Minutes: 24th September 2012

Minutes of STaG Board Meeting, 24th September 2012

The STaG Room, 62 Oakfield Avenue 5:40-6:50pm

In attendance were A. Ciupka, N. Donald, W. Foote, M. Godden, C. Goldstone, D. Hahn, E. Igelström, S. Linsley, A. McCallum, A. Rutherford, Z. Williams

Apologies from H. Allan, A. Cameron

Pending actions from previous Minutes

• Z. Williams - no word from Estates and Buildings, although the light is fixed
• M. Godden - New Works venue booking
• C. Goldstone - publicity pack, for 2 weeks' time
• E. Igelström - SRC grant confirmed, needs to be picked up from the office
• E. Igelström - money is still required from D. Mackay
• All - Board Trip Doodle needs filling in

Agenda

1. Board Social
2. NTN
3. Arnie
4. SN
5. MS1
6. Glasgay!
7. Community
8. Publicity
9. AOB

1.  Board Social
Text A. Rutherford and/or W. Foote if you cannot attend any socials [ACTION: All].  Otherwise all set for tomorrow.

2.  New Talent Nights

1. First Version (directors K. Watt and J. Gilvear) - no rehearsals yet, but a schedule has been sent to the Rep. (M. Godden) and rooms booked.  M. Godden has sent her details out and shall attend a rehearsal on Sunday.
2. Second Version - the Rep. (D. Hahn) attended a rehearsal on Saturday; there was some issue with cast not turning up, and it was suggested that instead of emails headed 'Full Cast', individual names might work better in a list of those expected.
3. Overall everything seems to be going well.  A second joint social shall be organised [ACTION: Mabs & Debs].

3.  Arniegeddon

1. Five of the seven roles were cast at auditions, and another filled later.  One role remains to be cast, however interest was expressed by an actor at the History Boys audition today.  Cast lists in general should be forwarded by Reps to the Board when received [ACTION: All].
2. C. Goldstone shall send an email to follow up on any developments and the missing cast role [ACTION: Catherine].

4.  STaG Nights

1. As A. Cameron was absent, a full update will be given next week.
2. Committee, Tech and Band meetings were held on Friday; there have been no proposals as yet, and posters still need to be put out and further plugging on Facebook [ACTION: All].
3. More band members may be required, and a blurb has been forwarded for the newsletter.

5.  History Boys

1. Auditions have been very successful.
2. Venues - CCA, FilmCity and Kelvingrove look unlikely.  Òran Mór is no longer a possibility.  M. Godden, H. Bolwell and possibly S. Linsley will visit the Goethe-Institut tomorrow morning, which has a space of 70 square metres and no banked seating.  If this is also not an option, M. Godden shall try to book the S.P.A.C.E. cabaret area tomorrow afternoon.

6.  Glasgay!
J. May is content to re-propose his play for STaG Nights, where he's effectively guaranteed a non-performance slot.


7.  Community

1.  Communication is not quick enough for weekly workshops or a performance as yet, so workshops led by STaG members for high school (possibly primary school) groups in a 2-year project was suggested.  Stories from elderly members of the community could be incorporated as the material.  The issue with a 2-year project is that next year's Board would have to be equally committed.
2. The legal requirements of working with children needs more research, particularly as regulations seem to have become stricter in recent times.
3. A vote secured a 2-year plan.

8.  Publicity

1. Govan was shut, S. Linsley will visit again at another time [ACTION: Sinead].
2. Poster circulation for NTN is going well.
3. SN designer required.
4. Arnie is being tackled by M. Godden, with preparations underway.

