Broadway Strike - Day Nineteen: Update: Talks are ongoing, but League cancels evening performances for 28 Nov.

Update: 28 Nov 3:30pm

Broadway Strike - Day nineteen: Update: Talks are ongoing, but League cancels evening performances for 28 Nov. League issues following statement a short while ago,

As you know, the talks between the League and Local One resumed this morning and are ongoing. Due to the complexities of getting a show up and re-running, Wednesday evening�s performances for the affected shows have been canceled, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations. We will keep you updated.

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As the strike by Local One, Broadway's unionised stage hands enters its nineteenth day, the League and the Union once again meet for talks, with expectations higher than ever that the strike will soon be over.

The present round of talks began on 25 Nov 2007 with both sides confident that an agreement would be reached. The first round of talks ended after 20 hours and an announcement that they would resume again after a twelve hour break. This news was greeted as a good omen that, even though progress was slow, an agreement was close.

The two sides returned to the negotiation table at 7pm on Mon 26 Nov, but after twelve hours of talks there was still no agreement. At the end of that meeting the League issued the following statement,

The League of American Theatres and Producers and Local One talked through the night and were unable to reach an agreement. No further talks are scheduled. Performances will be cancelled through Wednesday's matinees.

The news that no further talks were scheduled crushed expectations, but there was still hope that a new round of talks may take place as the League had only cancelled show through to Wed 28 Nov matinees.

That hope was soon rewarded when within the hour the League issued a second statement,

The League of American Theatres and Producers and Local One talked through the night and were unable to reach an agreement. Talks will resume tomorrow (Wednesday, November 28) at 10 a.m. Performances are cancelled through Wednesday's matinees

So now Broadway waits, and hopes that expectations of an agreement will this time be rewarded.

Before entering the talks today, President of the Nederlander Organization told NY1, "As optimistic as I was the other day, I'm equally as optimistic we'll have it done today. I've been wrong, but I swear to you, I believe we will have a deal finished today." Charlotte St. Martin, the executive director of the League, was equally upbeat. "We made a lot of progress yesterday, and we're looking forward to getting a deal today."

May be today will be the day that Broadway announces that the Great White Way is once again fully open for business.

Broadway Strike! - Day one
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Broadway Strike! - Day five
Broadway Strike! - Day six
Broadway Strike! - Day seven
Broadway Strike! - Day eight
Broadway Strike! - Day nine
Broadway Strike! - Day tenth
Broadway Strike! - Day eleven
Broadway Strike! - Day twelve
Broadway Strike! - Day thirteen
Broadway Strike! - Day fourteen
Broadway Strike! - Day fifteen
Broadway Strike! - Day sixteen
Broadway Strike! - Day seventeen
Broadway Strike! - Day eighteen

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