THEATER STRIKE AVERTED : UNION, PRODUCERS REACH ACCORD

Tentative agreement was reached Thursday between Actors’ Equity Assn. and the League of Resident Theaters on a new three-year contract, averting a threatened strike that would have begun at midnight Sunday.

Both the union and producers’ negotiating teams said they would strongly recommend the contract to Equity’s governing council and membership and to the league. Both groups must ratify the contract.

Key issues since negotiations began June 19 were the reorganization of theater-company categories and related use of non-professionals; housing; equal employment for ethnic minority members; sufficient stage managerial staffing; salaries and benefits.

Attorney Morris Kaplan, representing the League of Resident Theaters, and Equity Executive Secretary Alan Eisenberg said details of the proposed new contract will be released after notification of the respective memberships.

Officials said ratification would take about a month. Assuming both organizations ratify the pact, it would become effective Monday. The league represents more than 70 theaters nationwide. Sixteen independent theaters also operate under league contracts. Equity has 36,000 members in the United States, about 1,000 of which may be working under the league contract at any given time.

For the first time in Equity history, more actors have worked under league contracts in the past season than were employed under Broadway production contracts.

Theaters in Los Angeles affected by these negotiations are the new Los Angeles Theatre Center, the L.A. Public Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum and the L.A. Stage Company.

Other California theaters include: the American Conservatory Theatre (San Francisco), the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Berkeley Shakespeare Festival (an independent theater working under a league contract), the California Repertory Theatre (Monterey), the La Jolla Playhouse, the Long Beach Civic Light Opera, the Old Globe Theatre (San Diego), the San Jose Repertory Company and South Coast Repertory (Costa Mesa).