Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting
August 14, 2011
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 1:04 PM by President Chris Grannis. Present were board members Elaine Abbott, Susan Butler, Katie Evans, Caitlyn Stellrecht, Nancy Tintle and Jean Wilhelm. Also attending were Dan Butler, Ben Georgia and Dalton Young (who became a member of Stage East).
Approval of the Minutes: Nancy Tintle moved to accept the minutes of May 1, 2011. The motion to accept the minutes was seconded by Elaine Abbott. The motion was carried unanimously.
Management Committee:
2011 Productions
Butterflies are Free:
Michaelynn Cicere, house manager for this production, had reported to the management committee that Butterflies are Free did an average of 50% overall of house. There was a good amount of students involved. Katie Evans had a question about students’ fees. Chris Grannis said we bill Arts Center for ticket cost of students.
Chris Grannis presented the anonymous post production survey that had been disseminated and asked for feedback. Chris felt the survey should be approved by the board and used for future productions. A motion to accept the form was made by Katie Evans and seconded by Nancy Tintle. Discussion ensued:
Nancy asked about whether the producer is supposed to organize the cast party. Chris pointed out that it’s in the job description for the producer to do that. Chris suggested that the board go over the job descriptions and possibly hone them so that they are less vague.
Having no further discussion the motion was put to a vote and carried unanimously.
Chris commented that the surveys returned pointed to problems in regards to who does what (props person, stage manager, etc.). Another problem area that was mentioned was publicity, especially postering. Chris said that we all should take part in this. Jean Wilhelm stated that in times past, everyone got a pile of posters. Caitlyn Stellrecht said at times this would be done after rehearsals. The surveys also indicated that there were problems with following through. Chris opined that it’s hard to get people to always follow through, this being a volunteer organization. Nancy Tintle felt that if we have an assigned publicity person, it would help with the problem. Dan Butler commented that he thought weekly production meetings may have helped with many of these problems and Chris agreed that that should be a goal for future productions.
Deathtrap:
Chris Grannis reported that she got an e-mail from Lou Esposito (director) asking for a production meeting next week. As agreed to at an earlier meeting, specialized props are to be rented for the play. Chris asked if we should insure them. Elaine Abbott suggested that we find out if they would be insured under EAC’s policy and that, if not, we should see about adding a rider to the policy for the time the props are rented. Nancy Tintle asked about the cast and Chris listed who was in it to the best of her knowledge. There were no further questions.
Winter play:
Caitlyn Stellrecht reported that the final consensus of the ad hoc committee charged with selecting a play was Dashing Through the Snow, a comedy that takes place at an Inn in Tinsel, Texas. Beasley’s Christmas Party was the second choice. No director was attached to the play as that was not part of the committee’s charge. Chris Grannis suggested forming a committee to find a director for the winter play but Nancy Tintle volunteered, as chair of the artistic sub-committee, to find someone to direct.
Sub-Committee Reports
Program Ads:
Jean Wilhelm was responsible for $1500 worth of program ads and the board expressed their appreciation. Jean asked if the advertisers got a copy of the program from Butterflies are Free and it was mentioned that those attending did, but no special effort had been made to see to that. Jean suggested that a hard copy of the program should be hand-delivered to the advertisers. Chris Grannis said that only a few programs were left but that we’d make sure that all of the advertisers would get a copy of the program for Deathtrap.
Season Passes
It was reported that we’ve sold 40 season passes. Two were given away as prizes. It was noted that quite a few past season pass holders did not renew and reasons as to why were discussed. It was also noted that quite a few people donated additional money above the cost of the season passes and Chris Grannis suggested that the secretary should send out thank you notes to those individuals.
Policy Edits
Chris Grannis asked if the job descriptions need to be edited. It was generally seen as a good idea and Chris said she would work on it for a future meeting.
Next Meeting: Yearly Membership Meeting
The next meeting will be for November 13th at 4 PM. This will be the yearly membership meeting and beyond normal business there will be elections of board members and officers. Refreshments were discussed and the idea of a “potluck coordinator” was brought forth. Some names were mentioned as a possible candidate for this position and both Nancy Tintle and Chris Grannis said they would contact these people to gauge interest.
Nomination Committee
As the terms of Elaine Abbott, Michael Brown, Valerie Lawson, Hilda Lewis and Caitlyn Stellrecht are up, it was decided that a nominating committee be formed. Nancy Tintle volunteered to chair the committee and Dalton Young volunteered to serve on the committee. Nancy commented that she would like at least one more member and would try to recruit someone.
