Reuters: Broadway actors are preparing to walk off the stage in a strike that would shut down 32 stage productions as theater attendance approaches its peak season, according to their union.
Actors' Equity, a union that represents 900 current Broadway performers and stage managers, said it has yet to reach agreement on a new labor contract with the Broadway League, the trade association that represents theater owners, producers and operators. Negotiations continue, though the three-year contract ended on September 28.
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The health care system in this country has a lot to be improved upon. It is extra unfortunate to have poor health insurance when your entire occupation relies on your health and performance abilities on a daily basis. It must be very stressful to be an actor with poor health insurance. Not only is acting, especially dancing and movement associated with musicals and dance pieces, tough on the body, but so is the stress. The stress load of performing, finding another job, and pressure can lead to many health problems people desperately need insurance for. These problems include needing therapy or psychiatrists, SSRI medications, rehab costs, and more. Any medical problems are pricy, but being pricy on top of an occupation known to be low paying and stable unless you’re at the very top of the pyramid is upsetting. Hopefully their strike encourages some changes. These problems are usually chipped away at over time with small victories from actions like strikes.
It’s honestly insane to me that performers don’t already get health insurance coverage. I find it horrible in American society that higher-paying, low risk jobs give you good insurance, while the jobs with employees that are more likely to need it (such as performers) don’t. Insurance is treated like liquidated money (for example, teachers have high coverage insurance even though their salary is small), and for performers in this case, insurance doesn’t cover enough to justify any amount of low pay. I think “we all want to sustain the magic of Broadway for our audience” is a weird statement for the Broadway League to make. A good way to sustain that magic is by giving performers insurance so they don’t seriously injure themselves from old neglected problems. The idea of a job being difficult or impossible to do without workers’ comp and then employers not compensating their workers is wild.
I definitely understand why they are threatening to strike, and it is for good reason. The fact that actors and stage managers have very poor health insurance is really sad due to the fact as they are the ones who need it most in the industry. I'm not saying that deck crew or designers don't need good health coverage, but when an actor is sick or has sustained an injury, it is likely that they can't and won't be able to perform. This is what understudies and swings or for, but still, the poor coverage may take longer for the injury/sickness to be healed, and may have out-of-pocket charges. We also know that some actors aren't paid the very best, and having to pay out of pocket in one of the most expensive cities in the world is hard. This wouldn't be as big an issue if the nation's healthcare weren't so bad. But because it is and because it is just getting more expensive, the coverage needs to go up, too. Actors are also more likely to be hurt during the job due to the movement they endure 8 shows a week.
Acting, especially for musical theatre, puts great physical strain on actors by its very nature. Not only are the hours long, it often involves lots of physical activity. I believe that when this strain cannot be mitigated it should be compensated. With how expensive medical treatment is currently it is unreasonable to expect actors to fund their own medical expenses for injuries likely contributed to if not caused by their profession. While I understand that the budget must always be carefully managed for any production, refusing to contribute to medical expenses is ultimately short sighted. Broadway is as amazing as it is because of everyone that makes it happen. When even small rural theaters are contributing more to healthcare than Broadway it might leave many performers wondering if Broadway is really the path for them. Not to mention those who are already acting on Broadway. When a trip to the doctor can cause undue financial strain many leave problems until they cannot be ignored leading to worse outcomes than if they had gone to see the doctor when the problem first arose. This has left many performers with medical issues that prevent them from returning to the profession that they love that could have been resolved if they had the resources to go to the doctor early on.
It seems like many entertainment industry contracts are running into problems in the current economic situation, as budgets tighten across the nation. SAG-AFTRA struck fairly recently if I recall correctly, alongside WGA. Actor’s Equity striking wouldn’t be particularly surprising following the aftermath of the earlier strikes, which largely hit Hollywood. Also, the fact that they are fighting over healthcare is simply ridiculous. Healthcare is critical to success in the theatre, so the fact that the theatre owners and producers don’t want to meet the needs of the talent, the group that brings in the money, is absurd. I understand the economic imperative here, but there in order to stage successful shows, theatres need healthy actors. Actor’s Equity being willing to strike over this overscores the seriousness of the situation, as they hold the power to determine whether Broadway operates next week. Hopefully the two parties are able to reach a situation they can agree upon.
I have not heard anything about this strike or healthcare negotiations outside of reading this article. On one hand, I am slightly shocked that actors don’t have great healthcare. The entire job is reliant on these actors being healthy and able to meet the physical demands of their job, and shows can be closed when this isn’t the case. Additionally, many shows are really reliant on the big names of their cast members, which makes it even more challenging when they don’t have those people at peak performance. On the other hand, it’s unfortunately not surprising that the Broadway League is lacking in providing sufficient support to its actors. Reading the statement from the Lion King actor who tore her Achilles tendon was really tragic, since it seems to just be another example of the Broadway League caring about the profit of the shows, and not enough about the actors doing the shows.
The article about Broadway actors preparing to strike made me think a lot about how hard people in theater work and how little they often get in return. I have spent so much time around theater and know how exhausting the schedule can be, both physically and emotionally. Reading that actors and stage managers are fighting for fair pay and healthcare felt like something that has been a long time coming. It shows how much the system depends on people’s passion and how easily that can be taken advantage of. I think many people see Broadway as glamorous, but the truth is that it only shines because of the effort of hundreds of people behind the scenes. This article reminded me that art and fairness should always go hand in hand. Without treating artists with respect, the entire spirit of theater loses its meaning.
I remember during the peak of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in 2023 wondering if Broadway would follow suit and seeing articles discussing that possibility. Although the WGA strike is still ongoing in certain aspects of the film industry and hasn’t come to a complete consensus, they gained a lot of media attention and public support. With this strike, I wish the same for the Broadway actors as they prepare for their strike. It’s insane to me that what many theatre-enthusiasts see as the best and most prominent place to be in theatre still doesn’t guarantee any health insurance security to the people who make theatre what it is. This just goes to show the extent of corporate greed in the United States, even when it comes to art and not blue-collar workers. This is such a difficult time in our country, both politically and economically, so nothing is more important in determining the outcome of this strike than supporting the actors participating in it, advocating on their behalf and wishing them the best in the following negotiations.
It’s so tragic this balancing act we need to keep in the arts, there’s just not enough money in the industry. Period. In the same breath, to continue creating quality work, the health and safety of the people involved is the most important thing to creating theater. That has to be the priority. And while it sucks that Equity has to strike to prove this point, they need their health covered to survive. But it sucks for the theaters, because they need the actors for the shows to make the money to pay the actors, which all ends up being an issue that needs to be addressed through the theater’s finances. While it sucks, nobody’s handing over any more money to theaters. While systematically the issue is in how much money gets distributed to the arts, the only thing within their control is their own budget. Especially more commercial theater companies, that massive flow of money needs to be placed strategically and keeping everyone alive and well has to be at the top of the list.
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