Minutes 17th October 2011

STaG Board Meeting 17/10/2011

In attendance: S. Gregson, T. Pennock, C. Felstead, A. Rutherford, C. Goldstone, G. Bennett-Lurie, D. Di Rollo, H. Allan, I. McArthur, D. Keenan, Erik Igelstrom, L. Monkman

Apologies: L. Taylor

Also in attendance: 1st year board rep hopefuls, NTN directors, STaG Studio proposers

Agenda

1) 1st Year Reps
2) New Talent Nights post-mortem
3) Clean-up
4) Room key
5) STaG Studio
6) Much Ado
7) STaG Nights
8) Stroke Association
9) Social
10) Board Trip
11) AOB

1) 1st Year Reps
C. Felstead welcomed all those who attended and talked generally about the role they would be filling. The reps were invited one by one to talk to the board about why they felt they would be suitable for the positions. After a long debate where the pros and cons were weighed up, a vote was taken and the two reps chosen were Harriet and William. Congratulations!

2) New Talent Post-Mortem
Mabli and Charlie were welcomed to the meeting and C. Felstead reminded them and D. Di Rollo to clear out their props form the STaG room as soon as possible.
The audition process was felt to be good and the directors appreciated being able to sit in on them as it made casting easier. It was felt that having large rehearsal rooms booked for the weekend before the show would be helpful as it was difficult to rehearse in smaller spaces. The possibility of having to pay for the GU was discussed and other rooms should be thought of too.
The format was good and the directors enjoyed having two different scripts to work with. They felt the casts were encouraged to have a little friendly competition due to the parallel roles within the plays. The play choice was good and it seems to be a success if the play chosen is a well known story.
It would be nice to have more time to rehearse in the GU to make it easier on the actual night.
The assistant director roles was good but perhaps if there are two directors an AD should be optional as Mabli and Charlie found their AD became more like a stage manager. The crew’s roles should be more clearly defined to the directors and the casts as people were often unsure about who should be doing what. This is especially relevant when considering the AD roles which need to be more collaborative with the directors. The ASM roles were not really fulfilled as the SMs often didn’t really use them to their full advantage.
In the feedback it was suggested that some trust exercises and speech/stretching warm-ups would be useful. The social events were well received and people enjoyed meeting the other casts.
It would be good to warn people if rehearsals are due to overrun and also to emphasise to the casts that people turning up late will mean the rehearsals will run late.
Next year it would be better to advertise the auditions as running from one time to another rather than saying come at a set time as many people did not realise they did not have to turn up at 2pm on the dot.
The Monday night had 88 people attending and Tuesday had 191. An expected profit for the two nights is £452.

3) Clean-up
C. Felstead expressed her disappointment at the low numbers of people that attended and advised that more people come next time.

4) Room Key
The key I. McArthur was given by the porter’s box did not work. S. Gregson has emailed the MSA asking why the new key isn’t at the box and is hoping to get another key from the Cecilian society. We need 3 keys overall for easy access to the STaG room.

5) STaG Studio
The board met with the two people who had proposed – James and Heidi – and talked to them about their proposals and their ideas for putting the show on. Both proposals wanted co-directors and the board discussed the need to have somebody who has experience so that as much help as possible can be given.
After a discussion of both proposals the board voted and the majority decision was that James’s play ‘Closer’ would be chosen. A co-director should be found by Thursday, this will be advertised in the newsletter. Auditions will be held this weekend.
C. Felstead will provide feedback for both James and Heidi.
Heidi – we will recommend New Works as her play sounds as though it will be suitable for it, especially if extended as she has said it will be. We also recommend she goes to writing group as it may benefit her. The board really enjoyed her proposal and many people were interested in auditioning for it. The main issue was the length of the piece and the board was unsure if a longer piece could be ready in time.
James – The board recommends shortening the piece to about an hour as the time constraints are quite strict. It will be stressed that a dedicated team is essential for the smooth running of the show. Tech and set needs sorted as soon as possible. The board will also reiterate open auditions as it seemed as though James already had his cast in mind.
D. Keenan will be board rep.

6) Much Ado
Weekly crew meetings and whole cast rehearsals are going to be held. Communication between everyone seems to have improved. The photoshoot took place at the weekend however Josh does not have enough time to do the poster design so I. McArthur has contacted people to see who can design it. Tech meetings seem to be taking place without A. Rutherford however he is trying to get more involved and is unhappy at the lack of communication between the team and himself. L. Taylor will be asked about the box office. E. Igelstrom will memberise the cast at one of the group rehearsals. The board is a little concerned that Josh’s idea of having music on the night that he controls as the play goes on may not work particularly well but this is being tested at rehearsals.

7) STaG Nights
Poster is finished and will be printed as soon as possible after it has been emailed to I. McArthur. The STaG room has been booked for the cheese and wine social and the launch night will be held on the 5th November where there will be a band and two DJs. Auditions are being held this week.

8) Stroke Association
Some people are involved so a meeting will be held to organise what will happen on the night.

9) Social
The room has been booked and a projector is being loked for. A film has not yet been chosen.
10) Board Trip
G. Bennett-Lurie will send out a doodle to check availability for a day-trip this semester. The trip will be held next semester instead.

11) AOB
The website will be ready soon – hopefully by the end of the week.
Another trip to see a play is being discussed.