Budget Committee:
Treasurer’s Report:
Caitlyn Stellrecht made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Nancy Tintle seconded it. Katie Evans discussed some of the particulars of the report. Katie said she is still waiting for some expenses to come in, that there are probably about several hundred dollars more expenses still outstanding. Chris Grannis wanted to know the cost of printing of the program versus the amount of money we’re making from the ads for the program. Katie said she would get that information to her.
Having no further discussion the motion was put to a vote and carried unanimously.
Grants/Fundraising:
Katie Evans volunteered to write a grant request for equipment needs. New lights were discussed as well as software for sound effects and the possibility of a stage curtain, although the latter was deemed to be more of an issue for the EAC than Stage East. Also discussed was continuing/extending the grant for free admission for youths.
Development Committee
Outreach Sub-Committee:
Elaine Abbott reported that we are well on our way to reaching the outreach goals in the 5-year plan. There are currently 9 new people who want to act, 1 new person interested hair and makeup and several who want to help with tech.
Elaine contacted Caryn Vinson of Shead's Mixed Nuts to discuss area high schools performing their entries for the annual One Act competition at the Art Center. It was also mentioned that Calais High School and Washington Academy could be invited too.
Also mentioned was the placement of our signs in high traffic areas and Elaine proposed having lists of our plays made available to B&B’s to put up in their establishments. Chris Grannis said the management committee can do a flyer for the B&B’s.
Participation in this year’s Pirate Festival was discussed. Stage East is handling the historical re-enactment of the Trial of Anne Bonney and will also have a presence in the parade.
Possible participation in the 2012 Independence Day Parade was also discussed.
Artistic Sub-Committee:
Nancy Tintle reported that the artistic committee is still in the midst of picking new plays for 2012. The possible plays mentioned were You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, As You Like It, Black Comedy, Relatively Speaking, The Graduate, The Canterville Ghost, Nunsense Christmas, Sylvia, House on the Hill, Ripples, and Same Time Next Year. Plays being discussed for staged readings are Sea Marks and Mr. Beasley’s Christmas Party.
Elaine said a lot of people are asking about the New Year’s Eve show. Nancy Tintle offered the idea of a variety show with a connecting story between acts. An idea mentioned to her would have been akin to an “Eastport Idol”. Nancy said we’re still working and will have to do so by e-mail, but the plays need to come along with a director.
New Business
Local Playwright: Ben Georgia offered for the board’s perusal his play, Bailey’s Bridge. It’s an adaptation of a Theodore Dreiser short story that deals with racial prejudice, subliminal hatred in our culture, mobs taking over, etc. Scripts were given to several board members and it was also mentioned that it would be a good idea to show it to the play reading group.
NAATCO
Chris Grannis was approached by representatives of the North American Asian Theater Company about bringing their theater company to Eastport as a retreat to work on a play before presenting it in New York. After some discussion it was decided that this was more in the purview of the EAC instead of Stage East.
Website Idea
It was reported that Carolee Bier has offered to design and maintain a new website Stage East. After some discussion, Nancy Tintle made a motion that Carolee Bier be approved to create a website for Stage East with the stipulation being that initial design and content be approved by the vice president and president, and the content thereafter before publishing it, and it will be reassessed in one year. Katie Evans seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.
Open Forum
Caitlyn Stellrecht wished to discuss the archive posters displayed in the lobby and the need to continue doing this. The frames were donated anonymously. If we want to continue the project, we need more frames. Caitlyn will contact the anonymous donor, not for another donation, but for information on ordering more frames. Caitlyn will report back on the costs and will get back to us about it.
Chris Grannis wished to discuss some on-going issues with the EAC and the “grumblings” of many Stage East members are about not feeling appreciated/respected. It was mentioned that there needs to be more of a partnership between Stage East and the EAC with regard to keys, borrowing costumes, etc., and that we should bring these problems to the PPC. Chris thinks it would be a good idea to have a sign that says “Home of Stage East” on the EAC building. Elaine said we need keys for the officers. Discussion ensued about who should have keys. Chris said that all Stage East officers will have a key. Nancy Tintle dismissed the notion that anyone on the board wanted Stage East to leave the EAC and everyone agreed. Chris opined that Stage East should be thanked for what it does. At one point discussion turned to Stage East participation on the PPC and a motion was made that Nancy Tintle take Katie Evan’s place on the PPC. Elaine Abbott seconded this and the motion was carried unanimously.
Dan Butler wanted to discuss what seems to be becoming, regrettably, an unwelcome tradition of “shenanigans” during the last show of a production. He felt it got out of hand during Butterflies are Free and that the last show should be as good as the first one. Dan stated that he feels we should let the directors and producers know to speak to their people about not doing this on the last show. Dalton Young suggested that the crew should appoint a person to check out any gags being done, however, Dan said we should just tell everyone at the beginning of a production that this will not be tolerated.
