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.