[title]
The curtain may be about to fall—off-stage. Broadway’s actors and stage managers are inching closer to a strike, a move that could dim the lights on 32 shows right as peak theater season kicks into gear.
At the heart of the drama is healthcare. Actors’ Equity Association, the union representing about 900 Broadway performers and stage managers, says the Broadway League—the group that speaks for producers and theater owners—hasn’t budged on boosting contributions to the union’s health fund. Those contributions haven’t been raised in more than a decade, and Equity leaders warn the fund could hit a deficit by May.
RECOMMENDED: The best Broadway shows to see right now
“Asking our employers to care for our bodies and to pay their fair share toward our health insurance is not only reasonable and necessary, it’s an investment they should want to make toward the long-term success of their businesses,” said Brooke Shields, who was recently elected president of Actors’ Equity, per Reuters. She even recalled dancing on a torn meniscus for three months—proof, if you needed it, that Broadway really is blood, sweat and tears.
Union members are also calling for more humane schedules and safe staffing levels backstage. One ensemble member of The Lion King described rupturing her Achilles tendon mid-performance and later relying on union health insurance for treatments not covered by workers’ comp. “Without really good health insurance, it’s difficult for us to do our jobs,” she told Reuters.
On the other side, the Broadway League is playing the role of calm negotiator, emphasizing that talks are ongoing. “We are continuing good-faith negotiations with Actors’ Equity to reach a fair agreement that works for Broadway shows, casts, crews and the millions of people from around the world who come to experience Broadway,” the group said in a statement.
Both sides have agreed to mediation and another bargaining session on October 8. But the union has already authorized a strike and is circulating pledge cards at stage doors, signaling that performers are serious about trading costumes for picket signs.
If it happens, this would be Broadway’s first major Actors’ Equity strike since 1968, when the mayor of New York had to step in after three days of shuttered shows. Half a century later, the stakes—and the healthcare costs—are higher. For now, the show goes on. But keep an eye on those marquees: The next big Broadway opening could be a picket line.