Ocotober Theatre Services Committee Notes

Theatre Bay Area's Theatre Services Committee recently held its latest meeting, the notes of which are below. Questions? Contact Dale Albright, director of field services at Theatre Bay Area (dale@theatrebayarea.org or 415-430-1140 x14).

TSC Meeting Notes
October 20, 2010
TSC Members Present: Daren A.C. Carollo, Diablo Theatre Company; Chida Chaemchaeng, Aurora Theatre Company; Rachel Fink, Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Jeanette Harrison, AlterTheater; Clark Lewis, Roustabout Theatre Company; Jessica Robinson Love, CounterPULSE; Lisa Mallette, City Lights Theatre of San Jose; Dan Meagher, Hillbarn Theatre; Nina Meehan, Bay Area Chidren’s Theatre; Emily Morrisson, California Shakespeare Theater; Raelle-Myrick-Hodges, Brava! Theater;

Theatre Bay Area Staff Present: Dale Albright, Kendra Oberhauser

I. 10:02am TBA News and updates.
• Members discuss all recent news, including upcoming events.

II. 10:18am Annual Conference.
• A tentative date for the next Annual Conference has been set for next spring.
• Members discuss themes and “big picture” ideas they would like to see addressed, ideas on what the structure should be and what they can volunteer to help with.

III. 11:25am Article discussion: “Decline of Creativity.”
• Members discuss the article of the month: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html

IV. Check-Ins.
• Members discuss what’s on their minds this month.
Next meeting: November 17, 2010, Theatre Bay Area, 1663 Mission Street, Suite 525.

Notes from September Individual Services Committee Meeting

Theatre Bay Area's Individual Services Committee met recently. The notes of the meeting are below. Questions? Contact Director of Membership Services, Dale Albright at dale@theatrebayarea.org.

Individual Services Committee
Monday, September 13, 2010
7 – 9pm
NOTES
1. Welcome
2. Introductions: Membership Associate Julia Heitner will be sitting in on ISC meetings from now on
3. Theatre Bay Area news and other TBA updates
a. Alt Stages PR Tool Kit meeting 9/14/2010 @ 5:30pm
i. Attendees can attend in person or by conference call option
b. Reviewed Monthly News Summary
i. Lemonade Fund Ask-Nicole, Development Director, getting in touch with Cassidy (ISC Chair) and getting acquainted with upcoming series of Lemonade Ask for theatre companies
ii. Reported on TBA’s work re: Mid-Market Arts District
iii. Reported on ATHENA progress
iv. Sources of Publicity: Now available as PDF
v. Free Night of Theatre: Launch Date: 09/29/2010
vi. Event at SoMArts 9/15/2010: Sponsored by TBA & California Arts Advocates
vii. Regranting Update
1. CA$h Dance Deadline: 9/27/10
2. New Works Deadline: 10/18/2010
viii. Membership: Numbers up against both last month and last year for the first time since Sept 2008
ix. Reported on continuing Intrinsic Impact
x. Staffing Updates
1. Nicole McClain (new devo director: Nicole@theatrebayarea.org)
2. Elana McKernan (new listings editor: elana@theatrebayarea.org
4. Brainstorming: Committee brainstormed some possible new programs in the future for
i. directors
ii. and for incorporating all staff in achieving artistic mission
5. Web site/Membership Structure: Committee brainstormed on new TBA web site and on exploring new membership options
6. General Auditions
a. Reserved for Feb 5th -7th @ Berkeley Rep
b. Will make concerted effort on marketing the extensive series of audition workshops this year
7. Feedback : Committee discussed the values, pitfalls and models of getting and giving feedback for your artistic life; 3 part series coming to the magazine soon
8. Check-Ins
9. Commitee confirmed next meeting

Theatre Services Committee Notes: Aug 2010

Theatre Bay Area's Theatre Services Committee recently had its August meeting. The notes are below. If you have any questions, please contact Dale Albright, director of member services at dale@theatrebayarea.org.