9.  AOB

1. NTN - the order of NTN productions shall be reiterated [ACTION: Aidan].
2. Keyboard - a keyboard in the cupboard has been donated to STaG, and there has been a request to borrow it.  M. Godden and Z. Williams shall keep track of it being returned; hopefully soon a lock will be installed on that door and only they will have access [ACTION: Mabs & Zoë].
3. A play is on at The S.P.A.C.E. which STaG has been offered free tickets for.  The director also wants to propose for STaG Nights; regarding the question of whether professionals can take part, this would still be utterly suitable [ACTION: Harriet].
4. The Vintage Fair organiser asked for applicants for paid flyering who would "look the part" - this is to be added to the newsletter [ACTION: Sinead & Harriet].
5. Next week there shall be a short performance of Beckett's 'Come and Go' after the Board Meeting, at 7:30pm in the STaG Room.  To be advertised in the newsletter [ACTION: Harriet].
6. The Cecilians expressed interest in a joint social, and they have links with O'Couture; W. Foote shall be in contact [ACTION: William].
7. The venue for the NTN After Party was volunteered by a generous member present; to be confirmed closer to the time.

The date of the next meeting is Monday 1st October, 5:30pm in the STaG Room.

Meeting adjourned.

Minutes: 17th September 2012

Minutes of STaG Board Meeting, 17th September 2012

The STaG Room, 62 Oakfield Avenue 5:30-7:00pm

In attendance were H. Allan, A. Cameron, A. Ciupka, N. Donald, M. Godden, C. Goldstone, D. Hahn, E. Igelström, S. Linsley, A. McCallum, A. Rutherford, Z. Williams

Apologies from W. Foote
C. Felstead and D. di Rollo (SM and Director of WHBIT) were also present.

Pending actions from previous Minutes

4.1  E. Igelström (HB venues budget research)

9.2  Z. Williams (Estates and Buildings)

14.1 M. Godden (NW venue)

Agenda

1. WHBIT Post-Mortem
2. Board Social
3. Freshers' Week
4. NTN
5. MS1
6. SN
7. Arnie
8. Glasgay!
9. Publicity
10. Social
11. AOB
    
    
    
    

