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SMCT part of Christmas in the Valley Holiday Craft Show Raffle!

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Swamp Meadow Community Theatre is involved with the Christmas in the Valley Holiday Craft Show raffle. The Craft Show is held Thanksgiving Weekend: Fri. – Sun., Nov. 28-30. Times are: Friday: 5pm – 9pm Saturday: 10am – 6pm Sunday: 10am – 4pm. And it is held at the Foster Country Club on 67 Johnson Road, Foster, Rhode Island 02825. See their website for more details.

SMCT Board Meeting Minutes: August 2014

Updated on

SMCT Meeting Minutes 23 August 2014

Members Present (Voting Members are in bold): Dennis Chretien, Leslie Carter, Andy Affleck, Artie Robillard, Laura Giorgianni, Bob Hollis, Heather Christie, Liz Dubois, Eric Dubois, Kaila Rubin, Maia Grandy, Gabrielle Dworkin, Tim Hillman, Emily Chretien

Minutes accepted (moved by Andy, seconded by Artie)

 

Corresponding Secretary (person who sends out letters for SMCT)

  • Motion to accept resignation – Leslie, Eric seconded
  • Tabling debate for whether we need position in order to draft blurbs and advertise
  • Leslie – letters members/personnel
  • Laura – letters donors
  • Heather – letters to everyone else
  • Heather will figure out the blurb

Trinity Episcopal Church

  • Donations for Christmas bazaar
  • Have done tickets in the past
  • Request doesn’t give dates, but will hopefully be able to do Christmas Story (unless it’s too close)
  • Dennis will pass info to David and CC to Carol Mauro and maybe M’Lynn

Financial Report: Annie

  • Show did very well – yay!
  • Some families donated large sums for Annie (thank you!)
  • Very positive reviews for summer production and experience this year
  • Call time of 1 hour makes box office set-up very difficult – need more time!
    • Cast only really needs an hour, but administrative stuff probably needs more – hour and a half? 15 minutes?
    • Artie will look to make sure this is all set for Our Town

Annie Jr.

  • Best Practices/Lessons Learned
    • David on box office worked really well – yay David!
    • Tech issues with lights getting knocked out – Dennis said we usually set benches across the front of the tech booth, but we gave those up for extra seats – someone walking past snagged a wire and it pulled out – happened twice, so we can’t really set it up that way again
    • Our Town – physical controller will be on stage with musician, so no worry about catching wires
  • Tech guidelines – if people want to be helpful, they NEED to talk to tech first instead of just helping
    • Don’t take anything from Tech booth without checking
    • Issue of taping doors – MUST use gaffer tape (expensive, but doesn’t leave gunk)
      • Whoever gets there on Friday to set up chairs, tape doors first thing with correct tape
    • Need to introduce tech director better
    • Doors, staging, etc are a part of Tech
    • Need to be better about communication on this front
    • Lock up the ducktape? Someone acts as tape-keeper? Small locked box?
  • Tech connection guide!!!
    • Dennis created a guide to help people set up cables during a show
    • Can edit for each show so people know how to hook it up
    • Can’t make downloadable template, because it’s Pages, but Dennis will look to see if an online template option is possible
    • Andy will add description of how to level-set mics before the show
  • Issues of language and disrespect
    • Maybe talk to everyone about being respectful around children at the beginning of a show
    • Make a handbook from the organization? Include in the guidelines we hand out for summer theatre?
    • Put contact info in that book
    • Kids and adults need to sign a behavior contract – no exceptions
    • 3-Strike system for everyone in the play – most will never need it, but it’d be good to have
    • Need to have consequences
      • There was concern about dropping people right before a show, but it was agreed that we can actually do that and are not afraid to have people replace them, even if they read from a script. Does it hurt the show? Yes, but that’s still the best show the cast can create on that day, even if that means the lead is someone who got the part three hours ago
      • Work in understudies or even have someone read book
      • Need revised code for Xmas story – Eric and Heather will get it from the Assets and fix up
      • Need consistency
      • We also recognize it’s difficult for teens to direct teens due to similarities in age
      • Maybe have all directors stay after rehearsal or find a way to meet to make sure they are all on the same page with behavior issues – a cast member may be breaking a rule for the fifth time, but if that’s the first time the director has seen it, they aren’t going to punish the cast member.
  • Guests of cast members CANNOT be backstage – MUST be involved if you want to be back there, and your involvement MUST be approved by the head director
    • Need a reminder about all this around Tech Week
    • Even veteran SMCT members should not be backstage unless they are involved due to lack of space and increased chaos
  • Strike and storage – strike went well – need to put up racks and shelving to organize the costumes!
  • We need supervision backstage for ALL shows
  • SMCT children’s theatre can very easily do adult-lead shows in children’s theatre – Don’t forget this!!! J
  • Doing JR version was a good decision: gave more time to focus on scenes, even if we lost parts of the story
  • 3 rehearsals/week is necessary for musicals, but also difficult

