February 2015 Board Meeting Minutes

The following text are the minutes from the SMCT Board Meeting on February 28, 2015. Click the link below for a downloadable PDF version.

SMCT Board Meeting Minutes 28 February 2015 public

 

SMCT Board Meeting Minutes

28 February 2015, 10:00am

Coventry Senior Center, Coventry, RI

Members Present (bold indicates voting member): Dennis Chretien, Mary Jo Chretien, Heather Christie, Gabrielle Dworkin, Bob Hollis, Kaila Rubin, Michelle Chretien, Emily Chretien, Andy Affleck, Maia Grandy, Eric Dubois, Laura Giorgianni, Leslie Carter, Steve Carter, Chris Brostrup-Jensen

 

  • POLICIES – There will be a meeting on Friday night (March 6th at 7:30pm at Chretien’s House) to brainstorm standard policies/procedures for SMCT positions
    • Marketing Policies
      • Problem: We often begin advertising the next show before the current one has ended. On the website, the current show is still given precedent, but on Facebook, it’s the most recent post. This takes away from the marketing of the current show and confuses the message
        • Solution: Pin the current show to the top of the Facebook page, then wait to physically advertise the next one until the current one has passed, so as not to confuse the marketing message. If two shows perform very close together, this practice will be amended, but that shouldn’t happen given our scheduling policies.
  • SHOW UPDATES
    • The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
      • We’re ready to go, dress rehearsals went great, and we’re doing cue to cue this afternoon.
      • The Senior Center has been absolutely wonderful!
      • Problem: We took out a promotional ad on Facebook for $150. It reached 58,165 people, of which 120 engaged in the post. So that’s roughly $1.25 per person to look at the webpage, maybe $2.50 to get a people in a seat. It certainly gave SMCT a LOT of exposure, but we’re not sure it was worth the money.
        • Solution: At the box office for the show, we will ask people how they heard about it to see if the Facebook ad got people in seats or not.
      • Problem: At the last meeting, we discussed the “family friendly” factor of this show and determined we may need to place a warning on our advertisements, given some of the content.
        • Solution: The cast and crew have gone through the script and softened or eliminated anything that may have required a disclaimer. We therefore did not feel the need to add a warning, since the problem areas had been fixed.
      • Problem: Advertising was largely flyers that the cast and crew spread around various places, pamphlets put into Foster Home Journal back in December, and the Facebook ad. We did not get posters for the sandwich board, nor did we talk to a local radio station. We also didn’t spread many flyers around the Coventry or Foster area due to the cast and crew working and living elsewhere.
        • Solution: Not much we can do about this at the moment, since it’s a bit late. Some of these mistakes were made because the crew didn’t know they were responsible for these things or didn’t think of them until it was mentioned at the board meeting. One solution is to create a list of things each person is responsible for in a production, almost like a checklist, so they are aware when they’re missing something. There was also a question of whether spending $200 on pamphlets in the Foster Home Journal was worth it, since they went out 3 months before our show performed. We need to reevaluate that option.
      • Problem: Blackouts with our fancy new LED lights are taking too long!
        • Solution: We asked Steve for help, spent some time reprogramming the lights, and now they work! Yay!
    • Foster Follies
      • April 10th! The cast is great, we’ve got about 20 acts, and the show will be a little less than 2 hours. We need everyone to advertise!
    • Little Shop of Horrors
      • The show is doing well! We had band practice with the cast, the band has the first 6 songs down, and everything went really well. Snow has been an issue, but we’re moving forward and doing fine.
      • We are renting Audrey II, since that makes life easier!
      • Problem: We need help with costumes, largely someone who can be in charge of coordinating the various people.
        • Solution: We may have someone to help, but would appreciate anyone else who can assist. Interested members should contact Laura Giorgianni at lauragii@cox,net
      • Problem: We would like to use UV lights for certain scenes (as we did with Wonka Jr.). Our UV lights take 15 minutes to turn on and off, and are rather large and clumsy to use.
