How The Writer's Strike Has Complicated Uptown's First Tony Awards

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Members of the Writer's Guild went on strike May 2 over securing a better contract, specifically surrounding stronger compensation when it comes to streaming platforms.

The ramifications of this strike have been widespread, including on the Tony Awards slated for Washington Heights' United Palace Theatre on June 11.

The Writer's Guild and the world of Broadway do not usually overlap, but they do when it comes to the Tony Awards.

The Tony Awards are broadcast on CBS, Paramount+ and Pluto TV, and are thus governed by the Writer's Guild.

When the WGA first went on strike in May, the Tony Awards asked for an exception for their broadcast, but were denied.

At that point it looked like the first ever Tony Awards to take place in Washington Heights might not happen.

• Meet The TV, Film Writers Picketing At LIC's Silvercup Studios
• Writers Strike: Hollywood Stars Picket With Writers At Hudson Yards

However, a week later, the Tony Awards were granted permission to broadcast because the award show organizers, Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, agreed to conform to specific requests from the WGA.

“As they have stood by us, we stand with our fellow workers on Broadway who are impacted by our strike,” the Writer's Guild said in a decision about its choice to allow the Tony Award's to go on.

It is unclear what the full list of these conformities are, but what we do know is that the show won't have its previously written script, and a rap song written by Washington Heights native Lin-Manuel Miranda for the show's host Ariana DeBose will not take place, reported the New York Times.

Debose is still slated to host the unscripted uptown show.

The Tony Awards might still be happening, but who shows up to the Washington Heights theater is an entirely different matter.

The Writer's Guild had previously said it would not picket the award show due to its organizers agreeing to changes in solidarity with the writers, but it is also asking its members not to attend in person.

“We understand that the theater community depends on the enthusiasm and visibility generated by a televised awards show, but this is still a television production on a struck network, so we are asking Guild members not to attend the ceremony in person,” reads the notice obtained by Broadway News.

Multiple nominees for different Tony Awards are Writer's Guild members, including Martyna Majok, Jeremy O'Harris, Amber Ruffin, and Sara Bareilles.

It is unclear what the ramifications would be for a WGA member that did attend the Washington Heights show.