Dispatches From The Picket Lines: Zachary Quinto Calls Studios “Dismissive And Disrespectful To Us”; Sarah Paulsen & Jessica Lange Also Join SAG-AFTRA Strikers In NYC

deadline.com:

This is Day 96 of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Zachary Quinto, Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange joined a SAG-AFTRA picket Tuesday in New York City as members of their union paid tribute to the strike captains who have run the picket lines at multiple locations in Manhattan during the past 96 days, including the week since talks between striking actors and the studios collapsed.

With them at the morning rally in front of NBCUniversal headquarters at Rockefeller Plaza was another union crew: members and staff of Broadway’s theatrical Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). “What you are fighting for — fair wages, participation in success and the stewarding of your craft — are all things the members of SDC understand,” the union’s executive director, Laura Penn, told picketers.  RELATED: “It’s Preposterous!” SAG-AFTRA’s Duncan Crabtree-Ireland On Ted Sarandos’ Claim Of Union Seeking “Levy On Subscribers”; Praises Taylor Swift The 3,275-member SDC is in contract talks with the Broadway League, the trade association representing theater owners and theatrical producers, and thus far has not authorized a strike. “It’s a tough environment to be making a deal,” Penn told Deadline earlier, alluding to Broadway’s post-Covid box office struggles.

But she credited a surge in labor activism nationally, SAG-AFTRA included, with steeling the SDC’s members for negotiations. “The activation of the labor movement in this country is absolutely present in our sense of self,” Penn said, “and it has also strengthened our members’ resolve to articulate and put on the table what our needs are.” The SAG-AFTRA strike captains — who handle daily setup and tear-down of picket lines and keep marchers moving and on message — were hailed by the