2021-04-14 Board Meeting Minutes

Present: Michael Hirsch, Sharon Peng, Jay Steele, Dan Singletary, Steve Sammonds, Jeffrey Henson, Raiña Parks, Doug Hughes, Sara Dean, Doug Hughes, Ed Hunter, Dave Leon, Jen Maggio

Start 7:05 pm

Welcome by Michael Hirsch

Agenda

  • Functional Update
    • Marketing & Social Media (Doug Hughes) – 8 minutes
    • Facilities (Jeffrey Henson) – 8 minutes
    • Tech (Dan Singletary) – 8 minutes
  • Board Recruitment (Michael Hirsch) – 8 minutes
  • Financial Update (CFO: Jen Maggio) – 8 minutes
  • Executive Director Update (Sara Dean) – 10 minutes
  • Committee Updates
    • Community, Inclusivity & Accountability (Kevin Brownstein, Sharon Peng) – 8 minutes
    • Development & Fundraising (Dallas Carter) – 8 minutes
    • Organizational Development (Jay Steele) – 8 minutes
    • Vision & Planning (Michael Hirsch) – 8 minutes
  • Season Discussion
  • 2021-2022 Season (Sara Dean) – 30 minutes

Actions

[Action] Jen M. to confirm budget to clean studio space.

[Action] Dan is planning to look into contactless payment methods and determining what hardware would be required to facilitate this change.

[Action] Budget will be sent out aligning with the season as presented during the meeting. Board will review documentation/plan/budget as presented by Sara, Michael and Jen, and vote on plan to move forward.

Board Chair

Reviewed meeting norms

  • Create and foster a safe and brave space (respect privacy and confidentiality)
  • Be present and listen with the passion you want to be heard
  • Choose authenticity over comfort
  • Ground statements in evidence
  • Invite everyone to contribute
  • Set an agenda and invite members to add to it and allocate time accordingly
  • Respect everyone’s time
  • Balance personal and group grace and accountability
  • Respect our learning (intra/interpersonal, mute your mic, different ways of learning)
  • Embrace messiness and kindness
  • Be aware of equity of voices
  • Focus on issues instead of personalities

Functional Update

  • Marketing & Social Media (Doug Hughes)

    • Videos 
      • 3/30: Birthday Bash for a Living Legend: https://youtu.be/Mj_ax3cWGA4 – 340 views
      • 3/31: Anonymous highlights and talkback: https://youtu.be/qhefI6JifJU – 33 views
      • 3/10: Accents & Auditions Workshop: https://fb.watch/4RI8FbwGv4/
      • 3/12: Anonymous promo video: https://youtu.be/EfdaykFoeR4 – 215 views + 48 on FB
      • 3/31: April/May 2021 in the SBMT eStudio: https://youtu.be/2LwFSSwVzTI – 69 views + 19 on FB
    • Facebook Posts
      • SBMT’s Facebook page now has 1,890 followers (up 49).
      • The eStudio group has 539 members (increase of 16). 
      • We posted 31 times since last report because we ran
      • daily bios of Anon(ymous) performers and daily tie-ins
      • with the San José Arts Commission’s #WeCreate408
      • promo, and ran a “paid” ad for Anon(ymous).
    • Google
      • 3,851 people found SBMT on Google during March 2021
    • Other
      • Sent out five email blasts this month
      • Dramaturgy on Anon(ymous) posted as blog
      • Theme for April/May: “RISE UP” (reflected in promo video)
    • Metrics
      • SBMT Facebook
        • 1,734 likes (+2.66% m/m)
        • 1,857 followers (+2.71% m/m)
        • 3,980 check-ins  (+0.91% m/m)
      • eStudio Facebook
        • 539 members (+3.06% m/m)
        • 459 active members (+7.75% m/m)
      • YouTube
        • 265 subscribers (+11.34% m/m)
      • Instagram
        • 722 followers (+1.55% m/m)
      • Twitter
        • 336 followers (+0.6% m/m)

  • Facilities (Jeffrey Henson)

    • Studio & Setshop
      • Has been cleaning up oil stains on the grounds
      • Person who used to clean the studio and setshop is still in business and would like to come back and clean both areas. Jen confirmed the budget to continue this activity.
      • Cleaning once a month would be great. Hasn’t been done in quite awhile.
      • Plan is to clean the studio for certain. Setshop will continue to be differed.

