worth - someone on one of the cable news shows said the Tonys will most likely be canceled because the writers need at least a month to sit down and prep and plan, start writing, go through all the rewrites and updates and fine tune their work before they even go into rehearsals, for an event this size. As the talking head pointed out - it's not something which gets done in a week or two. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 2:45pm

straight up canceled seems unlikely. Postponed? Probably. But then expect that when the ceremonies actually happen to have a good majority of the shows closed whenever it happens.

Updated On: 5/12/23 at 02:45 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 2:49pm

David10086 said: "For what it's worth - someone on one of the cable news shows said the Tonys will most likely be canceled because the writers need at least a month to sit down and prep and plan, start writing, go through all the rewrites and updates and fine tune their work before they even go into rehearsals, for an event this size. As the talking head pointed out - it's not something which gets done in a week or two."

Huh? Were they not aware that (a) the writers will likely be on strike all summer, (b) much of the writing has already been done, and (c) postponing the announcements together with whatever contiguous promotion can be cobbled together is not a very likely alternative.

Who was this idiot who said this? LOL

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 3:04pm

Another piece for the "for what it's worth" column, again with not much new info:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/tony-awards-writers-strike-waiver-options-1235486496/

We should know more on Monday after this meeting. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 3:08pm

ACL2006 said: "straight up canceled seems unlikely. Postponed? Probably. But then expect that when the ceremonies actually happen to have a good majority of the shows closed whenever it happens."

 

Postponement is also extremely unlikely.  The shows that are in most need of Tony exposure are produced by a lot of heavy hitters -- the Shuberts, David Stone, Tom Kirdahy, Jordan Roth, etc.  They have a big stake in getting something on the air in June.

[lapinitsa]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 3:12pm

JSquared2 said: "The shows that are in most need of Tony exposure are produced by a lot of heavy hitters -- the Shuberts, David Stone, Tom Kirdahy, Jordan Roth, etc. They have a big stake in getting something on the air in June."

 

Okay, but under these circumstances what sort of TONY exposure could that possibly be that would do any good?

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 3:24pm

lapinitsa said: "Okay, but under these circumstances what sort of TONY exposure could that possibly be that would do any good?"

This is the thing that nobody knows the answer to. It's all guesswork. There's no hard number of how long a Best Musical win can sustain a show. 

For something like LEOPOLDSTADT, the difference might be negligible after the losses they've sustained up to this point, as it ends first week of July.

COMPANY's many wins last year did not help it...but Platt and Groban are bigger names than anyone in COMPANY.

In the event that SOME LIKE IT HOT wins Best Musical, that could give it another year.

If KIMBERLY wins Best Musical, that might sustain it through the summer but maybe not to the one-year mark.

A good musical performance on the Tonys could also help shows like SHUCKED and NYNY which are unlikely to win in any major categories.

Updated On: 5/12/23 at 03:24 PM

[BETTY22]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 3:36pm

If it goes ahead will anyone show up?

Will they need to cross a WGA line to get in?

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 3:53pm

JSquared2 said: "Postponement is also extremely unlikely. The shows that are in most need of Tony exposure are produced by a lot of heavy hitters -- the Shuberts, David Stone, Tom Kirdahy, Jordan Roth, etc. They have a big stake in getting something on the air in June."

Totally correct. Now, take off your gloves and socks and start counting votes on the Admin Committee. The League and its members did not did not give up control when they decided to foot the bill. 

And responding to #141, there will be no televised live show. There may not be a live show at all unless someone can figure out how to keep video recording at bay. No one anyone would want to see is going to cross a picket line, nor would any set be built, lights be hung, music be played, etc etc etc

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 4:56pm

I feel like the bare minimum has to be an announcement of the winners (even if just by press release) and taped performances from their own theaters that could be packaged into some TV special. Sure, the ratings would be bad. But these shows could still get their clips out - on youtube, etc while also advertising the Tonys wins. Some of these struggling shows really need something.

A postponement seems like a death knell for some of these shows and would bleed into the next Broadway season plus there's no guarantee it'll be any better in a couple months.

Updated On: 5/12/23 at 04:56 PM

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 5:09pm

Interesting to read this thread and to see all the intricacies that surround this strike.

