DALLAS THEATER CENTER

Transcription

1 BOARD OF TRUSTEES ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES Margt and Bill Winspear Opera Huse Nancy B. Hamn Hall Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Trustees in attendance: Al Andersn, Rbin Archa, Tina Barry, Jhn Bergner, Missy Bne, Diane Brierley, Mlly Byrne, Kay Cattarulla, Jeanne Marie Clssey, Tm Cdd, Bb Chan, Rusty Duvall, Lauren Embrey, Bess Enle, Curt FitzGerald, Gil Friedlander, Rebecca Fletcher, Brian Heflin, Julie Hersh, Matt Hildreth, Rger Hrchw, Jhn Hwell, Heather Kitchen, Maya Leibman, Jhn Levy, Rn Mankff, Debrah McMurray, Brian Meltn, Katy Menges, Lisa Mre, Kevin Mriarty, Vicki Newsm, Jay Oppenheimer, Sherry Peel, David Russakv, Larry Schenbrun, Shannn Skks, Bart Shwalter, Alex Smith, James Waters, Sarah Warnecke, Jim Wiley, Dnna Wilhelm, Mike Wrtley Staff in attendance: Cynthia Calabrese, Ramna Jrdan, Jeff Giffrd, Wayne Gdwin, Hillary Hart, Rachel Hull, Martha-Elena Lpez 4:06 pm Frank Risch called the meeting t rder. Minutes frm April 16, 2012 meeting apprved Artistic Reprt Kevin Mriarty Bradway Recrds released the riginal cast recrding f the Bradway musical, LYSISTRATA JONES, featuring music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn and bk by Tny Award nminee Duglas Carter Beane. There is a fabulus pht bk that includes lts f pictures f the shw including sme f ur Brierley Resident Acting Cmpany Member Liz Mikel. Duglas Carter Bean wrte an intrductin abut hw the shw was develped that includes a paragraph abut the mment when he first came in cntact with the Dallas Theater Center, hw we intrduced him t Liz and the jurney f the shw frm Dallas t Bradway. The album can be dwnladed n itunes r purchased as a hard cpy CD. Circle Dinner was held Mnday, May 21st. Thse wh attended heard Will Cnnlly, the cmpser f FLY BY NIGHT, sing three sngs frm the shw and we hpe that ne day these sngs will end up in a cast recrding. Educatin Update by Rachel: SummerStage will launch n June 11. We are 94% t gal with abut 260 r s students signed up. We have a great grup f teachers including acting cmpany members Steven Walters, Lee Trull, and Christie Vela, as well as Alex Rss frm the JOSEPH cast. We have selected nine ut f sixty highschl t cllege aged applicants t be ur summer interns. We lk frward t a building full f yung peple wh will be singing, dancing, and acting. In Nvember 2011, the Bard and senir staff came tgether t ratify a new strategic plan fr the next three years. It is imprtant that a prgress reprt is dne peridically t see hw we have advanced in these gals. There are a few areas in the strategic plan that directly impact the art f the theater. Bard f Trustees Annual Meeting Minutes: May 22, 2012 (Apprved Octber 2, 2012) Page 1