Chris Grannis made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Caitlyn Stellrecht seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 3:45 PM.
Approval of the Minutes: Nancy Tintle moved to accept the minutes of May 1, 2011. The motion to accept the minutes was seconded by Elaine Abbott. The motion was carried unanimously.
Management Committee:
2011 Productions
Butterflies are Free:
Michaelynn Cicere, house manager for this production, had reported to the management committee that Butterflies are Free did an average of 50% overall of house. There was a good amount of students involved. Katie Evans had a question about students’ fees. Chris Grannis said we bill Arts Center for ticket cost of students.
Chris Grannis presented the anonymous post production survey that had been disseminated and asked for feedback. Chris felt the survey should be approved by the board and used for future productions. A motion to accept the form was made by Katie Evans and seconded by Nancy Tintle. Discussion ensued:
Nancy asked about whether the producer is supposed to organize the cast party. Chris pointed out that it’s in the job description for the producer to do that. Chris suggested that the board go over the job descriptions and possibly hone them so that they are less vague.
Having no further discussion the motion was put to a vote and carried unanimously.
Chris commented that the surveys returned pointed to problems in regards to who does what (props person, stage manager, etc.). Another problem area that was mentioned was publicity, especially postering. Chris said that we all should take part in this. Jean Wilhelm stated that in times past, everyone got a pile of posters. Caitlyn Stellrecht said at times this would be done after rehearsals. The surveys also indicated that there were problems with following through. Chris opined that it’s hard to get people to always follow through, this being a volunteer organization. Nancy Tintle felt that if we have an assigned publicity person, it would help with the problem. Dan Butler commented that he thought weekly production meetings may have helped with many of these problems and Chris agreed that that should be a goal for future productions.
Deathtrap:
Chris Grannis reported that she got an e-mail from Lou Esposito (director) asking for a production meeting next week. As agreed to at an earlier meeting, specialized props are to be rented for the play. Chris asked if we should insure them. Elaine Abbott suggested that we find out if they would be insured under EAC’s policy and that, if not, we should see about adding a rider to the policy for the time the props are rented. Nancy Tintle asked about the cast and Chris listed who was in it to the best of her knowledge. There were no further questions.
Winter play:
Caitlyn Stellrecht reported that the final consensus of the ad hoc committee charged with selecting a play was Dashing Through the Snow, a comedy that takes place at an Inn in Tinsel, Texas. Beasley’s Christmas Party was the second choice. No director was attached to the play as that was not part of the committee’s charge. Chris Grannis suggested forming a committee to find a director for the winter play but Nancy Tintle volunteered, as chair of the artistic sub-committee, to find someone to direct.
Sub-Committee Reports
Program Ads:
Jean Wilhelm was responsible for $1500 worth of program ads and the board expressed their appreciation. Jean asked if the advertisers got a copy of the program from Butterflies are Free and it was mentioned that those attending did, but no special effort had been made to see to that. Jean suggested that a hard copy of the program should be hand-delivered to the advertisers. Chris Grannis said that only a few programs were left but that we’d make sure that all of the advertisers would get a copy of the program for Deathtrap.
Season Passes
It was reported that we’ve sold 40 season passes. Two were given away as prizes. It was noted that quite a few past season pass holders did not renew and reasons as to why were discussed. It was also noted that quite a few people donated additional money above the cost of the season passes and Chris Grannis suggested that the secretary should send out thank you notes to those individuals.
Policy Edits
Chris Grannis asked if the job descriptions need to be edited. It was generally seen as a good idea and Chris said she would work on it for a future meeting.
Next Meeting: Yearly Membership Meeting
The next meeting will be for November 13th at 4 PM. This will be the yearly membership meeting and beyond normal business there will be elections of board members and officers. Refreshments were discussed and the idea of a “potluck coordinator” was brought forth. Some names were mentioned as a possible candidate for this position and both Nancy Tintle and Chris Grannis said they would contact these people to gauge interest.
Nomination Committee
As the terms of Elaine Abbott, Michael Brown, Valerie Lawson, Hilda Lewis and Caitlyn Stellrecht are up, it was decided that a nominating committee be formed. Nancy Tintle volunteered to chair the committee and Dalton Young volunteered to serve on the committee. Nancy commented that she would like at least one more member and would try to recruit someone.
Budget Committee:
Treasurer’s Report:
Caitlyn Stellrecht made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Nancy Tintle seconded it. Katie Evans discussed some of the particulars of the report. Katie said she is still waiting for some expenses to come in, that there are probably about several hundred dollars more expenses still outstanding. Chris Grannis wanted to know the cost of printing of the program versus the amount of money we’re making from the ads for the program. Katie said she would get that information to her.