TSC Meeting Notes
August 18, 2010
TSC Members Present: Daren Carollo, Diablo Theatre Company; Lee Foster, Hillbarn Theatre; Jeanette Harrison, AlterTheater; Leslie Martinson, TheatreWorks; Nina Meehan, Bay Area Children’s Theatre; Karen Altre Piemme, San Jose Rep; Julie Salzman, Aurora Theatre; Marissa Wolf, Crowded Fire.
Theatre Bay Area Staff Present: Dale Albright, Clayton Lord, Kendra Oberhauser
I. TBA news and updates.
• Arts Forum was on August 17. There was a large turnout.
• CA$H theatre deadline is September 7, not September 6, which is Labor Day. http://www.theatrebayarea.org/programs/cashgrants.jsp
• Landisman fellowships winners announced. http://www.theatrebayarea.org/programs/landisman.jsp
II. 10:21 Marketing Check-In.
• TSC discusses possible changes with the Big List. http://www.theatrebayarea.org/programs/biglist_documents.jsp
• A nationwide Intrinsic Impact survey is gearing up. It will include 15 companies nationwide.
• Free Night of Theatre is coming up this fall. Companies can sign up on the website by logging in and clicking on the link.
• Members discuss upcoming changes in the ticketing service.
III. 10:48am Peer Cohort Proposal.
• Theatre Bay Area has submitted a proposal for a program that combines what used to be the mentorship program with the current challenge of fostering excellence.
• The program would be about a year long, and results would be presented at the Annual Conference.
• The program is pending approval.
IV. 11:15am General Auditions.
• The date and time is set: February 5-7 at Berkeley Rep, with the Equity day being Monday the 7th.
• As of now, there is no funding for the ATLAS program. Members discuss other possibilities for offering feedback to willing auditioners.
V. 11:32am Research Discussion: “Facts???”.
• Members discuss the article chosen for discussion. It addresses the problem of offering facts, and the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of that in changing people’s beliefs.
VI. Check-Ins.
• Members discuss what issues are going on with them currently.

Notes from July Theatre Services Committee Meeting

Theatre Bay Area recently hosted the most recent meeting of our monthly Theatre Services Committee. The notes are posted below. If you have any questions/comments, feel free to post them here or email dale@theatrebayarea.org.

TSC Meeting Notes
July 21, 2010
TSC Members Present: Serge Bakalian, Golden Thread; Chida Chaemchaeng, Aurora Theatre; Rachel Fink, Berkeley Rep; Nina Meehan, Bay Area Children’s Theatre; Jessica Robinson Love, CounterPULSE.
Theatre Bay Area Staff Present: Dale Albright, Clayton Lord, Karen McKevitt, Kendra Oberhauser
I. Meeting called to order at 10:10am.
II. 10:18am TBA news and updates.
• Members discuss TBA news and updates.
• Company memberships are now half price and Gold memberships have been eliminated. https://www.theatrebayarea.org/members/join_compintro.jsp
III. 10:25am Website focus group.
• Clay asks the TSC members present about our current website and what they would like or would use if it were different. TBA is currently in the middle of a major website overhaul, and has been holding focus groups with various theatre workers, but hasn’t been able to do so with administrators yet.
IV. 11:10am Sources of Publicity.
• In thinking about the next version of the Sources of Publicity, Karen McKevitt asks the TSC members for their thoughts and suggestions.
• Hard copy of Sources really isn’t useful in this age. Members discuss possibilities for electronic versions.
V. 11:20am Regional meeting update.
• So more people can attend, Dale wants to experiment with conference calls at these meetings.
VI. 11:25am Outliers excerpt discussion.
• The reading material for this month’s meeting is a chapter from Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell called “The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes.

Theatre Services Committee Notes June 2010

Theatre Bay Area's Theatre Services Committee had its monthly meeting recently. The notes of the meeting are below. Please contact Dale Albright, Director of Membership Services, with any questions (dale@theatrebayarea.org) or comment on this post.

