Lockout Update: "Highly Likely"

A more recent, and presumably more authoritative, update from the Times and the Post.

NYT, as of 9:30am, now calls a lockout "highly likely."

Riedel, meanwhile, lays out the crux of the matter:

The League of American Theatres and Producers yesterday presented what it termed a "final offer" - including a 16 percent wage increase over five years - to Local 1, the stagehands union, which gave it a chilly reception.

"In response, the union has offered only minimal changes for load-ins and virtually no changes for running shows," said league head Charlotte St. Martin.

He adds: "The union has said that while it's flexible on other terms, it will not change its load-in stance."

Well, given the producers are all about the load-ins, this don't seem to be going nowhere right now.

On the bright side, tonight's shows are safe. Riedel says the lockout could be as early as tomorrow, but not sooner.

Stay tuned.