2 The first f these is t engage the audience in the art f the theater, and there are fur things we want t d t achieve this gal. The first is t prduce a seven play subscriptin seasn in three venues. We have succeeded in all except prducing in three venues. Due t budget changes, we have mved RED frm the Studi t the Kalita, therefre nly prducing in tw venues next year. Secnd is t explre theatrical space and the actr-audience relatinship in innvative, dynamic and flexible ways each seasn. Next seasn the seats will be different fr the Secnd City prductin. The audience will be seated at café tables, cuches and easy-chairs. The theater itself will lk different. The glass walls will be revealed and there will be end-tables with decrative lamps, making the space lk like a hipster cmedy club. Fr CHAD DEITY the audience will be seated in a square arund a wrestling ring. The third f these strategies is t strengthen the quality f artistry within the Brierley Resident Acting Cmpany thrugh the creatin f full-time, year-lng residencies, apprpriate actr cmpensatin, prfessinal develpment pprtunities, and managed turnver fr cmpany members. In an effrt t cmplete this gal we are intrducing three new acting cmpany members next seasn t replace three cmpany members wh are mving n t ther things. We are wrking n prviding the cmpany with new creative develpment pprtunities. This year they underwent a week-lng musical theater and dance wrkshp. Many saw an example f these new musical theater skills during the Circle Dinner with perfrmances by Lee Trull, Sally Vahle and Chamblee Fergusn. There are tw ther things that we have yet t achieve but we are cntinuing t wrk twards. We are wrking t create six year-lng residencies fr cmpany members that will imbed them int the staff and will supprt what we d in marketing, develpment and especially in educatin and cmmunity utreach. Yu will hear mre abut ur cmmunity utreach initiatives when Dnna Wilhelm reprts n the findings f the Art Liaisn Cmmittee. We have nt yet adjusted ur cmpensatin levels fr ur cmpany. The furth gal is t expand audience enrichment effrts including a preshw learning pprtunity befre perfrmances and access t nline infrmatin. We are launching pilt prgrams next year attached t CHAD DEITY with a series f cmputer nline initiatives including a vide game created by gamers and the playwright Kris Diaz that explres the themes f the play. There will be significant nline cntent abut the piece, bth via vide and by writing. After the pilt prgram with CHAD DEITY, it will be reviewed and revised, and then launched again with KING LEAR. After mre external and internal review we plan t implement it fr all plays in the seasn. With KING LEAR we will als launch a year-lng initiative called Cme Early where we will have a pre-shw lecture taking place ne hur befre every play. This will be a 30-minute lecture by a member frm the cast. This will nt be a cnversatin but a presentatin that will prepare peple t see the shw and engage with the ideas (similar t a meet and greet). The Cme Early prgram will pair with ur Stay Late cnversatin prgram that will be after the shw. The ther part f the larger gal is t engage the natinal theater cmmunity in impactful dialgue. By cmmissining and develping new wrk annually, including playwright residencies, readings, wrkshps and prducing ne r mre new wrks as part f DTC s mainstage seasn. We are succeeding at this gal since five f ur seven prductins next year are new wrk. In terms f new play develpment, this summer we will d a ne week reading f Will Pwer s musical STAGGER LEE. Last year we did a wrkshp and reading f Act One. Will has nw written Act Tw and this Bard f Trustees Annual Meeting Minutes: May 22, 2012 (Apprved Octber 2, 2012) Page 2

3 summer we will d a reading f the whle piece. In the winter we will d a staged wrkshp f STAGGER LEE with a three week rehearsal perid, fllwed by a staged shwing in the Rehearsal Rm and then we are planning a full prductin the fllwing year. Next year we will als d a staged wrkshp f DRACULA, this is befre it gets t ur stage. There will be a test audience and staff but n set, scenes r cstumes. We have cmmissined playwright Aarn Lbe and he is scheduled t have a draft f a new play by next summer. Sam Hustn as a majr character. We will schedule a reading f this play nce we receive it. Secnd City is creating a shw abut Dallas. T d this, they are sending tw Chicag cmedy writers t Dallas fr fur days in June. While in Dallas they will meet with city cuncil peple, key plitical and religius leaders and cmmunity activists and ther leaders. We are trying t get them engaged with the mst pininated, dynamic and unique individuals in the city. We are nt trying t intrduce them t the staff, the artistic and theater cmmunities, r even t the Bard in general. We will find ne r tw pprtunities t intrduce them t sme f yu s they can get t knw yu, but fr the mst part are trying t get them ut int the cmmunity s that the piece they write can really capture plitics, race, class and religin. They will als spend time with sme key jurnalists in the city. This will give them access t as many pint f views as pssible within the city. Anther part f this gal is t develp a c-prductin with LORT theaters featuring members f each theater s acting cmpanies. We are ding this with Trinity Reparatry Theater with KING LEAR. Later this week I will be in Hustn with Greg Byd f Alley Theater t see abut a pssible cprductin in the next tw years. A cprductin with Alley Theater leads us t the third f the fur gals, which is t partner with a majr Texas theater. The furth f these gals is t ensure that the annual rati f lcal/ut-f-twn actrs is 60/40. In the seasn, all ur plays, except fr A CHRISTMAS CAROL and RED, will include many ut-f-twn actrs as well as lcal actrs. Bard was divided int grups t recap and evaluate the seasn and shared ideas and thughts with the Full Bard. Bard Survey f Seasn Results: (survey dne during Annual Meeting) Favrite Prductins: GIANT and NEXT FALL Favrite Set Designs: TEMPEST and GIANT Favrite Cstume Design: GIANT and TEMPEST Favrite Actr: Chamblee Fergusn as Prsper in TEMPEST Favrite Actress: Kate Baldwin as Leslie in GIANT Management Reprt Heather Kitchen A mment f silence was bserved fr the passing f Jeff West, frmer Directr f the Six Flr Museum and a frmer Managing Directr f Dallas Theater Center. Bard f Trustees Annual Meeting Minutes: May 22, 2012 (Apprved Octber 2, 2012) Page 3

