The New York Times: Broadway is facing a possible strike this fall as two of its major labor unions — the one representing actors and stage managers and the one representing musicians — are simultaneously in negotiations for new contracts with the industry’s commercial producers.
11 comments:
I heard about this possible strike in one of my classes and had a lot of questions. My first thought was oh no I have plans to go to New York this winter what does that mean for that trip because I am not going to go if Broadway is shut down. And my second thought selfishly was oh good let them go and fight for better benefits before I have to join the union. Deciding when to join the union is already tough enough but adding a strike to it makes it even more stressful. I started thinking about the seniors who are getting ready to graduate and in theory joining the union. However, I do think this is important and we should always strike when needs are not being met. Something that caught my eye was the need for more stand-by stage managers. I think it is such an important one that is often overlooked. I will keep my eyes on this and see where it goes.
Actors are the reason broadway exists, no one thing can replace them, not even robots. They are the reason theatre can even exist. Without actors and technicians, broadway and theatre would not be here, ever. I was pretty shocked when finding out the theatre owners and producers are trying to cut costs even more, mostly with actors, and not be willing to accept the actors' negotiations. It’s not unreasonable demands either, it seems pretty reasonable. They seem to want healthcare, which is reasonable because how bad american healthcare system is, and how expensive it, along with wanting better pay, which with the rising cost of everything in the US, is very reasonable. It will be very interesting to see how fast the producers change their mind after broadway stops making money due to a strike. I suspect the strike will last maybe a week at most, before the strike ends because producers realize they just wont make money if they dont want to keep their people happy and actually cared for.
I first heard about this strike a week or so ago, and I was definitely interested in reading an update about it. I really enjoyed how in-depth this article went (to the extent of what has been announced to the public), especially since basically all I had previously heard was a general description of “pay raises and health benefits.” I also had no idea that the musicians' union was also in the same situation as Actors’ Equity. I thought it was interesting that the Broadway League has not really commented at all besides a generic statement. A Broadway strike would obviously be a huge deal and affect so many more people, both on and off the stage with how many different people are involved in the Broadway economy. I definitely hope that a consensus is reached without a strike, since a strike would cause some serious shockwaves throughout Broadway, and probably cause several shows to close prematurely.
Broadway exists because of the performers, technicians, and musicians that make it happen. While I understand that costs for making shows are high right now, costs are high for everyone, not just Broadway. New York is an incredibly expensive city to live in so it’s especially important there that the people making shows happen are given the compensation that they deserve. Someone working on Broadway shouldn’t need to worry about whether they can pay medical bills. I can understand that with the thinner profit margins since covid producers are trying to cut costs to ensure that Broadway stays profitable but people go to the shows to see the talent, Broadway will be even less profitable if the people making it happen need to go elsewhere to get the compensation they need to support themselves. I can only hope that the negotiations go well and this is resolved without further issues.
I think that there are rising costs everywhere that make coming to the bargaining table harder for both sides. Don't get me wrong, I figure that AEA and the musician's Guild, although I forget their name, are in the right and should continue this fight. Considering tariffs, and economic uncertainty, and people being more cautious to put money down on things like live entertainment, in addition to the growing price of tickets making entertainment less accessible to a lot of patrons, I can also sort of understand where the Broadway league is coming from. However, I do believe that fighting for better healthcare coverage is a noble cause. At the same time, in my ideal world this would be covered by universal healthcare, so that no one would have to worry about whether or not they could afford to see the doctor, especially when we’re already so busy in this industry that it’s easy to push through and ignore the signals your body is sending you.
I remember hearing about this strike and not really being able to place what it would be about, so I’m glad I found this article. It really does give me more insight and understanding about the situation, and I really hope that things are sorted out by the time I am in the industry (though I highly doubt they will be, we are all drama people at the end of the day). However, it’s always good to hope for the best. I do understand that post-pandemic, both movie theaters and theater theaters have taken a massive hit in terms of audience numbers and thus profits and money. However, that does not change the fact that it is extremely expensive to live in New York City, and thus the employees working on the productions need to be paid enough to be able to live there. If the cast and crew don’t have the money to live in New York City, how can they be expected to work there? That’s not to mention all the other issues that are brought up in the article. Overall, I just hope it's sorted out.
I first heard about this possible strike a couple days ago and to be completely honest I am not surprised that this is a possibility even though I initially had no clue what it could be about. The cost for making shows right now is high for just about any theatre, whether it be highschool, college, or professional. I am not surprised that it’s difficult right now either since the theatre hubs of the United States are all fairly populated cities that have a high cost of living. There were a few things in this article that really caught my eye, one of them being that the Musicians Union was in basically the same position as Actors equity right now. Another thing I thought was interesting was the need for more standby stage managers, which makes sense if the stage managers were striking and shows still needed to be put on.
I had heard rumblings in the air about a potential Broadway strike, and I was curious about it and wanted to learn more, especially because I hadn't seen a news page article about it yet, so I'm glad that one is here too, so I can comment on it. I always have mixed feelings about the potential of a strike. On one hand, I want to support the artists who are leading the strike for whatever their cause is, but I also can't help but think of the people who struggle significantly financially every time a strike occurs. Also, on a slightly selfish note, I am seeing my friend in New York over fall break, and I had hoped to see some theater, and if they are on strike, then that will not happen, but all is well if it does. I hope that Actors’ Equity can resolve this conflict before it leads to a strike.
What interested me most about the topics that are in the negotiations for this contract are those relating to certain claims of absenteeism from actors from both sides of the table and the surrounding concerns about those issues. To be frank, the rise in actors calling out for illness after the wake of the COVID pandemic does not feel like actors in general taking advantage of the situation (I do not claim there are none that do this), but instead a necessary correction to the pace and expectation of our business that the show must always go on, regardless of personal circumstance or state of health. I would much rather have actors and stagehands alike have the option to take a step back as needed when their health is in poor condition and agree with Actor’s Equity about there proposed changes to better support the health and wellbeing of their members through these contract negotiations.
Now that we read the play “Sweat” in Foundations to Drama, whenever there is an article about unions that is literally the only thing I can think about (Thanks TJ for infecting my brain with interesting plays lol). I feel like it is complicated because the theater industry is still feeling the impact of Covid and a lot of of shows, especially on Broadway, are struggling to break even. That being said, it is so important to have protections for artists and professionals. I feel like something that is so present when it comes to being a working artist is that a lot of people expect you to do work for free and be taken advance of because you are doing something you love. I think people tend to not see the arts as a legitimate profession and that is really frustrating. Like the amount of times I have told someone I am in school for drama and they ask me what my “backup” plan is remarkable. You don’t ask the same questions to pre-law, business, and STEM majors. I mean god forbid people want safe and supportive working conditions.
This was very interesting to read, especially after Broadway musicians voted to authorize a strike. It was also very disappointing in many ways. To hear that producers specifically contribute less to Broadway actors’ health insurance per capita than other union stage actors was shocking. You could easily expect that somewhere that isn’t the theatre hub of the country, but in New York is very disappointing. I’m glad that they are sticking up for themselves, as the cost to live in New York is incredibly high and actors, stage managers, and musicians are absolutely essential to theatre. I think hiring more swings is a great idea for more support of these productions as well. I already believe that a great disparity of wealth is unjust, so since it’s negatively impacting Broadway artists, I very much stand with them. I hope they come to a deal that accommodates them and treats everyone fairly.
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