1.  'What's He Building in There' Post-Mortem

1. Timea)  Between February and May, the crew felt they had more than enough time to rehearse thoroughly, despite J. Maitland (actor) being present for only 4 days.  The following 2-month break before July was refreshing.  Overall, provided the background requirements have been managed, rehearsing need not be a long-haul process.b)  This year there was a 3-week break between NW and rehearsals, but time management as a whole should purely be fit around the availability of the cast and crew.c)  There were some issues with the venue due to the show over-running, although by the arrival at the Fringe this had been sorted.  If anything this was a consequence of too much time to rehearse and tweak things, and less time to run rehearsals with J. Maitland.
2. Publicity
   a)  The online and street campaigns were a strong point.  Initially the publicity was developed by everyone together, so it was unified across all the media - web, social media, video trailer leaflets, posters.
   b) For the notable discount in the Fringe guide, it is important to find and submit a thumbnail early.
   c)  The venue provided little support regarding publicity - you mostly have to fend for yourself.  The venue also lost 12 posters, which could have made a noticeable difference.  Overall more posters could have been distributed, and a second poster campaign started in Week 2.
   d)  Too many flyers - this could have been better organised, but the amount printed was deemed suitable and wearing a flag in the street made a noticeable improvement.  Morale was also very high, probably thanks to a rousing briefing beforehand.
   e)  The involvement of creative people from the Art School/colleges had a great impact, and this should be encouraged for future years, as it is a popular opportunity to work with the Fringe for the artists too.
   f)  Booking the GUST Studio for the trailer was free and highly recommended.
   g)  For future shows, C. Goldstone shall write an advice pack [ACTION: Catherine].
3. Venue
   a)  ZOO was very good, and hopefully we have made a strong connection enabling us to go there again, maybe with a better time slot, as it looks like STaG had the best audience numbers for that venue.  A complaint beside the posters was the slow fixing of a programme misprint.
   b)  It was also suggested, however, to re-establish contact with Bedlam - in the middle of town, the stage is good and it has a good reputation and followers - ZOO was slightly off the beaten track.  In the past, a NW judge was an employee of Bedlam, which meant it was recognised at Fringe time.  Last year there was friction here though, which illustrates the importance of loyalty to venues.
   c)  The main ZOO office was not helpful and hard to deal with, but the space and crew themselves were fine.
   d)  If you get a reasonably good offer for a venue, take it!  ZOO almost passed by, and this was a sticking point last year too.
4. Finance
   a)  The fundraising target was off, despite cast and crew really making an effort to meet it.  It was agreed that £800 is a reasonable amount still, and the budgeting was perfect as usually it came to slightly under.  It was mentioned that some didn't fundraise as much as others, and in future the fundraising targets and events could be more thoroughly planned before the summer, the Board meeting the crew after NW to better coordinate a timetable and set some dates.
   b)  There was some difficulty in the crew being reimbursed, as this featured during the Board transition time, so it was ambiguous as to who was responsible.
   c)  The SRC grant should be applied for again - it was a huge help and the other applications had no reply.  A. Rutherford shall email the SRC [ACTION: Aidan].
   d)  Overview - not enough figures yet, however estimates show that this has been probably the most financially successful Fringe in STaG history, no more that £200 lost (as opposed to £1000) and possibly even making a profit due to an unexpectedly cheap flat and fantastic audience numbers.
   e)  Venue Passes - these cost £5, docked from the Box Office return.  These should be budgeted in future.
   f)  £15 is still owed by D. Mackay [ACTION: Erik].
   Board Representation
   a)  C. Beaumont said that he didn't really feel like he did anything, had much to do with the production and only acted as a messenger between the Board and the SM.  He also mentioned an issue caused by the exchange of Board signatories, and suggested this be handled by the SM in future.
   b)  It was noted that the Board Rep did not ask for feedback, and perhaps could have been involved more, going to more rehearsals, knowing cast and crew better and being the main person to approach for advice.  This was maybe a result of his not being on the Board in the summer, instead someone in the right place at the right time, and also the fact that no Board meetings occur in the summer anyway.  It was then agreed that it was more important for someone to be present than necessarily a Board member, preferably in Glasgow instead of Edinburgh if not both, and the actual requirement for the post was discussed.  Any Board member could be emailed with any problems anyway.  This discussion is continued in Point 9.
5. Group Dynamic
   Keeping positions to a minimum worked well - 12 people was perfect for flyering and accommodation, and everyone had fun (which is inevitable though!).  An issue last year had been too many people, resulting in not as much vested interest.
6. Accommodation
   a)  Flat-hunting before Fringe details are settled was suggested.  It was noted however that suitable flats only became available about one month before required - it would only be worth asking friends in Edinburgh for flats at an earlier stage.
   b)  SouthSide Property Management has been used the last 2 years now, and are reliable, cheap and helpful.
   c)  C. Felstead is to ask about the deposit [ACTION: Cerne].
7. Production Team
   a)  The lack of Production Manager (and Technical Manager) caused few problems, although it depends on the Team Leader - it is another person in charge, which can be useful.  C. Felstead was happy with amalgamating her role with Technical Manager, however has had technical experience, and there were some issues which could not be fixed by house techies, so an extra role there could be a plus, although they would only really be needed at the Technical Rehearsal.
8. In conclusion - very positive.  Highlights included the Tech Rehearsal, full audiences and receiving the publicity material in the post.  C. Felstead, D. di Rollo and C. Golstone shall update the advice pack for 2 weeks' time [ACTION: Cerne, Dom & Catherine].
   *  C. Felstead and D. di Rollo left the meeting.
9. Further discussion suggested defining clearer job roles within the team, and the inclusion of Board Rep/Production Manager.  A unanimous vote decided on using a Production Manager next year, whose role would include Board Repping:  they would not be as involved as crew but still there to watch progress, dropping in anyway, could liaise with venues, would be involved primarily with the production instead of the people, would be unswayed by any creative investment, and finally would take the overseeing of budget off the shoulders of the directors.  Previous minutes shall be researched for discussions of Production Manager duties, and a decision date for this in February shall be settled [ACTION: Aidan].

