November 13, 2019

Contents

Actions

  • Jordan: follow up with Sara on possible budget items for a grant. AED machines for set shop and rehearsal hall?
  • ALL: Send feedback to Kim Kay about the Tacos and Tunes event.
  • ALL AVAILABLE: Envelope stuffing for fund-raising drive at Sara’s house on Friday, November 15.
  • Steve S: Send link to surveys
  • Jennifer P: Create a diversity board
  • ALL: Send suggestions for diversity board members to Jennifer P.
  • ALL: Send Jay suggestions for Howard Miller and Fred Hassett awards.

Grant-writing (Jordan)

For a grant, asking for input for budget items. Suggestions:

  • Projection system?
  • Sound?
  • Do we want more first aid items for the rehearsal hall – an AED machine? Also at the set shop. If we get one, we should get members trained.

Jordan will follow up with Sara.

Marketing (Doug)

See Doug’s full report, sent in email

  • David Simon (community theater performer – has worked with West Bay Opera and Foothill Music Theater) is willing to do videos for free! Doug will follow up with him.
  • Renting Broadway San Jose’s list for GGLAM was our most successful marketing technique for that show. We generated 116 ticket sales.
    • We can rent it again on February 4.
    • Locked in for May 7 for South Pacific

Tacos N Tunes (Kim)

  • See financial report from Jen Maggio
  • Two major donors gave amounts totaling together $2,350.
  • Capers gave us all the margarita mix for free. Would like to add Capers to our dining list –Steve Allhoff needs to talk with them about whatever they’re offering. Dallas will follow up with Capers and Steve.
  • Next time need to organize removing the stuff from Sara’s car and returning to the shop the next day!
  • Send feedback to Kim Kay or Sara about the event.
  • Thanks for the help. ?

Surveys (Steve S)

Steve will send the link to the surveys for all to review.

GGLAM Post-show survey

  • We got more responses from staff than cast because there was such a large staff!
  • Overwhelming positive responses to most everything
  • People finding some of the older male staff condescending towards women
  • People who had uncomfortable experience, Sara was able to talk with them and resolve the issue
  • Some comments about curtain speeches
  • We raised the bar, and we can’t go further on that stage with just volunteers. Need more paid staff to support this level of technical capability.
  • How likely to recommend? All yes
  • Did get one orchestra person complaining about the backstage setup

Patron Survey

  • Top vote getters of the 50 titles we offered were Come From Away, Singin in the Rain, Little Shop, Camelot, Producers, Chicago, King and I, Aida, Guys and Dolls, Brigadoon, Beautiful, Evita, Sound of Music, Into the Woods.
  • Also received votes for Carousel, Les Mis, Fiddler, Avenue Q, Man of Le Mancha
  • Will pull something together for us for the Saturday retreat.
  • Using the radio list for shows skews the response in a direction.
  • The write-in tops are Les Miz and Carousel

Diversity

Regarding diversity and inclusion in our shows.

  • Retreat topic? Actors have posted a lot about the whiteness of casts for other groups. They want theaters to go out and bring the diverse people into the company – don’t just sit back saying “we invited everyone but they didn’t show up”
  • Diversity means diversity in race, age, gender representation, body size,
  • People who could teach us: Gary Stanford, Theater Bay Area for Black Actors, others… Jen got a transcript from Gary Stanford of the BBBay meeting. Jen will forward it.
  • Depending on the shows chosen, people assume that we won’t cast them. Need to specifically reach out, and phrase the description and conversation. For example, “Sound of Music – a story of a family caught in political turmoil.” Stress that any race can play these parts. (For SoM, Sara is reaching out to Khalia Davis as a possible director)
  • Talk to some of our directors and have them discuss their diversity vision – Martin, Dave Leon, to discuss their vision and what they could do in a blog.
  • Create a diversity ‘board’ for the group. Jennifer Petersen has volunteered to lead this.
    • People send Jennifer information about people they know who would be interested in promoting diversity

Retreat

Planned for Saturday, November 23, at Synopsys site (690 E. Middlefield Rd, Mountain View).

Possible topics for discussion:

  • Cast and crew stipends
  • Donor & board development and outreach
  • 3-year/6-year plan
  • Review the Board by-laws. Need new description for Sara’s job
  • Mission statement – how to define your values
  • What is our elevator pitch? Top three priorities of our brand or image
  • Staffing
  • Contingency plans if we lose our location – Sara and Steve A discussing, looking at other places
  • Steve S will distill the patron survey by this weekend for Sara and Jay to create the agenda
  • Updates to producer handbook? Production manager handbook?

Year-end Award Nominations

  • Send Jay suggestions for:
    • Howard Miller Bless Your Heart Award; Commission Elyse to make a bear based on this year’s season
    • Fred Hassett award: For someone who has contributed to the growth of the group over the past year
  • Suggest having it at Root Stock or Stilettos, something with a cash bar, and projections.
  • Should we continue having silver jackets? Discontinue? Or come up with some other item? Need a firm criteria of why you would get such an item.

Executive Director

Sara’s working hours – making sure that she limits her hours to the ones for which we are paying her. She will send schedules to the Board noting her available hours.

  • Little Night Music is booked for winter, but… Chicago denied for fall, requesting for winter. If we get Chicago in winter, we would move LNM to Fall.
  • SoM rights booked for summer

Fall classes came in smaller than previous summer classes, but continuing.

FYI to all: Sara and Jen M are going to help produce Big Fish.

Financial Report (Jen M)

  • For taxes for November 15, need to confirm whether anyone donated anything in kind last year? Check with Jennifer P.
  • Finding it challenging to put reports together, to reconcile things – anticipating overhauling the accounting system

Officially ended at 9:15pm.

Amended for privacy of a donor name, June 15, 2020.