Having no further discussion the motion was put to a vote and carried unanimously.
Grants/Fundraising:
Katie Evans volunteered to write a grant request for equipment needs. New lights were discussed as well as software for sound effects and the possibility of a stage curtain, although the latter was deemed to be more of an issue for the EAC than Stage East. Also discussed was continuing/extending the grant for free admission for youths.
Development Committee
Outreach Sub-Committee:
Elaine Abbott reported that we are well on our way to reaching the outreach goals in the 5-year plan. There are currently 9 new people who want to act, 1 new person interested hair and makeup and several who want to help with tech.
Elaine contacted Caryn Vinson of Shead's Mixed Nuts to discuss area high schools performing their entries for the annual One Act competition at the Art Center. It was also mentioned that Calais High School and Washington Academy could be invited too.
Also mentioned was the placement of our signs in high traffic areas and Elaine proposed having lists of our plays made available to B&B’s to put up in their establishments. Chris Grannis said the management committee can do a flyer for the B&B’s.
Participation in this year’s Pirate Festival was discussed. Stage East is handling the historical re-enactment of the Trial of Anne Bonney and will also have a presence in the parade.
Possible participation in the 2012 Independence Day Parade was also discussed.
Artistic Sub-Committee:
Nancy Tintle reported that the artistic committee is still in the midst of picking new plays for 2012. The possible plays mentioned were You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, As You Like It, Black Comedy, Relatively Speaking, The Graduate, The Canterville Ghost, Nunsense Christmas, Sylvia, House on the Hill, Ripples, and Same Time Next Year. Plays being discussed for staged readings are Sea Marks and Mr. Beasley’s Christmas Party.
Elaine said a lot of people are asking about the New Year’s Eve show. Nancy Tintle offered the idea of a variety show with a connecting story between acts. An idea mentioned to her would have been akin to an “Eastport Idol”. Nancy said we’re still working and will have to do so by e-mail, but the plays need to come along with a director.
New Business
Local Playwright: Ben Georgia offered for the board’s perusal his play, Bailey’s Bridge. It’s an adaptation of a Theodore Dreiser short story that deals with racial prejudice, subliminal hatred in our culture, mobs taking over, etc. Scripts were given to several board members and it was also mentioned that it would be a good idea to show it to the play reading group.
NAATCO
Chris Grannis was approached by representatives of the North American Asian Theater Company about bringing their theater company to Eastport as a retreat to work on a play before presenting it in New York. After some discussion it was decided that this was more in the purview of the EAC instead of Stage East.
Website Idea
It was reported that Carolee Bier has offered to design and maintain a new website Stage East. After some discussion, Nancy Tintle made a motion that Carolee Bier be approved to create a website for Stage East with the stipulation being that initial design and content be approved by the vice president and president, and the content thereafter before publishing it, and it will be reassessed in one year. Katie Evans seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.
Open Forum
Caitlyn Stellrecht wished to discuss the archive posters displayed in the lobby and the need to continue doing this. The frames were donated anonymously. If we want to continue the project, we need more frames. Caitlyn will contact the anonymous donor, not for another donation, but for information on ordering more frames. Caitlyn will report back on the costs and will get back to us about it.
Chris Grannis wished to discuss some on-going issues with the EAC and the “grumblings” of many Stage East members are about not feeling appreciated/respected. It was mentioned that there needs to be more of a partnership between Stage East and the EAC with regard to keys, borrowing costumes, etc., and that we should bring these problems to the PPC. Chris thinks it would be a good idea to have a sign that says “Home of Stage East” on the EAC building. Elaine said we need keys for the officers. Discussion ensued about who should have keys. Chris said that all Stage East officers will have a key. Nancy Tintle dismissed the notion that anyone on the board wanted Stage East to leave the EAC and everyone agreed. Chris opined that Stage East should be thanked for what it does. At one point discussion turned to Stage East participation on the PPC and a motion was made that Nancy Tintle take Katie Evan’s place on the PPC. Elaine Abbott seconded this and the motion was carried unanimously.
Dan Butler wanted to discuss what seems to be becoming, regrettably, an unwelcome tradition of “shenanigans” during the last show of a production. He felt it got out of hand during Butterflies are Free and that the last show should be as good as the first one. Dan stated that he feels we should let the directors and producers know to speak to their people about not doing this on the last show. Dalton Young suggested that the crew should appoint a person to check out any gags being done, however, Dan said we should just tell everyone at the beginning of a production that this will not be tolerated.
Chris Grannis made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Caitlyn Stellrecht seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 3:45 PM.