Building

  • New design gives us the space we really wanted
  • Works best for tech
  • 15,500 sq feet
  • They have the drawing; we’re asking them to build the walls around the space, soundproof the theatre, and fix the bathroom
  • Event layout (Bob)
    • Cabaret would be scripted and paced more as a show than Follies
    • RI Idol instead of Foster Idol – might be instead or in addition to (want to do both, but we don’t really make any money with Foster Idol)
    • Troupes are any group that wants to put a show together on their own – it would be on them to figure out the production, tech, costumes, etc
    • Hopefully this would get more volunteers, and having our own space would eliminate a lot of the most taxing things for those who currently work so hard: set-up and breakdown, etc (THANK YOU to everyone who helps with all this!)
    • SMCT optional contributions – $5/month
    • Grants estimate is conservative
    • We could rent out for concerts or other theatres or dance recitals, etc
    • All of this seems reachable
    • Can apply for an alcohol license, but increases liability
    • Ask about using the outside wall space to advertise the theatre (mural, etc)
    • Lessons are not budgeted in current layout – we could, just need to coordinate and plan
  • Tim will look into seating prices
  • Building the rake – will cost a fair amount
  • Emergency exits – doors out to Job Lot down front? Need to make sure we have enough of these
  • Building committee will figure out numbers and let us know
  • Tim can help with the grid
  • Need to electrify that area – will cost more
  • Probably will need to hire a janitor part-time
  • Also need to take snow removal into account
  • What is minimum staffing we need on a per-show basis for house, ushers, closing doors, etc? Building manager? Need to define that role…
  • Also house manager…
  • We could put Our Town right in the lobby, provided we have the building

Our Town

  • First almost run-through on Wednesday, rehearsals are Monday and Wednesday, now
  • Motif is doing a feature on Tim, should go right with the show
  • Will run full show from now to production
  • Jordan is coming in this week or next for music
  • Lighting – cue heavy (70-75)
  • Limited scenery, so money will go towards lighting equipment
    • Controlled by keyboard with music – has MIDI output – as music plays, color of stage floor will constantly be changing (this is SO COOL and everyone should come see it!)
    • Working to drop that in soon
  • By the week before opening, want a tech rehearsal and doing run-throughs, hang lighting, do cue-to-cue tech the Saturday before so that when we do dress rehearsal week, actors and tech are ready
  • Working heavily on building audience outside our current community
  • Goal is to get a show that gets people into our space and inspires them to work with us, particularly for kids in grades 9 – 12 – Tim is looking at shows that have parts for that age range as well
  • Tim’s really happy with how the show is going!
  • Leslie can help with concessions if needed, Heather will talk to Chris about producing help
  • Dennis is doing playbill, Alex is doing ad/money collection
    • Dennis will check with Laura on yearly ads
  • Tim will write a letter to English teachers at every high school in Rhode Island
  • Need Facebook event (Eric will do) – can go through RIPE and advertise through them, also American Association of Community Theatres, which gives cost breaks and probably discounts at a number of places

Christmas Story

  • September 3rd rehearsal starts
  • No producer yet – if interested, talk to Artie (email hidden; JavaScript is required)
  • Auditions this afternoon for Randy and possibly other roles
  • No artwork yet – sending a picture of the red rider for t-shirts if they can, then simple text
  • Playbill cover sent to Steve and Carol – the one from Dramatics with everything required per the license/agreement
    • Can probably work as a poster, too
  • Needed to advertise second auditions better – issue of lateness, so people may not know in time. Also issue of height description…

La Cage

  • Rights still processing

Sherlock Holmes

  • Working on that

Shakespeare

  • Ready to go, but no place to do it, so haven’t applied for rights
  • Should aim towards Coventry to coincide with building
  • We NEED to get more producers as an organization – part of it might be that no one knows what a producer does – Heather will figure out where that list is and get it out
  • Need producer for this show
  • Still unsure about dinner theatre or something else
  • Coventry Senior Center? Artie and Andy will figure this out

