SBMT Board Minutes

June 8, 2022

Started 7:04 pm

Board Members Present: Raiña Parks, Michael Hirsch, Jay Steele, Ed Hunter, Dan Singletary, Sharon Peng, Aly Suleman, Tipu Purkayastha, Jennifer Maggio, Steve Sammonds 

Not Present: Doy Charnsupharindr, 

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

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

DISCUSSION

Updates

On the Town – We made it through! Kudos to those who stepped up!

Marketing and Social Media: (Doug Hughes) 

  • Designed logo for 60th anniversary season
  • Reviewed Marketing Report 
  • Saw slight increase in all social media avenues

Facilities: Jeff Henson

  • Needs to work on lights in breaks between other events in the rehearsal space
  • Scene Shop renewed for one year
  • Rehearsal Studio renewed until 2024
  • Michael reached out to Karina Ridge, Executive Director at Intero Capital Markets re: new spaces for the set shop and rehearsal space

Technology: Dan Singletary

  • SMBT Website Moved
    • 5/23 Previous web host was Bluehost.com. It became extremely slow to totally unresponsive. Canceled Bluehost account on 6/6
    • 5/24 Ported entire site moved over to Amazon Web Services account
    • Cost comparable between Bluehost and AWS
  • Venue updates
    • Ed has been updating/improving the lighting system documentation
      • May need to integrate information about the projectors and the Light systems
    • Need to dust the light booth. Lots of dust from the stairway update
  • Equipment
    • Light system works well and we’ve set-up cost for rental/use by other groups.
    • Consider dedicated position for a projection designer. Lots learned about projects with On The Town, including how projections are developed and designed. SBMT needs to develop the right talent for that role.
    • Projections will be placed into a projection library similar to sound effects library
    • Video animation can be incorporated as well
    • Running projections is putting more of a load than Dan expected on the computer that is running the projector

Financial Update: (Reviewed charts from Jen Maggio)

  • Jen is rolling off of the board and working to wrap things up in anticipation of handing off role and responsibilities

Chair Update

  • Membership meeting – New date needed (June 24 – probably at 7:30pm)
  • Board Elections
  • Retiring board members
    • Charnsupharindr, Doy
    • Maggio, Jennifer
    • Parks, Raiña
    • Peng, Sharon
    • Steele, Jay
  • Anticipate completion of the elections by June 24.
  • Barbara to send Doug info regarding the Board Members
  • Plan to introduce new board members at the membership meeting
  • [ACTION] Chairs of the sub-committees to provide slide to be briefed at the Membership meeting
  • Concern raised that, with current slate, we skew slight more male presenting than female presenting
    • Michael will ensure that guidance on meeting interactions and inclusion are part of the understanding of the new board

Executive Artistic Director Updates: 

  • Looks like we will break even for On The Town with sells of (59% of available tickets)
    • Largest overages: Set construction (materials), Dir/CoChoreo & SM Salaries
    • Largest savings: Royalties, Programs, cast & crew per diem
    • Cost of Covid total = $4,500 + loss of income ($7500-$8000)
  • AB5, Covid & Employees
    • Actual hours of SM and Director are far more than we know as relates to prep time required.
    • Cost of and management of musicians and their salaries/reimbursement are being evaluated

eStudio Programming & Workshops: 

  • Youth Programs
    • Discussed work that Lysander is doing re: afterschool program and how we should consider compensating him.

Community, Inclusivity & Accountability

  • No updates
  • Discussed the importance of our Youth programming arm and the CIA’s role in helping with that. Our (potential) motto – Positive experiences & creating through the arts!

Development & Fundraising: 

  • Current Activities
    • Encourage membership to make monthly donations
    • One sponsor already signed up to sponsor 2023 Anniversary Event (thanks Kama & Sara!)

Organizational Development: 

  • Succession planning being worked.
  • Saratoga Theater Arts – possibility to go in and give presentations and pull in some engagement among young folks. Seems to be a good fit with SBMT.

Vision & Planning: 

  • No updates
  • Sara would like to have a brainstorming session for Youth engagement and making connections with schools for afterschool programs

Open Discussion

  • Discussed some plans re Company
  • Commuting cost and how we might compensate for that (i.e. reimburse for tolls)
  • Clipper pass/Public transit stipend?
  • Discussed providing food to the talent

Adjourned at 9:28 pm.

Respectfully submitted June 8, 2022 by Raina Parks