Some West End shows could ‘go dark’ as Equity members push back on potential conflicts | West End

Some big ones West End shows could be forced to close temporarily during “unrest” in London after union members voted to go on strike over a dispute over pay and conditions.

A poll showing that the sports union, Equity, was strongly supported by its membership: 98% voted yes to the possible strike. The result means that the union now has the right to have a valid vote on the company’s operations.

A recent report on British theater found that the need for exercise was it has never been higher. Last year, 37 million people attended shows around the UK and over 17 million did so in the West End.

Despite the audience, theater producers are facing financial problems after the production cost twice in ten years. Ticket prices in London remain the same much lower than Broadway.

Equity’s general secretary, Paul W Fleming, said: “The West End has had a huge success for three years.

Equity and Society of London Theater (Solt) have been negotiating a multi-year contract from December 2025, but it has come to a standstill over wages, holidays and how injuries are handled.

The union has proposed that its members will increase their salaries by 7% every year for the next three years. It also mandates better vacation and sick pay if a worker is injured on the job.

Fleming said he hopes the company’s actions can be avoided, as it was in 2023but if it happens it does not mean that the whole of the West End will “go dark”; instead the big week shows that they were economic drivers for the manufacturers should have been monitored.

Equity has around 1,000 members, including actors and stage managers in the West End working on 44 shows, including hit producers such as Cameron Mackintosh and Sonia Friedman.

If an agreement is not reached when the two sides meet on June 10, then the union can vote on whether they are willing to participate in the strike, which could affect matinees and evening shows on Saturday.

Fleming said: “If Solt doesn’t come back with the proposal that we just voted on our members, then we’re going to vote for him to take action.”

A spokesperson for Solt said: “Strong, good faith discussions are ongoing, and we have already made meaningful progress together on a number of fronts.

“We look forward to our upcoming meeting with the Equity team and remain committed to the process we have agreed upon, and continue productive discussions to reach a sustainable, sustainable agreement as soon as possible.”