Improv troupe

  • Tim wants to work with them! Says we could do two shows a month with improv, after about two months of rehearsals

 

Next Meeting: 10:00am, 27 September 2014, Benjamin Eddy Building

Board Meeting Minutes: 19 July 2014

Updated on

19 July 2014 – The Chretien’s House

 

Members Present (voting members in bold): Heather Christie, Dennis Chretien, Emily Chretien, Bob Hollis, Laura Giorgianni, Kaila Rubin, Eric Dubois, Gabrielle Dworkin, Chris Brostrup-Jensen, Andy Affleck, and Leslie Carter

 

Finances

  • Overall at $61,731 for all accounts
  • No other discussion

Creative Team

  • Annie
    • NEED a set person to help build the mansion
      • Using build-outs from Fantastiks with a regular build-out on top (~ 3ft high)
      • Need railing added around the top build-out for safety
      • Also need a drop over the front to look like a mansion
      • Also need some small stairs for dancing
      • 4 children dancing on the structure
    • NEED an antique wheelchair and a laundry cart
      • Find at a hotel? Hospital? Anyone know of anywhere?
      • Andy has an antiques store contact for the wheelchair, will check
      • Friend of Dennis works at linen place, might have a laundry cart – Dennis will check
    • Box Office
      • M’Lynn can help!
      • Leslie can, too!
      • A few parents have also volunteered, Laura will talk with M’Lynn
      • David Gresh is the main person for this, but he’s unavailable until the week before the show
      • Phone line for reservations is open, but not website
    • Website
      • Need to update so Annie info is on there
      • Andy or Eric will update?
      • T-shirt order goes in Thursday!
      • Issue with Bios passwords/accounts is now fixed – people should be able to access it!
  • Our Town (Chris reported)
    • Rehearsals once per week
    • Mostly working on character development and initial blocking
    • Lots of time spent on the craft of acting and how to approach it
    • Cast very pleased with that approach, as it gives time to ask questions
    • Once character development and initial blocking is over, Tim will run straight run-throughs over and over and over again until the show
      • New approach, we’ll see how it works
    • No real tech work yet, but has been discussed
      • Tim’s son will do music and can change lights using sound cues!
    • No producer – Chris might take it on, but he’s in the show and we want to avoid that. Possibly a group of people? Chris will write a description of what’s needed and Heather will put it in the August newsletter
    • Carol or Andy can do playbill?
  • Shakespeare Abridged
    • Andy is ready to perform, just needs a venue and tech specifications
    • No current dinner theatre scheduled – do Shakespeare again?
    • All actors on board
    • Cranston performance?
    • Once we know the venue, we can figure out tech, but we can’t organize tech until we have a venue
      • Steve can’t – not available March – June of 2015
      • Tim might be able to help…
    • Already have costumes, sets, props, etc. Might improve some, but don’t need to
    • Cast is largely the same – adding Zach Gibb – if anyone drops, the rest will pick up the lines rather than adding someone new
    • Rights are cheap and depend on attendance, cast is happy to do more shows
    • Venue will also define whether it’s a normal show or a dinner theatre
    • If we end up in Coventry for a building, we can use this to begin building a reputation/following there
    • Also a portable show, so could perform multiple places
    • For smaller shows, we can perform in Simmons Crossing (once it’s finished) or maybe the North Scituate gazebo, just not in March
  • Workshops
    • Will help to train people
    • NEED good publication of these well in advance
      • Sign-up sheets?
    • Maybe get teen troupe involved?
      • Promote community service aspect of this and everything SMCT does
      • Teens want to learn all this – perhaps they could help with Our Town?
    • Andy needs help putting it together
    • Also need to create binders
    • John Howe could maybe help produce Our Town? But he’s in the show…
    • Andy will map out what he needs and send it around so people can volunteer
    • For classes, we would need SPACE

 

Assistant Executive Director

  • Jayne’s resignation
    • Motion to approve made by Dennis
    • Seconded by Chris
    • Motion accepted
    • Should we sent a note?
  • Nomination for position
    • Kaila Rubin nominated
    • Motion to accept made by Bob
    • Seconded by Chris
    • Election approved by the board
  • Discussion of whether there was adequate notice to those in the organization
    • We’ve had the issue for several years where the positions up for election and what those positions entail are not well communicated to those not on the board. We need to fix this.
    • We also need to make the by-laws easily accessible online so that we are transparent about the workings of our organization.
    • Heather and Kaila will organize and review the positions and descriptions so we can display them in a more prominent way.
    • Heather and Kaila will ask Jayne what’s already been done – Bob sent a bunch of stuff, if Jayne doesn’t have it, Bob will send again to Heather and Kaila
    • General note on communications that some people prefer links rather than attachments – perhaps we can include both in the future so people can choose?

