Will Summer Theater Go On Amid the Strike?

Litchfield County, Conn., resident and actress Christine Baranski marched on the SAG-AFTRA picket line at Rockefeller Center in New York City on July 20.
Photo by Scott Matheny
In November 2007, when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike, the results were instantaneous and obvious. Can the same be said today?
For the four months in 2007-08 that writers walked out of their offices, network television, the primary form of TV long before anyone used the word “streaming,” went completely dark. Big-ratings hits simply went off the air. During that long winter, Thursday night viewers of “Grey’s Anatomy” had to… pick up a book. Now 16 years later, as a new writers' strike goes on, the ramifications are perhaps less disruptive to the public, regardless of the increased media attention and awareness. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+ are still releasing a library's worth of new series filmed in advance, even if the writers — and now the actors — can’t promote them. On a local level, there is the question: if the stars in Los Angeles and New York are holding picket signs, how can any actors appear in regional summer stock this year?
As of the writing of this article, WGA is continuing the strike that began on May 2, effectively shutting down productions that relied on writers' rooms — from scripted series to late-night talk shows — following an ongoing labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). A major source of tension has been establishing a minimum wage income and residual payment for writers working on shows contracted by a streaming platform as well as stipulations over the use of artificial intelligence programs.
Joining the writers' strike on July 14, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) in turn publicly launched its complaints with AMPTP. In June, Rolling Stone reported it had obtained a letter from SAG declaring intentions to strike if negotiations could not be settled, which was signed by over three hundred actors, including Salisbury, Conn., residents Meryl Streep and Laura Linney. In a bulletin released on July 17, when the strike had officially moved forward, SAG-AFTRA declared, “Here’s the simple truth: We’re up against a system where those in charge of multibillion-dollar media conglomerates are rewarded for exploiting workers.”
The dissonance between what's streaming and what's happening in real-time can seem strange. On Friday, July 14, as SAG-AFTRA officially went on strike, the second season of Amazon's series "The Summer I Turned Pretty," co-starring Sharon, Conn., resident and actress Kyra Sedgwick, was released to stream. Instead of promoting the show, four days later on Tuesday, July 18, Sedgwick was with her husband, actor Kevin Bacon, sign in hand at the picket line in New York. "I'm happy [the strike is] happening because I think it's been a long time coming," Sedgwick said to Deadline.
Professional theatrical actors, like those on the stages of Broadway and contracted by smaller theaters in The Berkshires for the summer season, operate under a different union from SAG-AFTRA — the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA). Notably, per the strike rules issued by SAG-AFTRA in an official bulletin, while actors in the union are prohibited from attending film premieres, awards shows, film festivals, or promoting their work through interviews with the press or social media posts, actors best known for their film/television work can continue to honor their AEA contracts with theater productions, from Broadway to summer stock. For now, at least, the shows go on.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.
Downtown Millerton
MILLERTON — Voter turnout in the Village of Millerton dropped sharply in 2025, with just 58 ballots cast in this year’s village election — less than a third of the record turnout seen just two years earlier.
The election on June 17 marked a stark contrast to 2023, when signs littered the intersection of Route 22 and Route 44 and 208 voters headed to the polls to decide a competitive mayoral race between incumbent Jenn Najdek and challenger Kelly Kilmer. That year also featured two contested trustee positions and generated the highest turnout in at least five years.
This year’s ballot looked much different. All three candidates — Mayor Jenn Najdek, Trustee David Sherman, and newcomer Katie Cariello — ran unopposed. With no contested races, just 57 voters turned out, plus one absentee ballot and one spoiled ballot.
Participation in village elections has fluctuated significantly over the past five years, often correlating with whether races were contested.
An uncontested trustee race during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 saw unusually low turnout with just 17 ballots cast. The 2022 election, which also featured two unopposed trustee candidates, saw a more typical 135 ballots.
Years with competitive mayoral or trustee races saw spikes in participation. In 2021, 147 voters turned out, followed by a special runoff one week later that drew 157 ballots after a tied trustee race. During that race, three trustees ran for two seats, with David Sherman and Laurie Kerr ultimately elected.
The most recent contested election in 2024 drew 122 voters. Matthew Hartzog, Matthew Soleau and Kelly Kilmer ran, with Hartzog and Soleau elected. While that marked a dip from the previous year, it was still more than double the number who turned out this year.
While elections in small villages like Millerton often see modest turnout, the wide swings from year to year suggest that competitive races — and clearer distinctions between candidates — play a major role in mobilizing voters.
Despite the lack of competition, this year’s election produced a few notable results. Trustee David Sherman led all candidates with 52 votes, including 13 on the Republican line and 39 on the Democratic. Mayor Najdek was re-elected with 47 votes — 41 on the Democratic line and six on the Republican. Newcomer Katie Cariello received 39 votes — 34 Democratic and five Republican. There were also four write-ins for mayor and three for trustee.