  • Technology (Dan Singletary)

    • Vendini officially closed down all of their sites/information. We have a copy of all of the data.
    • Issue with Ovationtix quietly disabling their email status/reports. Dan is working with this with the company.
    • Would like to get contactless payments to get rid of hand exchange of payment methods. [Action] Dan is planning to look into this and determine what hardware would be required to facilitate this change.

  • Board Recruitment

    • 10 board members whose terms are up this year. Will need to understand if they plan to run again. Term limit is 6 continuous years. Are current board members are eligible to run again this year
    • New board members (Considerations)
      • Fundraising is only one aspect of what a member does
      • How connected is this person to the community we serve?
      • How informed are they of the ecosystem we operate in?
      • How diverse are we as a board?
      • What skills do they bring to further our mission?
    • If everyone runs again and they are successful, we still have two seats to fill as well. 
    • Think of names of candidates to nominate.
    • Doug Hughes likes the idea of having a dramaturg potentially.

  • Financial Updates

    • Two generous donations recently received which continues to leave the company in a positive financial position (Cash reserves of ~$175K. Ahead of projection of ~155K at the end of March.) THANK YOU DONORS!!!
    • Will plan to look at and vote on a budget in the near term (May-ish maybe…)
    • Need to understand the plans for reopening before opening up.

  • Executive Director (ED) Updates

    • Comments & Feedback
      • Anonymous was well received and a positive interaction for our performers and our community. Realized a technical glitch in which one of the actors lost their connection and we did not have understudies on standby (something that we will learn from).
      • Playwriting 101 – Great feedback and lots of actionable feedback for the next session!
      • Cabaret – Great feedback from the audience
      • YouTube streaming clips have really improved as well. 
      • Dialogue alongside the shows, really exemplifies a lot of engagement during the events.
      • We received a donation specifically for the Playwriting group.
    • Upcoming events
      • Accent workshop has 17 participants signed up.
      • On-line events are really very accessible allowing for continued participation from around the month.
    • Updates:
      • Arts Advocacy Month (April)
        • Big push to write to government officials for more funding for the arts. Sarah would love to work with someone to do this work. 
        • Rally people within our network to write to the City of Saratoga.
          • James Lindsey 
          • Council for the City of Saratoga
          • We’ve been largely ignored 
          • Ed Hunter, a resident of Saratoga, has said that he will help
      • AB 1227 & SB 805
        • SB805 bill that would exempt theater companies with less than $1.9M will be voted on by the end of the month. 
          • Sara put out a call for help via email.
          • Passing of SB805 would help relieve lots of budgetary concerns that the company is carrying contingency for.
      • CA Small Business Grant
        • We are pending approval for a $15K grant from the State of California
      • SVO Grant
        • Federal grant for shuttered businesses is also still in the process. Portal to apply was open on April 8th and closed on April 9th. Maximum amount that we would be eligible for is $100K
          • Currently working to update our paperwork