 

Events

  • We need an Assistant Creative Director of Events! Heather will put it in the August newsletter, hopefully with an updated description.
  • Old Home Days
    • Schedule – we still need people to help man the booth and help with Idol. Laura will take the sign-up sheet to Annie rehearsals and possibly drop it at the Eddy building?
    • Simple decorations this year – sort of nostalgia theme – all of the t-shirts on a clothesline plus Creative Memories books
    • Emily Chretien is brainstorming games – prize is 2 free raffle tickets
    • Annie stuff – games, some kids will dress up and hand out flyers
      • Get a costume from a store instead of using our own to keep the ones for the show clean?
      • Will hand out ~100 cards for a photo with Annie after performance of their choice – Gabby will make the cards and give to Bob at Annie rehearsal
        • Include dates and times of shows
        • Photos are after the show, not before
        • Get email when they take the photo so we can send it immediately
        • Add emails to the database if given permission
        • Photos will be taken on DSLR and edited in Lightroom one the spot and emailed out – Andy and Heather will take care of this and figure out logistics
    • Need someone to collect emails from raffle drawing on Sunday to get to Leslie
    • Dennis will get sound gear for OHD
      • Kaila has 2 mic stands, Heather is asking Preston for one (?)
    • Need 1 judge for Friday (9 – 11pm) and 2 for Saturday (5 – 7pm) – Andy might be able to, need to be unbiased
    • Also need help passing out and counting ballots from unbiased people
    • One slot still open for someone to compete, preferably male, since most contestants are female right now.
    • Next year – have a video montage of clips?

 

Building:

  • Coventry Job Lot – ~1/2 mile from storage unit on Rt. 3
  • Job Lot is leasing out the middle chunk, seem very flexible with spacing, so long as we figure out the logistics and costs
  • Has columns ~8in square and ~40 ft apart, but uneven in areas (down to ~36ft)
  • Multiple board members have worked out different spacing that would work in the building
  • Need to consider soundproofing, since Tractor Supply store is open til 8pm (7pm on Sunday) and Job Lot is open until 9pm (8pm on Sundays)
  • Laura will ask how much Job Lot is willing to change the spacing and whether they will charge based on the space we use or if it’s just a flat rate
  • Will Job Lot need to store things in ‘our’ space?
  • If walls can move, that changes our potential layouts
  • Seems like Job Lot wants us to make a proposal
  • Has a sprinkler system for fire code, but bathrooms are not up to code – would need to fix
  • Has ~16 foot drop ceiling, but panels can be removed to hang lights, etc.
  • Would we want to have seats at different heights?

 

Tech

  • Will eventually need to consider moving lights to LED technology – ultimately cheaper, would allow for easier changes in color, and would last longer, but very expensive upfront cost

 

Membership

  • Leslie, Dennis, Audrey, and Heather will work on membership database to update, etc.
  • Need to update the checklist we use for membership and couple that with the email when entering in the database to make filtering more effective
  • Need audition sheets/checklists from Our Town and Christmas Story to add to database
  • Laura will give Leslie audition sheets and checklist info for all shows she has done

 

Grants

  • Bob has made a list of grants and their requirements/deadlines – current list includes Champlin Foundation, RIF, Scituate Community, CAST, and RISCA
  • Best bet is Champlin Foundation (March 1 – April 30th application period), since they give grants for real estate stuff

 

Storage Unit

  • We need to organize this, since it is very difficult to navigate
  • Dennis has a system for costume area – he, Chris, and possibly others will put this up in the next few days
  • Laura, Annie parents, and others will reorganize the costume section before Annie performances
  • We will organize everything else when Annie stuff goes back into storage

 

FileMaker and Web Access

  • New version of web access makes it easier to move around/access
  • Need to license concurrent logins – can only do 1 at a time so far
  • Costs $413 for a 5-pack of logins
  • Possibly decrease FileMaker Pro logins to increase ones in web access – would save money, too
  • Since we share this with the restaurant and they are purchasing a 5-pack, we could purchase a 5-pack and then both organizations would have 10 logins to play with
  • Need to configure the system so it logs out automatically

 

Next Board Meeting: 23 August 2014, 10:00 AM at the Benjamin Eddy Building in Foster, RI