2.  Board Social

1. A. Ciupka offered to organise the First Semester trip [ACTION: Alex].  Previous excursions included Stirling and ice-skating, and preferences should be gathered in preparation.  
2. Ideally plans should be made by the addition of the First Year Reps, and a budget of £50 each was agreed.  Suggestions here included Lindisfarne, Wales, Ireland and Hobbit House glamping.  A Doodle for free weekends shall be organised [ACTION: Debs].

3.  Freshers' Week
A. Rutherford thanked the Board for such a motivated, organised and successful week.  Post-Mortem shall be next week.  There are 80 members, although we hope for more during NTN.


4.  New Talent Nights

1. Auditions went well - 56 participants means 28 cast members each, and 29 attended the Tech Meeting.  About two thirds of new faces happen to be female.  The directors seem organised, although may need more assistance with booking venues.  
2. Cast meet from 7:30 to 9pm on Wednesday 19th in the QMU [EVENT: NTN read-throughs]; H. Allan, A. McCallum, Z. Williams, S. Linsley, M. Godden and A. Rutherford should all introduce themselves at the start [ACTION: Harriet, Adam, Zoë, Sinead, Mabs & Aidan].
3. A social is planned for all involved on Wednesday night at 9pm, despite football match - a trip to a union bar might be the best option.  M. Godden shall confirm details [ACTION: Mabs], and  Board Reps shall email the Directors and Z. Williams the new crew [ACTION: Debs, Mabs & Zoë].

5.  MainStage 1

1. Venues - not going well.  Mitchell Library too expensive; Concert Hall take a 10% cut; Hillhead Library difficult to work with and unclear on prices; Kelvin Hall keen but H. Bolwell sceptical (banked seating, estimate cost pending); she prefers Kelvingrove, but it is booked through the Concert Hall (waiting to hear back); Centre for Contemporary Arts helpful but broken phone/sick leave (may be more suitable for NW); The S.P.A.C.E. and Stereo unsuitable; lecture theatres don't have enough space for the actual production arrangements.  No longer restricted to educational establishments.  FilmCity - the old Govan Town Hall - was suggested, and shall be investigated.
2. An auditions rota should be prepared [ACTION: Nogs].

6.  STaG Nights

1. Production Meeting went well; A. Cameron would like to create a trailer, and will meet S. Linsley on 18th September [ACTION: Amy & Sinead].
2. All social media is ready for when posters are put up.

7.  Arniegeddon

1. Venue - Offshore is booked for all three nights.
2. Publicity - vlogging (amongst rehearsals) is planned.  
3. Cast/Crew - newsletter adverts are needed for SM and Sound Tech [ACTION: Harriet] and the auditions are on Thursday 20th, 4-6pm [EVENT: Arnie auditions], to be attended by A. Ciupka and Z. Williams [ACTION: Alex & Zoë].  
4. A. McCallum and Z. Williams will investigate Offshore as a space to work with this week [ACTION: Zoë & Adam].
5. Finance - not too much sound equipment is possible as the budget is currently rather low.  The absence of lights however should demand a total estimate of £50, the sound system also depending on the crew responsible.

8.  Glasgay!

1. The lack of response suggests that the proposal was declined, and there is no mention of STaG in the latest releases.
2. If the director is agreeable, the play can instead form part of STaG Nights [ACTION: Nogs].
3. The gay online magazine Polari may be a good publication to make contact with, perhaps for STaG Nights [ACTION: Amy].  

9.  Publicity

1. Pinnochio - poster finished and looking good, going to print on Wednesday.
2. HB - also done, to be shown to the director, pending venue information only.  Prototypes of cards also made.
3. SN - ready to go, pre-campaign to be started soon [ACTION: Sinead & Amy].
4. Arnie - M. Godden shall also have this completed soon [ACTION: Mabs].