  • Community, Inclusivity & Accountability

    • Monthly Meeting 3/18/2021
      • Members present:
      • Chair: Kevin Brownstein, Sharon Peng
      • Executives/Board Members: Sara Dean, Michael Hirsch, Dave Leon
      • General Members Present: Jasmin, Cordelia, Aly, Khalia
    • General/Misc Items
      • Board Meeting Recap/Feedback
        • Thank you to Doug for updating CIA mission statement!
        • Resources continue to be added to ShareDrive
        • Cast bio pronouns
      • Meeting Standards
        • CIA has adopted the same standards of behavior as the Board, with some changes in the wording for two of the bullet points.
          • Respect everyone’s style of learning
          • Embrace kindness and that mistakes are part of the process.
      • Common Language
        • The CIA team would like to request that Board members and committees provide the team with questions that they would like standard responses for. 
      • Outreach
        • Jasmin to create a boilerplate email for middle/high school performing arts teachers regarding the content we are providing.
      • Z-Space Panel Discussion
        • Arts company that also rents out their space for other productions
        • Gave some insight into what other companies are doing and struggling with and our shared experiences                         
      • Patron Survey (Org/Dev)
      • Anon(ymous) – FINAL STATS
        • Submissions Total: 66
        • Submissions:  50 BIMPoC (77%) ; 3 non-binary
        • Total Cast: 14, 12 cast (86%) BIMPoC, 0 non-binary
        • Staff: 70% BIMPoC (5 out of 7), 2 non-binary
      • Anon(ymous) – Additional Notes
        • Implementation of Content Warnings (standardize for future as needed)
        • Provided platform for resource & outreach to AAPI non-profits in response to Atlanta attacks
        • Tried additional marketing, based on Rachel feedback
      • Readers’ Theatre:
        • Revolutionists- Prelim STATS
        • Submissions Total: 40
        • Submissions:  8 BIMPoC (20%); 1 non-binary
        • Total Cast: 4, 2 cast (50%) BMIPoC, 0 non-binary
        • Staff: 30% BIMPoC (2 out of 6)
      • Additional Upcoming Programming
        • Stereotypes On Stage
          • Moderator: Vinh
          • Panelists: Jordan Olivier, Jessica Whittemore, Alex Hsu
        • Stage Management Panel
          • Planning is underway. 
          • Scheduled for next week.
      • Next Meeting: tentatively 4/28 (awaiting Doodle Poll results)
        • PRIORITY: establish company common language to address participant  questions/concerns in regards to CIA-related issues
        • PRIORITY: staffing/casting metrics
        • Update: community outreach, particularly with schools/summer camps
        • Ongoing: Review planned programming
        • Ongoing: Modes of Accountability
      • Other:
        • Sondheim Birthday Bash: Big THANK YOU for Sara for providing necessary final review & oversight (pulled 1 song for problematic lyrics, after consultation)
        • Updated Audition Notice wording to “Gender diverse actors encouraged to apply” based on community feedback
        • Website: update board/staff
        • PRIORITY: create EDI Consultant job description (for approval by Board)

  • Development & Fundraising

    • Members
      • Chair: Dallas Carter
      • Board Members: Dallas Carter, Michael Hirsch, Sharon Peng
      • Non-Board Members: Kathy Switky, Jordan Selburn, Sara Dean (Steve Allhoff – helping with specific campaign)
    • Purpose
      • Plan and execute SBMT’s annual giving drives – online blasts, mailing, in person asks.  Produce annual fundraising events.  Develop Patron relationships in support of fundraising, members and volunteers.
    • Cupcake Fun(d)raiser paired with Sondheim’s Birthday Bash
      • $1,900 Cupcake Drive
      • Fun, successful
    • eStudio Programs:
      • $1,900 Pride & Pred final
      • $315 Anon(ymous)
    • Sustaining Donor Program
      • 73 monthly donors: $3,145/month 
    • One-time Donor Program
      • $44,442.22 running total 
      • $10,205 since March Board Meeting
    • Program Donations
      • $2,104 Pride & Pred final ($1,900 from SVS)
      • $350 Anon(ymous) 
    • Current approx running total = $130,000 since May 2020  

(includes monthly x11, One-time Donor, eStudio Programs, Cupcake, Benevity, Year End drive)

  • Grants
    • $15K to the CA Small Business Grant
    • SVO Grant $100K
    • Working on SVCreates – application opens 4/12

