Minutes 31st January 2011

STaG Board Minutes 31st January 2011
In attendance: S. Gregson, T. Pennock, H. Allan, C. Felstead, D. Hahn, S. MacDonald, A. Rutherford, D. Keenan, T. Eaton, L. Taylor, E. Burckhardt, J. May, F. Bird, A. McKay
Apologies: L. Monkman
Agenda
1. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
2. New Works Festival
3. Tech Update
4. Death of Marat
5. Antoine’s Found Spaces
6. STaG Ball
7. Play in a Day
8. Other Business


1. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Rehearsals have started and L. Taylor will be meeting William this week to get an update on how things are going. A rehearsal schedule has been sent out however the rooms are unconfirmed. The board spoke about how it is useful to know where a rehearsal will be prior to the day as it means people can make sure they are available. Some people have expressed concerns about how the gender reversals are meant to work when the script has been mainly unchanged. Similarly the American accents have worried some people as they were not made aware in the auditions that this was a requirement. The board wondered if accent workshops could be held to help people. T. Pennock will book a room for rehearsals at the QMU for 1st February. A meeting between Will and A. McKay will be held soon to sort out publicity for the show. Similarly plans for fundraising will need to be made as soon as possible. S. Gregson has been told we will be receiving the full £500 grant we asked for from the creative practice fund. L. Monkman will need to memberise the cast as soon as she can.

2. New Works Festival
D. Hahn is waiting for the man from the venue to get back to her regarding her list of questions. As he is away until Friday she will go and see him then and discuss the situation. The lack of storage means we may have to hire a van to keep things in which could cost about £20 a night however hopefully we can leave things in the venue. Posters have been finished and sent to A. McKay who will contact the printers to find out the price of printing them. The fundraiser is on Friday and people have been confirmed to perform at an open-mic style event. S. MacDonald asked whether the budget could be increased at all and was told that depending on what it was for this may be possible. She also asked for volunteers to help decorate the STaG room ahead of the fundraiser.

3. Tech Update
All the equipment has been ordered and most of it has arrived or is scheduled to arrive by Wednesday. L. Taylor asked people to help make cables. An operator will be advertised for in the newsletter along with people to make the cables.

4. Death of Marat
1 email has been received and H. Allan is currently waiting for a reply.

5. Antoine’s Found Spaces
A space has been decided on and security has been contacted for permission, which has been granted. We need to email them again with the dates and times confirmed. T. Eaton will ask Antoine what time he wants it and will advise him to put something in the newsletter as soon as possible regarding auditions and finding a co-director.

6. STaG Ball
The GUU seems like a good location for the ball as it will help to keep costs down so ticket prices can be relatively cheap. F. Bird will book it for the 23rd May and will look for a ceilidh band. The budget for the band is usually between £150 and £200 so the board is asked to keep an eye out for anyone they may know who can perform. The committee will meet soon to begin planning the event. It was discussed that a theme could be a good idea as it has gone down well in previous years.
7. Play in a Day
If the performance is put on just before exams then it needs to be organised and advertised well in advance so there is less to do on the day. It is important that several board members are there on the day to oversee things and make sure it all goes smoothly. A timetable for the day should be thought up and it would be good if people signed up prior to the day so that numbers in teams (eg. Tech, acting etc) can be known. It was suggested that script extracts could be given so that people involved have a rough idea of where the play is going and how to shape it. A provisional date for it is the 6thMarch and T. Pennock will ask at the QMU to see if this date is available as we will have to book the room for the whole day.
8. Other Business
F. Bird asked the board about their thoughts on a Valentine’s social which was agreed upon. Games and quizzes can be played and there will be an emphasis on friends rather than couples. T. Pennock objected on the grounds that he hates fun.
Food for the NWF fundraiser and alcohol for the bar needs to be bought. This will be done on Friday.
S. Gregson will email the Citizen’s theatre again to confirm the workshop that is supposed to be held on the 26th February.
J. May wants to do some community theatre and he will email out some ideas he has had so far. He will also email local schools to advertise the plays we are putting on as some of them are relevant to the curriculum.