TSC Meeting Notes
Wednesday, June 16, 2010

TSC Members Present: Lee Foster, Melissa Hillman, Liz Lisle, Lisa Mallette, Leslie Martinson, Dan Meagher, Nina Meehan, Emily Morrisson, Jonathan Spector, Marissa Wolf, Karen Piemme

Theatre Bay Area Staff Present: Dale Albright, Brad Erickson, Julia Heitner

I. Meeting called to order at 10:08 am
a. Discussion of Quentin Easter Celebration
b. Reviewed upcoming TBA grant deadlines. Will be available as applicable on site.
c. Brad: Intrinsic Impact Update: 5 cities across the country will be participating. Each need to raise $16,000. Upon finding Funding, 15 Theatres will participate nationwide
• After this pilot phase is completed, the goal is the generation of an international website, where any interested theatre could do that same work for as little as $500 (tentative amount). A “book tour” will follow initial report. The work that will be done can of course be used for advocacy and measuring (always of interest to government/funders). Tool for foundations for the argument to fund the arts.
d. Staff Changes:
• Rebecca Novick’s last day will be at the end of June. Continuing in some consulting capacities in the future.
• Shifting Membership Associate Duties: Claire Rice-Membership associate/events, Kendra Oberhauser-Membership Associate/Marketing, Julia Heitner-Membership Associate/Regranting
II. 10:20am: Regional Meetings
a. Discussed importance of ways to reinvigorate regional meetings.

III. 10:28am: Professional Development
a. ATLAS/TITAN has reached the end of its three year grant period. Theatre Bay Area is committed to additional professional development programs and the committee brainstormed ways to continue/disciplines to cover.
b. Committee discussed the future of the Playwright’s Showcase

IV. 10:52am: Excellence Discussion
a. Developing a community committee (including TSC members and more) to help address and discuss measurement options for the idea of excellence in the field.

V. 11:13am: Annual Conference
a. Discussed appropriate time frames for future conference? Annually? Every 18 months?

VI. 11:20am: Survival Kit
a. Discussed Theatre Bay Area’s flier: survival tools for individual artists

VII. 11:29am: Regional Auditions
a. South Bay coming up June 26.

VIII. 11:31am: Newsweek Article from April 26, 2010
a. Discussion about criticism of gay actors playing straight characters

IX. 11:30am: Check-in with TSC Committee Members

Next meeting: July 21, 2010

Theatre Services Committee Note April 2010

Theatre Bay Area's Theatre Services Committee had it most recent meeting last week. Minutes of the meeting follow. Please contact Dale Albright, Director of Membership Services with any questions at dale@theatrebayarea.org.

TSC Meeting Notes
April 21, 2010
TSC Members Present: Daren Carollo, Diablo Theatre Company; Rachel Fink, Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Liz Lisle, Shotgun Players; Jessica Robinson Love, CounterPULSE; Dan Meagher, Hillbarn Theatre; Nina Meehan, Active Arts Theatre; Karen Altre Piemme, San Jose Rep; Jonathan Spector, Just Theater; Lisa Tromovich, Shakespeare’s Associates; Marissa Wolf, Crowded Fire.
Theatre Bay Area Staff Present: Dale Albright, Brad Erickson, Clayton Lord, Rebecca Novick, Kendra Oberhauser
I. Meeting called to order at 10:05am
II. 10:05am TBA news and updates
• Members peruse the handout of TBA news and updates.
• Landisman Fellowship deadline is coming up on May 24th.
III. 10:07am Ticketing Software.
• Theatre Bay Area is currently looking into different ticketing systems, primarily for use by member companies and possibly for any full price ticketing that Theatre Bay Area provides for its members. TSC members discuss pros/cons of each. A decision will soon be announced.
IV. 10:25am Arts Advocacy
• Brad asks the TSC members to get behind AB 1777: http://www.californiaartsadvocates.org/AB1777.html
• It is projected to generate about $30million for the arts, which should put California up to somewhere around $.10 per person spent on the arts, up from $.05, currently putting California below every other state in the union.
V. 10:30am Intrinsic Impact
• Theatre Bay Area is receiving funding from various foundations to perform a multi-city survey (continuing the work that Alan Brown performed here in San Francisco on intrinsic impact). http://blog.theatrebayarea.org/2010/04/taking-intrinsic-impact-to-next-level.html
VI. 10:40am Annual Conference
• The Theatre Bay Area Annual Conference is on May 10 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco.
• What used to be the Expo is now incorporated in the evening as the Vendor Fair from 4pm-8pm.
• More information and registration here: http://www.theatrebayarea.org/programs/annualconference10.jsp
VII. 11:10am Media Access Office Presentation by Doug Gordy.
• Media Access Office represents disabled artists in the entertainment industry. They link people to training and opportunities. http://www.edd.ca.gov/jobs_and_training/Media_Access_Office.htm
• Doug encourages the organizations to include actors and workers with disabilities as a part of non-traditional casting. He can also provide some assistance when needed in working with accessibility issues.
VIII. 11:25am APASO check-in
• The annual APASO conference was hosted by Theatre Bay Area this year on March 25-27. It went very well.
IX. 11:30am TSC Conversation
• TSC Members discuss current format of TSC meetings.
X. Good and Welfare/Check-Ins