  • Organizational Development

    • Members
    • Chair: Jay Steele
      • Board Members: Jennifer Maggio, Steve Sammonds, Dan Singletary, Jay Steele, Michael Hirsch, Kevin Brownstein
      • Non-Board Members: Barbara Heninger, Jordan Selburn, Sara Dean
    • Purpose
      • Evaluates, builds and maintains processes and systems for SBMT’s operations ensuring efficiency, timeliness, accuracy and transparency.
    • Survey
      • Committee met Mar. 8 to discuss survey parameters and planning
      • Information collection will focus on reopening, SBMT programming
      • Email survey to broad list, U.S. Mail to subscribers without emails
      • Will ask for volunteers to participate in potential follow-up focus groups
    • Shared facilities
      • Met twice with SVS & Lyric to review respective plans and needs
      • Because groups are on different schedules for leases and different points in facility transition, coordination on one plan is challenging
      • Groups will stay in touch to explore future opportunities for facilities sharing
    • Financial Processes
      • Jen Maggio, Jay Steele, James Jones, and Sara Dean met to discuss financial task sharing and optimization
      • James will provide help with production transaction processing and support Sara’s needs with QuickBooks
      • Jay will continue to process U.S. Mail and manage donation transactions in OvationTix, and will now also deposit donation checks into B of A
      • Jen Maggio and Sara Dean met separately to outline overall financial processes, CFO responsibilities, and workload balancing
    • General reopening discussion

  • Vision & Planning

    • Members
      • Chair: Michael Hirsch
      • Board Members: Sharon Peng
      • Non-Board Members: Braden Taylor, Gary Stanford jr, Diane Milo, Barbara Heninger, Sara Dean
    • Purpose
      • Creates and develops SBMT’s vision and artistic goals including themes and season selection. Identifies and supports programming that upholds our core values, mission and vision.
    • Core Responsibilities
      • Plans for expanding & supporting the company & season 
      • eStudio programming, themes, staffing & volunteers
    • March 3rd meeting
      • Finding content – members reading and adding to database
      • Working on criteria for selecting material
        • Educational component; how much work to put into salvaging theatre’s problematic warehorses compared to doing something new
        • For some shows consider hiring director with vision first
        • Continue representation
        • Practicalness – size of cast, orchestra
        • Lighter – fun – fluffier – enjoyment – building community – celebration
        • Concert or review
    • Next Meeting will be in late April to discuss next season, new material and staffing/volunteers
    • eStudio – Programming
      • Mar 2 – A Muse Event: Musical Theatre Trivia with Walter Mayes
      • Mar 11 – Artist Spotlight: Joseph Kelly
      • Mar 13 – Tap Workshop: Francesca Cipponeri
      • Mar 20 – Jazz Workshop: Michael Saenz
      • Mar 26 – Readers’ Theatre: Anon(ymous)
      • Mar 30 – South Bay Cabaret: Birthday Bash for a Living Legend
      • Apr 10 – Tap Workshop: Francesca Cipponeri
      • Apr 12 – Broadway By The Decade: The 1980’s Part II with Heather Kenyon
      • Apr 17 – Jazz Workshop: Michael Saenz 
      • Apr 21 – Behind the Curtain: Stage Managers
      • Apr 26 – Panel Discussion: Stereotypes Onstage
      • May 5 – A Muse Event: Name That Show Tune with Nicole Tung
      • May 8 – Tap Workshop: Francesca Cipponeri
      • May 14 – Readers’ Theatre: The Revolutionists
      • May 15 – Jazz Workshop: Michael Saenz
      • May 18 – State of SBMT

  • Season Discussion

    • 2021-2022 Season (Sara Dean) – 30 minutes
      • What are our top priorities? (in no particular order) 
        • Ability to view online – either recorded or livestream
        • Identity-conscious casting; gender/ race/ ability/ size, etc
        • Appealing to Audience – subscribers and new members
        • Appealing to Artists
        • Budget friendly (small company, unit set, simple costumes)
        • Artistic Vision – a central theme to tie together. (Why should we produce these stories?  Why should they be told now?)
      • June 15th – “Green Tier” – everything opens back up (?) 
        • June 26 – July 10: Sara on vacation 
        • Tentative – Aug 14: Instruments & Ice Cream Social
      • Reviewed Timeline for Productions
        • Currently behind for choosing staff for all shows which is normally done in December
        • Auditions need to happen fairly quickly. Usually 4-6 months before rehearsal start
      • Once we’re back up in person, Sara’s priority will be on live productions not eStudio. June will be our 1 year anniversary for eStudio.
      • [Action] Budget will be sent out aligning with the season as presented during the meeting. Board will review documentation/plan/budget as presented by Sara, Michael and Jen, and vote on plan to move forward.

Meeting Adjourned 9:40 pm