10.  Social

1. Refreshments - needed for Tuesday 25th.  A shopping trip is organised for Friday [ACTION: Amy, Alex & Zoë].  
2. Affiliation with a Bar - many societies pledge allegiance to a certain pub, and the Grosvenor Café has expressed interest.  This shall be put on the agenda for next week [AGENDA: pub affiliation].

11.  AOB

1. Estates and Buildings - both Z. Williams about the lock and M. Godden about the flickering light have had no success in making contact.  H. Allan may have an email address they can try [ACTION: Harriet].
2. Signatories - cheques can now be signed.
3. Cecilians - the Cecilian Society weekend show is approaching, and should be mentioned in the newsletter [ACTION: Harriet].  A possible social with them shall be discussed at a future meeting [AGENDA: Cecilian social].
4. Money for T-Shirts is still required from some members [ACTION: All pending & Erik].
5. Volunteers for the Panopticon and STaG Nights information should also both be added to the newsletter [ACTION: Harriet].  After volunteering at the weekend, N. Donald reported that unless the production's theme was in keeping with the Victorian magic/circus preferences, the Panopticon seems unlikely as a venue option for STaG at present.
6. Memberising shall be discussed/clarified next week [AGENDA: Memberising; ACTION: Harriet].

The date of the next meeting is Monday 24th September, 5:30pm in the STaG Room.

Meeting adjourned.

Minutes: 10th September 2012

Minutes of STaG Board Meeting 10th September 2012

The STaG Room, 62 Oakfield Avenue 5:35-6:20pm

In attendance were H. Allan, A. Cameron, N. Donald, W. Foote, M. Godden, C. Goldstone, D. Hahn, E. Igelström, S. Linsley, A. McCallum, A. Rutherford, Z. Williams

Apologies from A. Ciupka

Agenda

1. Re-cap of Board Protocol
2. Freshers’ Update
3. NTN 
4. MS1 Update
5. SN
6. FS
7. Glasgay
8. Improv
9. Social
10. Online Presence
11. Gatehouse
12. Affiliation
13. Annual Budget/Exec Meeting
14. AOB

 

1.  Re-cap of Board Protocol

1. Post-Mortems - relevant non-Board members (directors, writers, etc.) shall be invited to speak with the Board at the start of a meeting, and then can leave instead of then sitting through the rest of the agenda.
2. Socials/Events - if a Board member is unable to attend a social or similar event, it is appreciated if Aidan and the event organiser is notified as early as possible, so the Board's presence can be gauged [ACTION: All].

2.  Freshers' Update

1. W. Foote and A. Rutherford both commented on how successful the first days of Freshers' Week has been.
2. Socials Supplies - S. Linsley and M. Godden are to buy drinks tomorrow morning in preparation for festivities [ACTION: Sinead & Mabs], with some Board members remaining in the STaG Room to help set up [ACTION: All].  W. Foote and C. Goldstone are to buy food and 4 more barbecues tomorrow [ACTION: William & Catherine], and E. Igelström shall look over food budgets from previous years to give an idea of the spending allowance [ACTION: Erik].  As rain is forecast, any spare umbrellas at the barbecue would be gratefully received  [ACTION: All].
3. Stall - information and velcro pads shall be supplied by the SRC before the start of the fair.  Flyering tomorrow shall be concentrated around the main building and near the STaG Room, the rota shall be circulated tonight [ACTION: William] and 200 more flyers have been printed, with some to be folded at the stall during quiet moments.

3.  New Talent Nights

1. Before the auditions, meetings with A. Rutherford, the Board reps and the directors should be arranged [ACTION: Aidan, Mabs & Debs].  The auditions also need to be arranged properly, the directors to be contacted by the Board reps [ACTION: Mabs & Debs]. 
2. A rota is also required for Board presence during the auditions, 2 representatives in 1.5 hour shifts from 1.30-7pm [ACTION: Nogs].

