Broadway actors are preparing to exit the stage in a strike that would shutter more than 30 productions ahead of its peak season.
Actors’ Equity, a union representing 900 performers and stage managers in New York’s iconic theatre scene, said a walkout was on the cards due to a dispute over healthcare.
It’s negotiating with the Broadway League, a trade body representing theatre owners, producers, and operators. A previous three-year contract expired earlier this week.
The union wants the league to increase its contribution to its healthcare fund, which is expected to fall into a deficit before next May. The rate of contributions has remained unchanged for more than a decade.
Actors’ Equity president Brooke Shields said: “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.”
She added: “There are no Broadway shows without healthy Broadway actors and stage managers. And there are no
healthy actors and stage managers without safe workplaces and stable health insurance.”
The Broadway League said it was “continuing good-faith negotiations” to “reach a fair agreement” that works for “shows, casts, crews, and the millions of people from around the world who come to experience Broadway.”
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Should Broadway fall victim to strike action, it would follow in the footsteps of Hollywood – where writers walked out in 2023, curtailing a number of major productions – and the US video game industry in 2025, with concerns around the use of AI a key driver.
Actors’ Equity has not carried out a major strike since 1968, when a three-day dispute shut down 19 shows. An intervention from the New York City mayor helped both sides come to a deal.
