Nearly two months after it was postponed by COVID-19 lockdowns, negotiations have finally begun on a new contract between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new master contract.
Both sides spoke on Monday prior to entering a media blackout period. The AMPTP said in a statement that its goal “is to reach a fair and reasonable agreement with writers that will provide much-needed stability as the industry recovers from the devastating impact of COVID-19.”
“More importantly, we want to enable those who have suffered the most from the effects of the virus to return to work without the threat of further interruption to their livelihoods,” the statement added.
The WGA released a video from the guild’s negotiating committee to its members saying that it would send emails over the next two weeks outlining major points on its agenda. Among the issues the guild says will be discussed during the talks are “streaming compensation and residuals, benefit contributions, inclusion and equity, workplace protections including against sexual harassment, and specific screenwriter, comedy-variety and TV writer issues.”
Also expected to be discussed during negotiations are possible changes to the WGA health plan, an issue that nearly derailed contract talks after a tense email exchange between AMPTP President Carol Lombardini and WGA lead negotiator David A. Young. The WGA had asked for changes to the earnings requirements to qualify for the health plan to help members who lost jobs to the COVID-19 pandemic. When Lombardini said that she would need to consult with the AMPTP’s member studios, Young called the organization “despicable” in a terse reply.
After speaking with member studios, Lombardini told the WGA that the AMPTP wants to identify how many writers have had their job status affected by the pandemic, saying that many writers have been able to continue their work via remote writing rooms and that other guilds for production positions like SAG-AFTRA have asked for shorter health plan extensions than what the WGA has requested. Lombardini offered to discuss possible eligibility extensions during contract talks.
These talks also come as the AMPTP continues negotiations with SAG-AFTRA, which began on April 27 and are being held via teleconferencing to allow for social distancing. The existing contracts with both guilds expire on June 30.
A new contract was already agreed to prior to the pandemic between the AMPTP and the Directors Guild of America, but it is still not clear how much that contract will serve as the usual benchmark for these current talks as the economic downturn caused by the pandemic has greatly changed the financial outlook for both Hollywood’s studios and its workers. Regardless, discussions surrounding residuals for movies and TV shows made for streaming services is still expected to be the most critical talking point for both guilds. The DGA negotiated a 50% increase in streaming residuals for its members on TV shows and films with budgets of at least $13 million that are made for a service with more than 20 million subscribers in the U.S.
All the Broadway Shows Killed (and Postponed) Due to Coronavirus Shutdown
When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed Broadway theaters on March 12, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York theater scene was heating up ahead of the Tony Awards -- with 31 shows playing and another eight scheduled to begin performances by mid-April. Now the theaters will remain dark until at least September -- and the Tony Awards have been postponed indefinitely. But the uncertainty of when theaters (and Broadway-bound tourists) might return has forced some producers to close shows early -- or push new productions to sometime in the future.
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Closed: "Hangmen"
Martin McDonagh’s new comedy, starring Dan Stevens ("Downton Abbey") and Mark Addy ("Game of Thrones"), announced March 20 it would not reopen after playing 13 preview performances ahead of an expected March 19 official opening.
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Closed: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
The revival of Edward Albee's classic drama, starring Laurie Metcalf and Rupert Everett, had played just nine preview performances before Broadway went dark. With the scheduled April 9 official opening off the table, producers decided to close the show on March 21.
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Postponed: "Flying Over Sunset"
The new musical by composer Tom Kitt ("Next to Normal," pictured), lyricist Michael Korie ("Grey Gardens") and book writer James Lapine ("Into the Woods") was scheduled to begin performances on March 12 ahead of an official April 16 opening. On March 24, the Lincoln Center Theater announced the show's opening would be pushed to the fall -- and then in June pushed it back until spring 2021.
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Postponed: "Birthday Candles"
Noah Haidle's play, starring Debra Messing and Andre Braugher, was due to begin performances in early April. But on March 25, Roundabout Theatre Company announced it would open this fall instead.
Postponed: "Caroline, or Change"
Roundabout also delayed the opening of its revival of the Jeanine Tesori-Tony Kushner musical "Caroline, or Change," starring Sharon D. Clarke in an Olivier Award-winning performance. The show had been set for an April 7 opening at Studio 54.
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Postponed: "How I Learned to Drive"
Manhattan Theatre Club announced on April 7 it was postponing a Mary-Louise Parker-led revival of "How I Learned to Drive" to the 2020-21 season. The Pulitzer-winning drama, with David Morse as co-star, was due to open April 22, just before the cutoff for this year's Tony Awards.
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Closed: "Beetlejuice"
The Tony-nominated musical was being evicted from the Winter Garden Theatre on June 6 (even though ticket sales had dramatically improved over the fall and winter). Now producers are hoping to find a new theater when Broadway opens up, though there's no guarantee that will happen. The adaptation of Tim Burton's 1988 movie played played 27 previews and 366 regular performances.
Postponed: "Plaza Suite"
A new revival of Neil Simon's comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick will now play March 19, 2021 through July 18, 2021. The show had been expected to begin previews at the Hudson Theater on March 13, the day after theaters were shut down.
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Postponed: "MJ"
The new Michael Jackson musical, starring Tony nominee Ephraim Sykes as the late King of Pop, had been planning to begin performances in July for an August opening. But now it's pushed back its debut to next spring, with a new opening night set for April 15, 2021.
Closed: "Frozen"
Disney's stage version of the animated hit "Frozen" became the first long-running show to close due to the pandemic. The Tony-nominated show opened in March 2018 and played 825 performances and 26 previews.
Postponed: "The Music Man"
A new revival of the classic musical starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster was set to begin performances in September for an official opening on Oct. 15. But in June, the production announced that the opening night would be pushed back to
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Closed: "Mean Girls"
The musical, which Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond adapted from Fey's 2004 movie, opened in April 2018 and played 805 performances before the pandemic shut it down. On Jan. 7, 2011, producers announced the show would not reopen.
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Postponed: The Tony Awards
Since there's no word yet on when Broadway performances might resume, the Broadway League on March 25 indefinitely postponed this year's Tony Awards, which had been scheduled for June 7 at Radio City Music Hall. Though nominations were announced in October 2020, no date has been set for the ceremony.
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”The Music Man“ with Hugh Jackman and other shows won’t reopen until 2021
When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed Broadway theaters on March 12, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York theater scene was heating up ahead of the Tony Awards -- with 31 shows playing and another eight scheduled to begin performances by mid-April. Now the theaters will remain dark until at least September -- and the Tony Awards have been postponed indefinitely. But the uncertainty of when theaters (and Broadway-bound tourists) might return has forced some producers to close shows early -- or push new productions to sometime in the future.