BOARD OF DIRECTORS – September 18th, 2007.
The meeting was called
to order by President Fred Hundhammer at 6:01 pm. Present were Paul Buckley, Sylvia
Rickett, Loretta Geotis, Suzanne Terpos,
Approval of the Agenda: Motion to approve, seconded and passed.
Minutes: Motion to approve, seconded and passed.
a) Body count for August is 441.
b) Season ticket sales and OWO ticket sales are going well considering the early timing. We have to date sold 135 season tickets and 68 OWO tickets.
c) Our new computer is up and running. My computer techie has some unexpected health issues so I have yet to get the second computer hooked up but am working on it and hope to have that accomplished in the next couple of weeks.
2 CINEMA
a) Everyone is thrilled with the new slide system in the cinema. We currently have approx. 18 subscribers and one to be signed up by the end of this week.
Other stuff
a) Rotary was very embarrassed that their project manager dropped the ball on the last work day and has offered to come back a day in October. Paul and I have a small list of projects and will have just three or four people from Rotary come to help out with these.
b) 6,000 season brochures were delivered to Marine Bank for inclusion as statement stuffers in their September commercial and residential statements. They do not want to do it next year.
c) There
are still brochures to be delivered to local hotels and restaurants. Please
see me if you can help with this project. Tom will take some down to
d) I hope to have the majority of the playbill advertising to the printer by the end of this week. If you know of anyone wishing to advertise, this is last call.
e) Even though Cay Clubs has encountered problems, they had paid in advance for their sponsorship. I have been instructed (by them) to not post any advertising for them and to resell the tickets included in that sponsorship package.
f) Directors/Producers - Don’t forget to email me your rehearsal schedules, cast information, meetings, use of rooms etc.
g) Flu shots scheduled here this week, Wed/Thurs/Fri and Sat., October 13.
h) Final 06-07 reimbursement has been issued to the TDC along with all necessary documentation to change the name of our final production of last season. The new TDC funds should be in place by October 1.
i) I
spoke on the Thunder Country Radio Station as well as the Morning Mix regarding
auditions. I have scheduled to appear on these two stations again regarding
OWO and each show for the season. I have also been invited to appear on
THE BUZZ in
j) I will have posters for the OWO. If you have a location you can place one, let me know.
k) I had good feedback from one of our auditioners that he saw the ad in the theatre for auditions and jotted down the info.
l) Don’t forget Claudia and her family will be holding a Gathering of Friends to honor Jim O’Brien this Sunday in the Gallery at 3 p.m.
Don’t forget if you’re the last one out, please make sure everything is turned out, turned off, locked up! Thanks.
Committee Reports:
Finance: Alicia passed out financial reports. The cash balance of $63,549. is higher than last month (ticket sales), however we are still running on deficit. Keep in mind that this will even out as the season continues. We have also had a poor season at the cinema, due mainly to poor movies and competition such as Netflix. PLEASE remind all to park around the sides and not in the middle of the parking lot. Computers were purchased as planned. For a while now, one of the cinema’s safes with petty cash was locked and the key was lost. It has been drilled open and the cinema petty cash system is now in order. $500 extra mortgage payment approved for this month. There are still problems with the neon lights, and it might be a good idea to get a protective shield for them. This might pay for itself over time, since repairs also cost us. When there is more information, this subject will be brought to the board again. Fred mentioned that he has spoken to the mortgage holder and they are investigating the possibility of decreasing the interest rate on the mortgage, which is currently Prime. There are other banks with concrete offers at a lower rate than the current one, and when Fred has more details, he will report them to the finance committee. Insurance is split between us and other tenants of the building. We are not sure exactly what we are getting with the insurance. Lauren is beginning an investigation about insurance details, he suggests that we should explore the market and learn about other options, and then come up with recommendations for the board.
VP Production: Gail reported that auditions are complete, and successful, with most shows completely cast and a nice mix of known and new people. Someone from Membership needs to ensure that ALL are members as of the night of the first read though (or earlier). Laura reports that OWO is going to be wonderful!
Playreading: Arnie reported that committee members are reading brochures and catalogues in order to recommend some plays to be ordered. Kim mentions a conversation that occurred during auditions, about how younger people might not be interested in auditioning for plays that they perceive as “from their parents time”, and that more younger people might auditions and become involved if more contemporary or a different style plays were selected. Fred mentions that this is a very good comment, and something we should think about.
Stage Committee: Tom and Paul have not been able to locate new headsets over the Internet due to lack of compatibility between different types of equipment. They will continue looking, and in the meantime, Tom will figure out how to ensure they work for now.
Building: Emergency lights have been tested and are functioning well. Paul has some good paint for the stage, which makes it more durable – it is more expensive and has not been used for a few years for that reason. It is agreed that Paul should go ahead and purchase the paint, since it is a benefit to all.
Entertainment:
OWO: Publix is going to donate pastries. Sandy will be doing a lot of the cooking. She will also accept money and cook for you if you don’t have the time. She will have the time for all the work that OWO entails and wants to do it. She is also working on decorations and getting restaurants involved.
The topic of drinks at OWO was brought up:
If we have champagne (enough for both nights) donated, shall we:
Offer ALL drinks free
Offer ONLY champagne free
Issue a “one free drink” ticket with admission
Charge for all drinks
Discussion: Kim: maybe we could compromise and give them a free drink ticket. Lauren: we already have sold tickets and we don’t know what expectations are. Another compromise would be two tickets. Underlines the importance of fostering goodwill with our patrons. Rita: we really need to keep our patrons happy, since they are the ones who make donations to us year in and year out. Arnie: agrees that we should thank them for their patronage with free drinks, most people do not drink a lot at that time of night. Claudia: reminds us that there were donation baskets set up at both bars in the past, and the donations in these probably amounted to more than we would have made by selling drinks. Gail moves that we do as in the past (free) and provide donation baskets for additional donations. The move was seconded and passed with all in favor.
Membership:
Quarterly General Membership meeting dates
September 5
December 5
March 5
June 4th was suggested, voted and approved for the 4th meeting
(Pampered Palm date – June 14)
Lauren would like to suggest that we consider some membership processes and procedures, such as one of the board members speaking at the beginning of each production and activity underlining the importance of being a member of the Theatre. However, it is the directors’ responsibility to follow up (or delegate) that all participants actually do become members. It isn’t necessary to wait; the production crew can also contact participants ahead of time. Keep in mind that this is mainly concerned with liability and this is a serious issue. Claudia mentioned that if directors are aware of people who may not be happy about the membership fee, they should keep this in mind when casting. We must ensure this theater policy is followed by all.
By-Laws: no report
Historical: no report
Other: none
Old Business: none
New Business: none
Laura Hutt has asked if we would be willing to offer OWO dress rehearsal on Thursday night for a select few for $20. This is something that has been done in the past, and it is not something that is advertised. Rita made a motion, Tom seconded, there was some discussion and the motion was approved.
Bonefish Tournament donation previously emailed – money goes to a local charity decided on at the conclusion of the tournament. 4 cinema tickets were given in the past. Claudia made the motion, Tom seconded and all in favor. Lauren mentions that we should always be conscious of who we donate to – especially ensuring that there is a direct benefit to the community. Rita also underlines the difference between giving money away and giving our own product.
Mary Beth has offered to take photos of board members or anyone of the membership (even with your own camera). A date will be set.
Good of the Order: Thanks to all who participated in auditions, new blood is coming into the Theatre and this is a good thing!
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:13pm.
Submitted by Sylvia Rickett, Secretary
