Minutes 15th November 2010

STaG Board Minutes 15th November 2010
In attendance: S. Gregson, T. Pennock, H. Allan, D. Hahn, D. Keenan, T. Eaton, E. Burckhardt, J. May
Apologies: F. Bird, A. Kane, L. Taylor, C. Felstead, L. Monkman, S. MacDonald, A. Rutherford
Agenda
1. STaG Nights Update
2. La Ronde Update
3. New Works
4. G12/Subcity
5. Improv. Tea Time
6. AGM
7. Other Business

1. STaG Nights Update
Looking good so far. Subcity did a piece on STaG Nights which was good as it raised the profile of the shows.

2. La Ronde Update
There has not been a budget meeting yet however one should be taking place after the meeting. J. May needs to work out his budget before he can spend any money on set or props etc. There is also a publicity meeting planned as soon as A. Kane lets J. May know his availability. Hopefully the show will have a preview at New Theatre in Jim’s Bar on the 29th November. Set needs to be organised as soon as possible.

3. New Talent
D. Hahn feels The Butterfly and the Pig would be a good venue, it would be free to hire and is mostly available as well as being flexible on when people can come in to set up tech/rehearse etc. However there is not a lot of lighting in the space so it was suggested that buying a lighting desk would be a good investment (and would cost around £700).
It was suggested that cheaper tickets could be sold if people were willing to stand on the balcony over the main seating area. The stage size will be dependant on the number of seats put out in the venue as there is a capacity of about 50.
D. Hahn spoke to Liz Lochhead regarding the possibility of her being a judge for the performances. This could be a good thing as it means her name would raise the profile of the event especially for the winning play which will go to the Fringe. However, she said she was only willing to do it if there were 2 plays on each night, which means the festival will only run for 2 days rather than the usual 4 days. S. Gregson raised the idea that this would cause ticket prices to be raised which would affect the turnout. T. Pennock and E. Burckhardt discussed the difficulties of doing tech for 2 shows on one night as there will be lighting differences and set issues too.
It is best to portray the plays as being finished rather than a first draft so the judges responses are not affected.
It was widely agreed that judges should represent various different areas of theatre so that all different types of theatre can be truly appreciated and judged.
The board will agree on judges at a later date.

4. G12/Subcity
K. Nesbitt, S. Gregson and H. Allan are meeting to discuss the closure of the G12 and the implications it has had for STaG for a documentary to be aired on Subcity radio. T. Pennock and S. Gregson will also be attending the rector’s surgery in order to see what else can be done.

5. Improv Tea Time
This will take place on the 24th November between 5 and 7pm. A facebook event will be created in order to raise the profile of it.

6. AGM
This will be moved to next semester and the time it will happen annually should be put in the constitution in order to avoid confusion. It was said that the AGM should be a reflection of the past year in order to better STaG. This could overlap with the board election so the new board are aware of the rules set for them.
7. Other Business
T. Pennock and T. Eaton spoke to C. McCleod regarding his experiences with New Talent. C. McCleod enjoyed his experiences but felt there wasn’t much publicity. The point was raised he has upset several people in his cast and it was stated that as he was a representative of STaG he needs to address this issue.
Tramway was discussed as a possible venue and E. Burckhardt will look into this.
The youth hostel has been booked so the board needs to give their money to T. Eaton as soon as possible.
D. Hahn asked the board to keep an eye out for possible judges for the New Works festival.