4 ADMINISTRATIVE: We are in the secnd stage f interviews fr the Cmpany Management psitin and have identified three strng candidates. DEVELOPMENT: The Campaign stands at $9.769 millin, which is 75% percent f its gal. We have fifteen mnths t achieve the next 25%. Thrugh ur Campaign Cmmittee we have identified 110 prspects and have assigned cmmittee members t slicit each f them. One f ur gals is t triple ur dnr base in three years. Our dnr base was 500, s the gal is 1,500. Thrugh ur Friends initiative we have brught n anther 150 dnrs this spring and have raised mre than $30,000. Our gal this year was t gain 400 new Friends and we have 250 left t achieve this gal. MARKETING: Yu have received Wayne Gdwin s f resignatin as Marketing Directr. I want t thank him fr his service at Dallas Theater Center. During his tenure we have had imprvement in ticket sales and have incrprated dynamic pricing fr the first time. Brad Pritchett, the Assciate Directr f Marketing, has agreed t be the Interim Directr f Marketing. Kevin and I will take this pprtunity t analyze the marketing department and find ways t restructure it. The theater has had great imprvements in custmer service. Last seasn we had ver 1,000 cmplaints and this seasn we have nly had tw. In the subscriptin campaign, we have sld 20,647 tickets. The renewal rate is at 43.5%. Our verall percentage t gal is at 59%. By Labr Day we expect t be at 82% r better. We had sme disappinting financial results fr prductins this spring. NEXT FALL was nly 37% t gal, TIGERS BE STILL was at 58% t gal and GOD OF CARNAGE is currently at 11% t gal. The expectatins fr GOD OF CARNAGE have been reduced frm 407,000 t 290,000. Please encurage yur family and friends t see the prductin. JOSEPH is currently 7.76% t gal. Please buy yur tickets nw. They are nt part f yur subscriptin package. Telemarketing campaign begins n June 1 st. We are pushing fr subscribers t sign up prir t this date. Telemarketing calls cst 30-35% f each subscriptin. FINANCE: We are preparing fr a Q3 refrecast in preparatin fr the June Finance Meeting. If we reach ur ticket sale gal f 290,000 and reach within 90% f ur gal in JOSEPH, then we shuld break even this year. BOARD COMMITTEES: Frm behalf f all the staff, Kevin and I t thank all f yu wh participated in Cmmittees this year. Bard f Trustees Annual Meeting Minutes: May 22, 2012 (Apprved Octber 2, 2012) Page 4

