Minutes 23rd April 2012

STaG Board Meeting 23.04.12 In attendance: C. Beaumont, G. Bennett-Lurie, H. Bolwell, D. Di Rollo, C. Falstead, W. Foote, C. Goldstone, S. Gregson, E. Igelström, D. Keenan, I. McArthur, L. Monkman, A. Rutherford Also in attendance: S. Hyland, A. Kane Apologies: H. Allan (taking minutes – I.McArthur) L. Taylor Agenda: 1. CINDERS Post-Mortem 2. Five Minute Theatre: Hope Here? 3. WHBIT 4. Bristol Inter-Uni Drama Showcase 5. STaG Elections 6. EGM 7. The STaG Ball 8. Hoodies 9. Improv Teatime Performance 10. STaG Room Clean-up 11. A.O.B 1. CINDERS Post-Mortem Directors and production manager present. Dir. S. Hyland + G. Bennet-Lurie, Prod Man. A. Kane. Directors began by explaining they were slightly disappointed at the turn-out of actors, after picking a play with a large amount of parts to cast. It was considered that this was likely to be due to other plays casting at the same time, as well as the requirement for actors to audition during the day, as opposed to the evening. It may be better to have evening auditions as an option in the future. Drop-out rate, the directors also explained, was quite high at around four. Reasons given were students not realising how much work was involved with a mainstage production. It was agreed that underlining the amount of work before auditions could prove off-putting, but that this ‘warning’ about how much work was involved should be delivered at the read-through, or at the earliest possible opportunity after audition, so as to deal with any drop-outs quickly. CINDERS has successfully applied for an SRC grant, but the status of the grant is somewhat unclear since the show has already taken place. The likelihood of us receiving the grand retrospectively can be confirmed or denied at a meeting tomorrow, between the financial secretary and the SRC. In the case of actors who do not commit the full time required at crucial points such as tech rehearsals, the idea was entertained that very small parts, although necessarily small in most cases, could be ‘made more of’ or artistically re-considered early on in the process, if it seems like some parties will need to do a lot of waiting, so that busy students can attend rehearsals more at their convenience, or alternatively, offer them the opportunity to leave the project where appropriate. Clarity, it was agreed, was what was required when casting any actor in any role. Financially, it was pointed out how overwhelmingly successful the fundraisers were. G. Bennett-Lurie and S. Hyland were the first directors to take on a Fundraising Manager, A. Cameron, who achieved the fundraising target for two events before the first was even over. It was also pointed out that one of the positives of these events was the number of new faces who attended. The idea to save money taking taxis instead of hiring a van to move the set would perhaps be reconsidered next time as not worth the money saved for the additional time spent waiting. The financial secretary pointed out that the cost of picking up flyers and posters should be considered when working out a budget in future, as well as the cost of the materials themselves. This will be included in the relevant packs. G. Bennet-Lurie commented on how positive it was for the board representative for the production, C. Beaumont, to be present as much as he was. It was agreed that having the board rep. for any production present at the initial meetings (financial meeting, publicity meetings etc) was a good idea for future productions. S. Hyland pointed out that, despite not being able to carry out the planned post-show discussion because of a small turn out, it was a shame as areas such as writing and reading group, theatre discussions and so on were not more formalised, developed and used to re-inforce one-another in the form of a more academic interest in theatre within STaG. C. Beaumont commented that feedback from the cast suggested that they felt familiar with the board as a useful point of contact. The importance of keeping feedback anonymous was underlined. Those present were reminded that books needed to be settled for the production before the new board arrive, so all receipts must be submitted very soon. The positive comments from some actors and from E. Grossman of the Slavonic Studies department, as well as comment from R. Barbour, a member of the cast, were passed on to the board. 2. Five Minute Theatre: Hope Here? Hope Here? is now cast and will be filmed in the Offshore café. G. Todd, director, has apparently investigated that the venue is suitable and available for the project. It was agreed that audience numbers needed to be clarified, so that a booking system could be opened on the STaG website. Whether STaG (or indeed anyone)’s lighting will be used for the performance is unclear – G. Todd will be contacted about this. A. Rutherford is happy to offer help technically. It will be clarified as to when G. Todd will return from Edinburgh and begin his rehearsals officially. It was agreed that G. Todd’s play should have a small publicity emblem or poster to promote it, as this would be congruent with ‘Which Shoes do you Choose?’ from last year. I. McArthur will organise this. 3. WHBIT WHBIT is reported as going well, a grant application with the SRC is being processed for WHBIT, the status of which is also unclear until tomorrow’s meeting with them. C. Goldstone underlined the importance of contacting the remaining members of the WHBIT team about taking the outstanding headshots before the 26th of this month, in readiness for the ‘IdeasTap’ publicity competition (which offers advice on publicising shows at the Edinburgh Fringe), which she will undertake. The WHBIT ‘teaser’ video has gone online, D. Di Rollo explained his plans to publish more videos, featuring more of the actors to continue the publicity effort and maintain the public interest in the project. It was pointed out that N. Hutchins at The Media unit Studio in the Glasgow University Learning and Teaching Centre is a fantastic resource and should be taken advantage of in future, particularly with regards to making YouTube videos to advertise future productions. A number of additional grants are currently being submitted, and as such, the printing of publicity materials will be slightly delayed, so that any additional logos from sponsors can be included on posters and flyers at the last-minute, where necessary. Additional methods of raising money, including applying for other grants through ‘fund-finder’, as well as taking on sponsorship from companies offering support in exchange for logos appearing on materials, are being investigated by the WHBIT team. The WHBIT script has been updated and checked for appropriate length, and C. Falstead reminded the board of the importance of paying the venue before the May deadline. The membership secretary agreed that the teaser trailor would appear in the next newsletter with a small blurb lifted from YouTube. The WHBIT website is still under construction but the content will be uploaded in the next week or so, and is expected to go live mid-May, in tandem with the Fringe guide, where the website address will be published. It was pointed out that, in terms of website design for the Fringe, a lot of code from the construction of the original STaG website can be copied in order to create new ones which, nicely, are congruent with the original STaG website, as well as saving time. 4. Bristol Inter-Uni Drama Showcase It was pointed out that the WHBIT team would not be available on the 18th June for this event – and therefore in order to be involved, a previous production would need to volunteered or nominated. Considering the imminent deadline, it was suggested that a member of the board should contact, by phone, various directors from STaG Nights and New Works in order to find a small group with a shorter piece to attend the festival and perform. I.McArthur agreed to do this job. It was agreed that only plays which practically are transportable can be considered, both in terms of set, length and size of cast. It was agreed that any show which went forward would do so on the same basis on which proposals are accepted for any STaG production. The various directors will be given a period of one or two days to contact their cast if they are interested in being involved. 5. STaG Elections H. Bolwell and D. Keenan will run the elections. C. Falstead pointed out the somewhat complicated nature of how the elections are ordered, in terms of candidates putting forward preferences, and that those in charge would need to be well organised to try and overcome clashes as effectively and straight-forwardly as possible. E. Igelström assured the board that he was explaining clearly to all candidates the rules of the event, including the necessity to include a small speech. It was also pointed out that all the manifestos need to go on the STaG website. It was eventually agreed that this would take place as soon as possible, rather than on one specific date before the election day. A. Rutherford will investigate facilitating these uploads. It was furthermore suggested that board members writing short blurbs (as last year) about the advantages of running in elections and playing a part in the board might help encourage applicants. C.Falstead will contact the members of the board about this. The social convenor will facilitate getting refreshments for this event. C. Falstead pointed out to the board members that this year, members will meet privately with their successors to answer any questions about the positions they are handing over, and supplementing the information provided in their pack. 6. EGM This is confirmed to take place on Sunday 13th May. Since current President, C. Falstead, cannot attend – the current vice presidents L. Monkman and/or L. Taylor will run this meeting. E.Igelström confirmed that this will appear on the website, along with news of the mainstage production. 7. The STaG Ball D. Keenan updated the board that he was still searching for a poster designer and a photographer. The current Ceilidh band proposed look promising and are within budget, and L. Monkman and A. Rutherford will look into DJ and equipment hire to play afterwards. D. Keenan will also investigate a member of the committee supplying a flat for the after-party. E. Igelstrom and D. Keenan will begin putting together the questionnaire for the awards ceremony. 8. Hoodies It was agreed that STaG hoodies would be made available to buy at the elections. 9.Improv Teatime Performance E. Igelström updated that board that the 8th of May is still the proposed date for the event. He and T. Pennock are still recruiting members of the Improv Teatime troupe, with a mind to advertise the event in the newsletter as soon as possible. 10. STaG Room Clean-Up A clean-up is scheduled for Saturday 5th May at 1pm. 11. A.O.B H. Bolwell explained that she felt the board hand-over should include a list of the membership, physically recorded on paper. C. Falstead pointed out that an electronic list exists on the box.net moodle programme used by the society. The board were encouraged to take advantage of this facility for passing on different types of information to the next board. H. Bolwell pointed out also that more contact information would be useful in terms of contacting previous and current members of the board. E. Igelström will consider passing on this advice. C. Beaumont pointed out that additional feedback could be given to those to proposed 5 Minute Theatre ideas but who were not chosen. C. Falstead will look into this. E. Igelström asked if the board had any objections to the newsletter being sent out a day later this week. There were none. C. Falstead reminded the board about the importance of providing archive content, which she has contacted various members of the board about privately. END