4.  MainStage 1 Update

1. A. Rutherford and H. Bolwell had a successful meeting on the 9th September, and everything seems under control and very promising.  Today more venues were investigated, although M. Godden asked for an idea of the budget, which shall be researched [ACTION: Erik].
2. Improv Clash - due to a change in dates of SN, MS1 has been moved to the last week of teaching [EVENT: History Boys, 29/11-1/12/12].  This impacts on the scheduled Improv performance, which has been moved to the week beginning the 19th November [EVENT: Improv, provisionally], provided Jim's Bar is amenable [ACTION: Erik].
3. A Board rota is also needed for the MS1 auditions, excluding anyone on the judging panel [ACTION: Nogs].

5.  STaG Nights

1. Venue - the arrangements made with The Arches in June have been altered; SWG3 provided limited flexibility as an alternative.  Therefore A. Cameron settled with Stereo on the 13-15th November [EVENT: STaG Nights], who will charge a very reasonable fixed fee (possibly a small extra charge for Get-In/-Out arrangements) and are entirely flexible regarding set design.  Tech and Dress Rehearsals are to be confirmed. 
2. Publicity - A. Cameron and S. Linsley had a very productive meeting, focusing on web campaigns and social media.  Firstly a pre-campaign shall involve tagline posters around the city with a mirror effect and the theme question, with a QR Code leading to more information on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, alongside home-made business cards.  This should come to £15.  The second campaign shall expand on the posters' information and involve photographs of a room full of beautiful things, with the second batch of business cards being printed with performance information and a QR Code for buying tickets.
3. Fundraisers - one fundraiser is to be in the Flying Duck, possibly on a silent auction or swap night.  Another fundraiser shall act as the launch night, hopefully on the Friday or Saturday night preceding the festival, in the form of an open-mic session in the STaG Room.  Details to be confirmed  [ACTION: Amy].
4. Production Meeting - technical, financial and publicity arrangements shall be discussed after this meeting is adjourned.
5. A. Cameron will send H. Allan some materials for the newsletter a.s.a.p. and will meet with A. Rutherford and E. Igelström shortly [ACTION: Amy; Aidan & Erik].

6.  Found Spaces

1. Board Rep. - C. Goldstone has volunteered to be the FS1 Board Rep.  [ACTION: Catherine].  There will be a production meeting at 1pm on Thursday 13th September.
2. Venue - Offshore is not answering their phone; M. Godden shall pay them a visit  [ACTION: Mabs].

7.  Glasgay!
There has still been no contact from the Glasgay! Festival.  A. Rutherford shall email  [ACTION: Aidan].


8.  Improv

1. To be continued as a weekly session throughout the year; information regarding the first workshop and Improv Freshers' events shall be provided for the newsletter  [ACTION: Erik].
2. The amended performance details shall be confirmed next week.

9.  Social

1. To take place on the 25th September, refreshments need to be purchased and the night's procedure organised  [ACTION: William].
2. Z. Williams shall contact Estates and Building about locking the cupboard door [ACTION: Zoë].

10.  Online Presence

1. Board Reps - to take some pressure off the Publicity Manager, Board reps are to give updates on social media themselves, after their show has been publicised on the website.  The Twitter password shall be circulated [ACTION: Catherine].  It was advised that any Twitter contributors should be conscious of the professional contacts who may see their posts [ACTION: All].
2. A. Rutherford shall make a Doodle to create a guide/tutorial in the library on how to use the website [ACTION: Aidan].

11.  Gatehouse
N. Donald handed in an updated Board list to the Gatehouse, so now a key is available to borrow in exchange for matric cards.


12.  Affiliation
Still waiting on a confirmation from GUU; SRC and QMU affiliation is complete.


13.  Annual Budget/Exec Meeting

1. After reconsideration of the budget plan, it would have to be such a fluid outline that perhaps a basic outline for the Financial Secretary's own use is the best option.
2. In light of this, it was decided that there is not enough on the agenda to hold an Exec Meeting before NTN, considering there shall be one afterwards.