5 Cmmunity Engagement and Impact Dnna Wilhem We pulled tgether a cmmittee f eight peple t examine Dallas Theater Center s invlvement in the cmmunity and hw it related t the strategic plan. With this in mind, we hired Lead Principal fr Creatin in Cmmn, LLC Carl Cuesta. Carl was the cnsultant hired by KERA in the frmatin f Art&Seek. The wrk f the cmmittee invlved extensive interviews spearheaded by Carl Cuesta. Thse included were cmmittee members, DTC staff leadership, selected Bard members and arts cmmunity stakehlders. The cmmittee discussed DTC and the assumptins that we had abut the theater and realized that thrugh Kevin and the Educatin Department significant grundwrk fr cllabratins was in place. We have cllabratins with ther arts rganizatins, SMU and Bker T. Washingtn. Mving frward we have set a framewrk n hw t cntinue with cllabratins, hw t increase ur impact and influence in the cmmunity and hw t assess r measure prgress. The cmmittee s visin evlved and set a directin t take DTC t a leadership level f cmmunity cllabratin and because f this it was cnsidered that a mre apprpriate name wuld be the Cmmunity Engagement and Impact (CEI) Cmmittee. The purpse f this cmmittee will be t advance Dallas Theater Center s cmmunity engagement agenda and maximize the impact and benefits made pssible thrugh these effrts. Cmmittee members will be tasked with: evaluating the impact f the cmmunity engagement and cllabrative activities, increasing DTC s influence within the cmmunity in rder t advance effrts acrss a variety f cmmunities, identifying pprtunities that align with strategies and impact, crdinating with ther DTC cmmittees regarding resurce allcatin and fundraising pprtunities, and cmmunicating value created internally t the Bard and externally t key stakehlders. Frmatin f the CEI Cmmittee was apprved by Full Bard. Bard Develpment Jim Wiley TRUSTEES: Bard apprved the nminatin and electin f new Trustees fr a first three-year term. Candidates include: Chad Ck, Jamie Cpaken, Curt FitzGerald, Dn Glendenning, William Graue, Ann Hbsn, Cliffrd Lawrence, Andy Smith and Melissa Stewart. Bard apprved the re-electin fr a secnd three-year term f the fllwing Trustees: Larry Angelilli, Missy Bne, Barrett Bruce, Mlly Byrne, Jeanne Marie Clssey, Rusty Duvall, Rebecca Fletcher, Pilar Henry, Paul Hwell, Maya Leibman, Lyn Muse, Barbara Page, Larry Schenbrun, Kimberly Sheffield, Bart Shwalter, James Waters and Jim Wiley. ENDOWMENT BOARD: Bard apprved the reelectin f Jhn Hwell fr a secnd tw-year term n the Endwment Fund Bard and as President f the Endwment Bard. Bard apprved the reelectin f Larry Angelilli fr a secnd tw-year term. Bard f Trustees Annual Meeting Minutes: May 22, 2012 (Apprved Octber 2, 2012) Page 5

6 Bard apprved the nminatin and electin f Jhn Guren fr a first tw-year term f the Endwment Bard. OFFICERS: Bard apprved the electin f the fllwing fficers: Chair: Rebecca Fletcher Past Chair: Frank Risch President: Ken Bernstein Executive Vice President: Tina Barry Treasurer: Curt FitzGerald Secretary: James Waters Bard apprved the electin f the fllwing Cmmittee Chairs: Finance: Curt FitzGerald Marketing Task Frce: Eric Harmn and Pilar Henry Bard Develpment: Jim Wiley Campaign Task Frce: Missy Bne Institutinal Develpment: Barrett Bruce Artistic Advisry: Kim Sheffield Cmmunity Engagement and Impact: Dnna Wilhelm Advisry Cuncil: Sarah Warnecke Bard apprved the electin f the Executive Cmmittee t include: Tina Barry, Ken Bernstein, Missy Bne, Diane Brierley, Barrett Bruce, Linda Custard, Curt FitzGerald, Rebecca Fletcher, Pilar Henry, Julie Hersh, Brian Meltn, Frank Risch, Kim Sheffield. Bart Shwalter, Shannn Skks, Alex Smith, James Waters, Jim Wiley and Dnna Wilhelm. Exchange f Gavel Frank Risch thanked the Bard and DTC staff fr their supprt and hard wrk. Rebecca Fletcher thanked the Bard and DTC staff fr the pprtunity t serve as Bard Chair. Rebecca Fletcher recgnized Frank Risch s service. Heather Kitchen and Kevin Mriarty presented gifts t Frank Rrisch and Mrs. Helen Risch. Jim Wiley asked that the Bard vte and apprve the nminatin and electin f Frank Risch as a Life Time Trustee. Bard apprved. Adjurn Bard f Trustees Annual Meeting Minutes: May 22, 2012 (Apprved Octber 2, 2012) Page 6