IATSE Challenges Kennedy Center While UK Touring Theatre Faces Deepening Crisis

This week's theater news spans awards season milestones, legal disputes, labor tensions, and the business challenges facing the art form on both sides of the Atlantic. The 2026 Tony nominations are in �' with Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys leading the pack. Voting is also now open for BroadwayWorld's own Theater Fans' Choice Awards. On a more turbulent note, a fire at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre has shuttered The Book of Mormon through at least May 17, a second lawsuit has been filed against the producers of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, and IATSE is accusing the Kennedy Center of using its upcoming temporary closure as cover to permanently eliminate union jobs. Regionally, The Naples Players have secured a multi-year grant to expand paid apprenticeships for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And internationally, The Stage examines whether the UK touring sector �' where the number of touring plays has fallen 64% since 2019 �' can find a path forward through its mounting financial and structural pressures.

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/industry/article/Industry-Pro-Newsletter-IATSE-Takes-on-the-Kennedy-Center-and-Touring-Theatres-Crisis-in-the-UK-Deepens-20260511)._