SBMT Board Minutes

May 11, 2022

Started 7:00 pm

Board Members Present: Jay Steele, Steve Sammonds, Dan Singletary, Raiña Parks, Tipu Purkayastha, Michael Hirsch, Jeffrey Henson, Sharon Peng, Ed Hunter

Guests Present: Lysander Abadia, Soni Kapoor

Not Present: Jennifer Maggio, Doy Charnsupharindr 

Other members present: Doug Hughes, Sara Dean (ED)

ð  Please note highlights of activities that Board can take, below. 😊

DISCUSSION

Youth Programming (Lysander Abadia)

  • Sara gave a brief overview of the current theatre environment with the recent Covid resurgence and introduced our two guests.

Soni Kapoor

  • Working on first SBMT show, doing Deck Crew for “On the Town”
  • Having a great experience so far and looking to get more involved
  • Does not have a theatre background in performing or tech, but loves theatre and is loving all he’s already learning
  • Has some background in child development nonprofits, and would be interested in working on a youth program for SBMT

Lysander Abadia

  • Performing in his first SBMT show with “On the Town”
  • Says he’s “looking for a theatre home” and was recruited by Sara
  • Background in youth theatre, and passionate about it
  • Originally from Bay Area, but has worked with youth groups in Brooklyn and Las Vegas
  • Pitched his idea for a youth theatre program focused on theatre skills more than “putting on ‘Frozen, Jr.’” There are already plenty of groups doing the latter
  • Proposed structure would be weekly workshops to which parents could subscribe, and children could attend any or all sessions
  • Potential culmination in “mini shows” or workshop performances
  • Wants to use theatre as a way to help children develop, address mental well-being (especially important in Covid age), and build theatrical skills

Updates

Marketing and Social Media: (Doug Hughes) 

  • SBMT was on the front page on 7 of the 9 local South Bay area newspapers published by the Mercury News for ON THE TOWN! Our PR guy is earning his keep 🙂 
    • Asking where cast members lived helped allowed us to get notice in all of these newspapers
  • Completed a new design for the programs, a four pager with a QR code that takes you to a digital version of the program. Transitioning to a new digital format (interactive PDF).

Facilities: Jeff Henson

  • All is well with Facilities. New stairs to the booth in the Saratoga Theater look great. 

Technology: Dan Singletary

  • Configured HVAC outside air intake damper to maximum in accordance with CDC recommendations. Will restore to original setting (10%) at OTT move-out
  • Work light replacement in the booth is done
  • Sound
    • Serviced main amplifier rack
    • Resurrected a signal processor
    • Chris Beer has been cleaning out decades worth of obsolete cabling

Financial Update: (Reviewed charts from Jen Maggio)

  • Late 2019 Federal Taxes & 2020 State Taxes. Jen is calling both to find out what happened since she has mailed them twice. Not sure if they are really late or if the governments just haven’t gotten to them yet.

Special Dedication:

  • Michael Glenn Muñoz passed away May 7, 2022
    • Renaming SBMT’s Harriette Hill Technical Award after Michael
    • Installing an engraved memorial in the light booth 
      • Dan asked about what we might put on it
      • Doug suggested that we coordinate with WVLO
    • Membership meeting montage
    • “He never wanted the spotlight, he only wanted to focus it.”
  • Motion made by Steve Sammonds to rename the award after Michael. Doug asked that we amend to include the world “Memorial”
    • Motion passed unanimously

Chair Update

  • Need a new date for the Membership meeting originally planned for May 21. Currently TBD
  • Board Elections
    • Terms ending in June: Ed Hunter, Raiña Parks, Sharon Peng, Dan Singletary, Jay Steele
    • Public announcement will go out this month. Need to update membership list
    • Jay will serve as board member election administrator. Is not planning to run for reelection this year.
    • Bylaws state that the Board shall create the board member requirements (including expectations on minimum attendance) which means those rules can be modified by the Board.

Executive Artistic Director Updates: 

  • Covid Update – took 10 or longer days for most cast members to recover.
    • Two staff members with cases in their households
    • Sara and team and adapting and adjusting on the fly
    • Kathy Switky helped with coordinating Orchestra availability
    • Show is predicted to run over budget by ~$10K
      • Production staff salaries and sets primary overages
  • Ticket Sales 40.4% as of 5/9
  • Dan will send something out to the board to request help for those who would be willing to help with box office. Will need training in the new box office software
  • Season 2023 – Another local theatre company has announced they are producing the same show we were intending to do—one month ahead of the dates that we’d planned to announce. 

eStudio Programming & Workshops: 

  • #actorlife Panel Discussion did not go very well. 4 workshop series were set for both virtual and in person.  Signups were slow.  2 virtual programs happened, 2 in person were canceled.  Proposed halting workshops for the interim.

Community, Inclusivity & Accountability

  • Suggested change to marketing information

Development & Fundraising: 

Continue to track well with donations

Organizational Development: 

  • Working on creating written succession plan for Executive Artistic Director
  • Facilities overhead reduction brainstorming
    • Options for Rehearsal Space but not so much for shop space
    • Still looking for options/alternatives for these.

Vision & Planning: 

  • Defined short, medium and long-term goals

Requests

  • Could use help for Deck Crew or Props but otherwise not much help needed

Adjourned at 9:32 pm.

Respectfully submitted May 11, 2022 by Raina Parks