        • Solution: We’ve found some RGBAWUV (red, green, blue, amber, white, ultraviolet) LED lights made the same company as the ones we purchased for Our Town. They turn on and off when you want them to without the issue of cooling, and they’re much smaller. We are wondering if we can rent them, but companies aren’t likely to carry due to their being right on the line between amateur and professional equipment. We will probably purchase some, using the show’s budget as we did with Our Town.
    • SMCT Unplugged
      • We are performing Chekhov’s The Bear and The Proposal, two 1-act plays that we are combining in a single show. We’re still working on when it’s going to perform, but probably early August. We will advertise on Facebook for members after Shakespeare, but before Little Shop of Horrors. People who are interested in Unplugged should contact Chris Brostrup-Jensen (chrisbj45@yahoo.com) or Heather Christie (hrchristie1@gmail.com).
    • SMCT Summer Children’s Theatre
      • We are performing Tom Sawyer and Andy Affleck is directing. Anyone interested in helping out should contact him at aaffleck@gmail.com. Audition information will be posted in late spring.
    • USO Show Dinner Theatre
      • The original proposal was made for fall of 2016, not fall of 2015. We will postpone this show until then, and possibly have a different dinner theatre in the spring of 2016.
  • TECH CREW UPDATE
    • Lighting Console
      • Problem: Our current console has very few channels, particularly given our move towards LEDs (which can require 20 channels per light).
        • Solution: We have found a has 500 channels on eBay for a reasonable cost. We have purchased it, and it should arrive within the next week.
      • Problem: To use this console, we need 2 DVI computer monitors, preferably ones that match. We also need a keyboard and mouse, preferably wireless. We also need to adapt the console to 3-pin DMX, since that’s what our cables are, but the console is likely 5-pin DMX. Finally, we need a nice, sturdy case to protect the board.
        • Solution: These are fairly cheap. Some members may have some we can use, but that might cause other issues. We will look at pricing and discuss all this either at the next meeting or in the interim.
    • Selling unused equipment
      • Problem: We have a lot of unused equipment, now that we’ve started upgrading.
        • Solution: We may want to consider selling equipment online. Certain board members will look into the process and create an inventory, and we’ll discuss it at the next meeting.
      • Problem: When purchasing equipment, certain members have had to go through their own accounts with various businesses (like eBay).
        • Solution: We should create a company account, particularly if we are hoping to eventually sell some of our equipment.
  • ADMINISTRATION
    • Mailing Lists
      • We now have 4 mailing lists: one for board members, one for “active members” (members not on the board who are still involved in board meetings and activities), one for the Teen Troupe, and one for all members of SMCT.
      • Problem: We aren’t quite sure who would like to be on the “active members” list.
        • Solution: If someone would like to join the “Active members” list, they can go to http://www.swampmeadow.org/contact/interests-survey, fill out the form, and check the box at the bottom that says “I would like to join SMCT’S Active Members List.”
    • Perks for Ad Support
      • If someone purchased a full page, seasonal ad since July 1, 2014, we will thank them by sending a card with a wonderful message and two free tickets (worth up to $15).
      • Starting in 2015, if someone purchases a full-page, seasonal ad, we will send them two complimentary ticket vouchers worth up to $15.
      • Any SMCT ticket vouchers are NOT physical tickets, but vouchers. The holder must call to get a reservation before they can use the voucher. Each voucher can be used for a single ticket at any of our main shows, and can be combined for admission to a dinner or dessert theatre. However, if a ticket is less than $15, voucher holders will not be given change.
  • ACTORS WANTED
    • The Preservation Society is holding a state-wide meeting in Providence, with a group going out to Foster on an excursion on April 24th (25th as a rain date). They would like a costumed, walking tour of specific stops between 2:30 and 4:30pm. Interested members should contact Bob Hollis at revbobh@gmail.com
    • Captain Isaac Paine School has asked us to start our after school program again. Any help would be appreciated. Interested members should contact Bob Hollis at revbobh@gmail.com
  • SMCT BOARD
    • Our next meeting is Saturday, March 28th at 10:00am at the Benjamin Eddy Building in Foster, RI.
    • Moved to adjourn the meeting, motion seconded, motion approved.