"Assignment clauses in leases on restaurant space are usually much more flexible than for most other commercial leases."

The guild's sticking point is still the assignment clause, which determines who will handle a play's commercial future - the playwright or the non-profit theater.

Michael J. Wolfe, president of Midboro Management, a Manhattan property management company, said that insurance, warranties, assignment clauses and contract terms are the areas upon which he focuses attention.

In recent major leases, sublease and assignment clauses have been running to 10 or 15 pages, and escalation clauses can also be that long, said Martin D. Polevoy, a partner at Bachner Talley Polevoy & Misher.

Areas of Contention Mr. Stone said the areas of contention are an author's right to exercise artistic approval, including the choice of director and cast, and the modification of the assignment clause, which gives a theater the right to produce a play commercially without the author's consent.