FMCS Director Allison Beck issued the following statement today on the announcement of a tentative agreement between Actors’ Equity and the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers, covering six major, nonprofit theatrical companies and about 100 commercial producers:
“This tentative agreement is a great relief for theatre lovers everywhere and means that the show will go on in Off-Broadway venues. The parties worked through some extremely complex issues in these lengthy and difficult negotiations. At FMCS, we are especially grateful to the representatives of Actors’ Equity and the Off-Broadway League for their patience, their perseverance, and their commitment to the process of collective bargaining.”
“I also want to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of Javier Ramirez, FMCS Director of Field Programs and Innovation and New York-based Commissioner David Thaler,” she said. “They worked around the clock, putting in many long hours, to make certain these negotiations reached a positive outcome for the parties involved.”
In accordance with FMCS practice and consistent with the requirements of mediator confidentiality, FMCS will have no further comment on the details of the agreement or the substance of the negotiations.