14.  AOB

1. New Works Venue - to avoid the problems surrounding MS1 and SN venues, it was suggested that the NW venue be booked now, probably the S.P.A.C.E. [ACTION: Mabs].                         *A. Ciupka joined the meeting.
2. MS2 Venue - for similar reasons, MS2 could also be booked.  It can be put in the proposals blurb, flexible venues being more of a selling point for FS instead, and there is the possibility of showing potential proposers their actual space; however the choice of a venue can impact heavily on the proposals received.  Provisional bookings shall be researched, findings to be reported next week [ACTION: Mabs].
3. Garage - A. McCallum spoke to someone from Garage, who would be happy to work with STaG as a venue.  Although perhaps not the most obvious choice, A. Cameron commented that a cabaret-style event she had attended there had worked well.
4. National Theatre of Scotland - S. Linsley has been working a lot with publicity events for NTS, and suggested that to make the most of these opportunities, theatre reviews could be written by any keen writers on Tumblr and more members could attend press calls.  This shall be mentioned in the newsletter [ACTION: Sinead].
5. Proof-Reading - for anyone would like some written work proof-read, Z. Williams, N. Donald, H. Allan and E. Igelström have volunteered their services.
6. M. Godden enquired whether desks in lecture theatres were mobile, as these are possible venues.

The date of the next meeting is Monday 17th September, 5:30pm in the STaG Room.

Meeting adjourned.

Minutes: 3rd September 2012

Minutes of STaG Board Meeting 3rd September 2012

The STaG Room, 62 Oakfield Avenue 5:30pm

In attendance were A. Ciupka, N. Donald, W. Foote, C. Goldstone, D. Hahn, E. Igelström, S. Linsley, A. McCallum, A. Rutherford, Z. Williams

Apologies from H. Allan, A. Cameron, M. Godden

Agenda

1. NMS1 Proposals
2. Bristol Post-Mortem
3. Freshers'
4. Social
5. Membership
6. Affiliation
7. Finance
8. Fringe Update
9. NTN Update
10. SN Update
11. MS1 Update
12. Glasgay! Update
13. Panopticon
14. Any Other Business (AOB)

1.  Non-MainStage 1 Proposals

1. Discussion with proposers about their work.          *Nogs joins the meeting.
2. Calendar dates were listed again for members' diaries.  A new wall calendar shall be bought [ACTION: Aidan/Zoë].
3. A second round of voting secured H. Murphy's 'Amiegeddon' as the first NMS, to be performed in Offshore [ACTION: Mabs].   It was agreed that a more collaborative process this time should be suggested and the complexity of the sound arrangements was discussed, concluding that this was dependent on the expertise of the sound designer involved and the flexibility of the director.  Feedback for the declined play shall remark on the repeat proposal of a previous NW entry and respectively a lack of clarity regarding the new director's own vision, the lateness of the proposal and a recommendation of meetings in future.
4. For Board Rep., H. Allan shall be approached, otherwise Z. Williams will volunteer [ACTION: Aidan].

2.  Bristol Post-Mortem

1. C. Goldstone gave feedback that the Bristol had been a fantastic and worthwhile experience, cast and crew being very well looked-after and despite travel problems everything turned out satisfactory in the end.  She would very much recommend participating again, however next year Bristol are planning to reschedule to February, which may coincide with NW.  A NW play, however, would still be the perfect candidate for Bristol, either a winning entry or a quality proposal, depending on the calibre of the proposals.
2. Budget - the only figure is £150 loss, which resulted from subsidising transport.  It is unclear but mostly improbable whether STaG will receive any money from Bristol at some stage too.