Next meeting: May 19, 2010, Theatre Bay Area, 1663 Mission Street, Suite 525.

Theatre Bay Area's Theatre Services Committee Notes

Theatre Bay Area's Theatre Services Committee met recently. The notes are provided below. Please contact dale@theatrebayarea.org or 415-430-1140 x14 with any questions or, of course, feel free to comment on this post.

TSC Meeting Notes
February 17, 2010
TSC Members Present: Serge Bakalian, Golden Thread Productions; Akilah Crossdale, The Jewish Theater; Victoria Evans-Erville, Woman’s Will; Melissa Hillman, Impact Theatre; Clark Lewis, Roustabout Theater; Jessica Robinson Love, CounterPULSE; Lisa Mallette, City Lights Theatre Company; Leslie Martinson, TheatreWorks; Dan Meagher, Hillbarn Theatre; Emily Morrison, California Shakespeare Theater; Raelle Myrick-Hodges, Brava; Karen Altre Piemme, San Jose Rep; Julie Saltzman, Aurora Theatre Company; Jonathan Spector, Just Theater; Marissa Wolf, Crowded Fire
Theatre Bay Area Staff Present: Dale Albright, Brad Erickson, Clayton Lord, Rebecca Novick, Kendra Oberhauser

I. Meeting called to order at 10:05am
• New and returning members introduce themselves.
II. 10:09am TBA News.
• Members take a few moments to peruse the outline of news and updates.
• Will Glickman Award is announced. In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play by Sarah Ruhl is the 2010 winner.
• Annual Conference is coming up on May 10th at Herbst/Green Room at War Memorial.
• South Bay Auditions are coming up on June 26th at Foothill College.
III. 10:17am General Audition Recap
• General Auditions were held Jan 29-31 at Marines Memorial in San Francisco. Dale asks members for their feedback, and the members discuss.
IV. 10:30am Critical Conversation (Rebecca).
• Theatre Bay Area is looking towards how to create an environment where honest, critical and constructive conversation can take place. One way to do this is to have more “community conversations” like the Outrageous Fortune meeting held at the Aurora.
• Likewise, the theme of the Annual Meeting this year something about "fostering excellence.”
• Members discuss possible methods to have successful meetings with large numbers of people.
V. 11:27am Conference structure.
• The Annual Conference will be at the War Memorial on May 10, 2010. It will be all day, and will absorb the EXPO by including a vendor fair and topics/resources of interest to individuals.
• Members spend some time writing out any ideas for the conference.
VI. 11:36am CA$H Evaluation report.
• Theatre Bay Area collected data from past applicants to CA$H, both grantees and non-grantees.
• What we found was that people really respond to the program but that some little changes will take place. These will be evident on the new CA$H application available now online.
VII. 11:43am Lemonade Fund curtain speeches.
• ISC drafted a letter to send out to companies asking them to give a curtain speech at a performance asking patrons to donate money to the Lemonade Fund. The letter also includes a sample curtain speech.
• We've moved this project back to summer (originally it was slated for spring) to remove it from all our other events.
VIII. 11:48am Actors Fund.
• Brad and Dale met with the CFO of Actors Fund. Investigating SF services.