League of Resident Theatres
| Formation | 18 March 1966 |
|---|---|
| Type | Theater association |
| Location | |
Official language | English |
| Website | www |
The League of Resident Theatres (LORT) is the largest professional theater association of its kind in the United States, with 75 member theaters located in every major market in the U.S., including 29 states and the District of Columbia. LORT members collectively issue more Equity contracts to actors than Broadway and commercial tours combined.[1]
LORT serves as a way for member resident theaters, also called regional theaters, to bargain collectively with Actors' Equity Association, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and United Scenic Artists, as well as other major labor unions in the entertainment industry.
LORT was formed by the largest of regional theatres to combat unions.[2]: 244 Membership is restricted to US theatres considered as "non-profit" by the Internal Revenue Service[3]
History
[edit]The League of Resident Theatres was formally established on 18 March 1966 by Peter Zeisler, managing director of the Minnesota Theatre Company (a.k.a. the Guthrie Theater), Thomas Fichandler, general manager of Arena Stage, and Morris Kaplan, an attorney. Peter Zeisler was appointed the first president, with Thomas Finchandler as vice president and William Bushnell, manager of Baltimore's Center Stage, as secretary. There were 26 member theaters at the organization's founding. Until then resident theater troupes negotiated individual contracts with Equity; most of them used modifications of commercial theater contracts. In some instances the theaters operated under the terms of Equity's new stock contract, however, resident theater managers have long felt burdened by what they call Equity's "one production" type of contract used on Broadway.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Drotar, Stephanie (2012). "About LORT". Lort.org. League of Resident Theatres. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ Wilmeth, Don B.; Bigsby, Christopher (1998). The Cambridge History of American Theatre. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-66959-7.
In response, the largest regional houses formed a collective bargaining alliance, the LORT, to combat the unions. LORT, which represents approximately one-third of regional theatres (including several in New York City) negotiated its first contract in 1966 with Actor's Equity.
- ^ Donahue, Tim; Patterson, Jim (4 August 2020). Stage Money: The Business of the Professional Theater. Univ of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-64336-075-1.
- ^ Calta, Louis "26 Stage Troupes Form League to Bargain With Actors Equity" New York Times 4 April 1966, pg. 26.