3.  Freshers'

1.  EVENTS:
• Monday 10th - morning, Pep Talk in STaG Room; 1-4pm, Bear Hunt with raffle tickets, flyering; evening, Raffle from the Bear's raffle tickets in the STaG Room at 8pm
• Tuesday 11th - 10am-5pm, Freshers' Fair (rota for stall); Barbecue
• Wednesday 12th - 10am-5pm, Freshers' Fair; Scratch Night
• Thursday 13th - afternoon, Writers' Workshop; evening clear due to Union activities
• Friday 14th - 3-5pm, Improv Workshop; evening clear.
2. Freshers' Helpers:  to be given a printed sheet of calendar dates for the year [ACTION: William &/or Nogs].
3. The STaG Bear - W. Foote is to don the costume.  The investment in buying a costume as opposed to renting one every year shall be researched [ACTION: Erik].
4. EVENT:  Folding Party - Thursday 6th, STaG Room, 6pm, provided that the shop has completed the order.  The leaflets go to print tomorrow. 
5. There are enough stocks of membership cards.
6. T-Shirts - W. Foote needs sizes to continue purchasing Board T-Shirts in time for Freshers'.  This may need to be subsidised by STaG.  [ACTION: All]

4.  Social

The first STaG social shall be held on the 25th September as a gathering in the STaG Room before going out dancing in town.

5.  Membership

1. Final membership fees - £4 Freshers' discount, £6 otherwise.
2. Gold Membership - due to a lack of organisation this year, this scheme shall not be implemented.

6.  Affiliation

1. Affiliation with the SRC is complete.
2. The GUU and QMU require re-affiliation as soon as possible [ACTION: Nogs].
3. An updated Board List should be sent to the Gatehouse [ACTION: Nogs].

7.  Finance

1. The change of signitaries is underway.  It would be appreciated if any financial transactions are possible to be postponed until this process is complete.
2. E. Igelström is devising an annual budget overview, to be discussed at the next Exec, the date of which shall be determined by a Doodle [ACTION: Nogs].

8.  Fringe Update

1. Post-Mortem - 17th September Board Meeting. 
2. Feedback very positive - the show was successful in even selling out on the last night, people being turned away at the door.
3. Finance - some figures from the Box Office have been forwarded to E. Igelström; more pending.

9.  New Talent Nights Update

1. Auditions - reminder, to be held next weekend with Tech Meeting at 12pm [EVENTS].
2. The venue is booked.
3. Budget meetings need to be arranged [ACTION: Aidan & Erik].
4. The poster has been designed, the banner to be completed for the website next week.

10.  STaG Nights Update
Discussion postponed until the next meeting.


11.  MainStage 1 Update

1. Venue - fallen through several times.  Suggestions for alternative venues included lecture theatres, the Mitchell Library and the Panopticon; M. Godden is currently researching possibilities.  There was some consensus, however, that in the highly unlikely situation of no venue being found before the auditions in 3 weeks' time, the production would be moved to the MS2 slot and the space filled by a smaller NMS.  Nevertheless this would be highly unexpected and is purely a safety measure.
2. Auditions - a problem with double bookings; now resolved.
3. H. Bolwell is considering engaging an Assistant Director; to be advertised in tomorrow's newsletter [ACTION: Harriet].

12.  Glasgay! Update
No contact as yet from Glasgay!; however their deadline was only last week.  The director J. May seems enthusiastic and organised, and A. McKay is to be Stage Manager.


13.  Britannia Panopticon

1. An email was received from the Britannia Panopticon looking for volunteers to dress in victorian costumes and bring in an audience as part of their efforts to raise enough funds to stay open.  Hidden on an upper level of the building cornering Argyle Street/Trongate, it is Britain's oldest music hall and famous as the debut arena for Stan Laurel.  A plea for volunteers shall be publicised in the newsletter [ACTION: Harriet].
2. Regarding the Panopticon as a possible venue, due to the lack of performance license there is a charge of £25/hour.  This would not be much more expensive than venues previously used, although D. Hahn mentioned that in the past the Panopticon also likes to have an input into the genre of its shows.

14.  AOCB
A Meeting snack rota is required [ACTION: Nogs].

The date of the next meeting is Monday 10th September, 5:30pm in the STaG Room.

Meeting adjourned.