Amber Riley Says She Won't Perform on Broadway Until 'the Culture Changes'

Amber Riley is opening up about her decision not to do theater in New York City, pointing out industry standards that are "not sustainable." In a new post on Threads, the Glee alum shares that she will not do Broadway until the "culture changes."

Responding to a post regarding stating that NYC theatre standards "can’t be sustainable nor healthy," Riley offered her opinion on the matter. She elaborated that no matter how much training you have, eight shows a week "without proper support or compensation" is not sustainable for performers.

"It’s not. That’s why when people hassle me about it, I say when the culture changes maybe I’ll do it. But as of now, asking people to sing at the top of their range 8 shows a week without proper support or compensation, absolutely not. You can have all the training in the world, which I do, and you can STILL injure. It’s not sustainable or healthy. Any ENT doctor will tell you that."

The multi-hyphenate performer received critical acclaim for her performance as 'Effie White' in the 2016 West End revival of Dreamgirls. In 2017, she took home the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance.

Riley achieved international stardom for her performance as 'Mercedes' on the hit musical series Glee. She also won season 17 of Dancing with the Stars and was featured as 'Addaperle' in NBC's The Wiz Live!