I'll just say I feel pretty awful for the crews, creatives, and actors involved in this year's shows. Kimberly in particular will likely be decimated without the (assumed) wave of a Tonys sweep. I feel horrible for all the people and shows that will be affected by the cancellation/modification of the Tonys. No one watches them, but the few people who do have the power to drag a special, struggling show to the finish line of recoupment. I would say that is virtually impossible this year. And it's a sad moment for Broadway that after such a fantastic comeback season, this will be the end of it. 4/5 Best Musical nominees could close before Labor Day.

This strike is necessary for the survival of writers. It's been a long time coming, and I doubt it will end anytime soon. Logan said the effect of a few Broadway shows shouldn't be on WGA's mind. I wholeheartedly agree with that statement, as this is truly an existential moment for the WGA. I won't waste tome typing about the "could woulda shoulda" intricacies of how the Tonys could go on. I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the ****ty predicament the 2023 Nominees are in. I know this reads like an obituary for a lot of the shows and we don't know what will happen, but I think we should all come to terms with a summer massacre of the open-ended shows. And that sucks all around.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 5:16pm

As I had said earlier in this thread, if a family is coming to visit NYC they will most likely see a show that has billed itself as a Tony award winner regardless of the category. And, I still stand by my thought. 
 

I will also say that I agree that a telecast could also be helpful too, that the two can go hand in hand. 
 
However, considering that it feels like the ratings for the telecast get lower with each passing year, would missing a year of the telecast they way it’s usually done be that  bad?

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 5:24pm

Sally Durant Plummer said: "Interesting to read this thread and to see all the intricacies that surround this strike.

I'll just say I feel pretty awful for the crews, creatives, and actors involved in this year's shows. Kimberly in particular will likely be decimated without the (assumed) wave of a Tonys sweep. I feel horrible for all the people and shows that will be affected by the cancellation/modification of the Tonys. No one watches them, but the few people who do have the power to drag a special, struggling show to the finish line of recoupment. I would say that is virtually impossible this year. And it's a sad moment for Broadway that after such a fantastic comeback season, this will be the end of it. 4/5 Best Musical nominees could close before Labor Day.

This strike is necessary for the survival of writers. It's been a long time coming, and I doubt it will end anytime soon. Logan said the effect of a few Broadway shows shouldn't be on WGA's mind. I wholeheartedly agree with that statement, as this is truly an existential moment for the WGA. I won't waste tome typing about the "could woulda shoulda" intricacies of how the Tonys could go on. I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the ****ty predicament the 2023 Nominees are in. I know this reads like an obituary for a lot of the shows and we don't know what will happen, but I think we should all come to terms with a summer massacre of the open-ended shows. And that sucks all around."

I agree with some of your sentiment which is why I think some type of pre-taped performance aspect along with knowing the winners has to be considered. If they can get performance clips on YouTube (from their own theater) and advertise it as a Tony performance for a Tony-winning show, that could probably have a similar effect as a regular telecast.

To be honest though, even with a normal Tonys year, I would still think 3/5 Best Musical nominees could be closed by Labor Day (NYNY, Shucked and SLIH or KA - depending on who wins Best Musical, which I still assume will be Kimberly). I would worry that doing nothing (and by that I mean just a press conference or a postponement) would doom these shows to closings even much earlier than Labor Day

Updated On: 5/12/23 at 05:24 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 5:40pm

It appears based on what's been read that the Best New Musical winner will be either Kimberly Akimbo or Some Like It Hot. I think Shucked and New York, New York are done by Labor Day. So the two front runners are the ones holding out hope that the telecast actually happens in some form.

[DaveyG]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 7:24pm

The Tonys will not be televised. Waiver denied by WGA.
 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/tony-awards-will-not-be-televised-writers-strike-1235486990/?fbclid=IwAR3YnFRAI3KLqNbInrAQ_szVz5RqIkcv93Q5T1fFrdxqh8biFr74Usp_mjM

Updated On: 5/12/23 at 07:24 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 7:37pm

One thing to keep in mind regarding the impact of the Tonys in 2023 is that things do not go viral on CBS; they go viral on social media. With no awards, there are no shows to check out, no shows to post about, no shows to argue about. The Broadway audience eclipses the Tonys audience before Easter, and most of the latter only experience Broadway vicariously. Winners in the top categories are essential to the ongoing health.