Volunteer Opportunity

First Meeting: April 17, 2005, 2pm-5pm

Attended: LS, DS, BD, DD & JK

Summary: Exceptionally productive (I think), considering how much is still nebulous.

Discussed:

1. BRAVA – Main contacts are: Mary Nusser (VP, public mouthpiece) and Hugh Reams (Technical contact). BD will be talking to either of these people come Monday, requesting more information on getting on the schedule this fall. (see below) There’s a bunch of political stuff that’s holding up regular scheduling, which will hopefully be resolved soon. The political stuff may also interfere with doing our first production at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA) – we could be The Theatre Company in Search of a Venue. That won’t stop us, but it could complicate things production-wise. (FYI: The BCPA is going to be managed, eventually, by three entities: The City of Bowie, PG County Parks, and Bowie High School. The Joint Use Agreement (JUA) hasn’t been signed yet. There’s been a lot of press in both local Bowie papers concerning the ongoing process of signing the paperwork. Any progress of a positive nature will be posted here later.)

2. BD should attempt to get feedback from the Bowie Arts Committee re their decision regarding denying our grant proposal. We’d like to know if there’s anything we could have done differently to make our proposal more attractive. Fact finding.

3. BD will also have a chat with Bowie High staff, with the county and the city people who will eventually be in charge of the building. Just to touch base and start building a relationship. (See #1)

3. The meeting members reviewed the budget provided to the Grant committee – Adjustments are needed:
Add for Box Office (ticket printing)
Add for Program Printing

In general, the budget is more or less accurate. Some figures (insurance, rental fees, etc.) will need to be updated, based on reality. The first estimated budget can be found at the end of the Grant Proposal online on the O2B2 web site (http://www.outoftheblackbox.org/). It looks like costs will run approximately $2k for this first production.

4. Who’s interested in working with us? BD reviewed the list of interested parties (mainly on the two mailing lists). People who aren’t yet on yahoo groups should be moving there very soon (either to the main list or to the announcements only list). This will probably be the last message sent to the local list (in BD’s address book). After today, you may drop off the mailing list! See the bottom of this message for instructions on subscribing!

5. BD or LS will research Paper Direct for letterhead types to use for mailing letters/press releases out.

6. Setting a date range for Six Characters: The group at the meeting feels that the last weekend in September, through third weekend in October, Friday/Saturday nights, is a good starting range for requesting space. We’re trying to be flexible. We’ll be trying for one or two consecutive weekends, two performances each weekend (8pm). Once we’re set and on the schedule, we can advertise for auditions, arrange for rehearsal space. Can we use the recital hall? (Probably not, but we should check anyway.) BD will check on this info the beginning of next week, so we can start to plan auditions, rehearsals, and so on.

7. We need blueprints for layout of the recital hall space. Betsy will try to get a copy of this when she talks with the BRAVA people.

8. BD will direct the first production. JK will pick up a copy of the script from Backstage:

Six Characters in Search of an Author [21176] $7.95
Luigi Pirandello. A New Adaptation by Robert Brustein
(Drama / All Groups)

9m, 3f, 2c, extras Royalty, $50-$40

Pirandello’s masterpiece, a study in illusion and reality, follows a group of characters who try to fashion their life stories into acceptable drama. Mr. Brustein’s new rendering is accessible, contemporary, and highly speakable while retaining the flavor of the Italian original.

9. What will we do in the Spring? Ideas? We should have something identified before we go to production, so we can include the announcement in the program. Ideally, we should have something for the following fall and/or summer as well, so we can get on the Convention/Visitors Bureau calendars, and in the newspaper’s annual events calendars as well. What should these titles be? When should we target the dates for these productions? Who will direct (not BD, not two productions in a row!).

10. Filing for nonprofit paperwork should happen immediately after CC is over (beginning of May) – Filing for 501(c)(3) afterwards. BD will start to fill out the paperwork when she returns from the con, with KT’s help.

11. We will need to identify creative fund raising activities/objects that aren’t food. Ideas?

12. We’ll be looking to borrow the set pieces that we will need for the first production. No scenery (flats) will be needed. Possibly some one-foot risers and the rest will be handled by lighting.

13. We’ll be approaching local businesses for advertising and for sponsoring.

14. LS mentioned a willingness to help provide some financial backing if necessary. BD said, “Right now I’m not asking for people to cough up bucks to support this endeavor. We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.”

The next meeting will be at our house in Bowie, date and time TBD depending on what happens over the next week or so. Since several of the interested individuals will be away on honeymoon very shortly, and we’ll be heading to Costume-Con, the next meeting won’t be until sometime around the middle of May. Any weekend dates good/bad for people?

And finally, if you’re receiving this message through yahoogroups.com, you don’t need to worry. For the rest of you, I would encourage subscribing to either

mailto:o2b2-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

or

mailto:o2b2-announce-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

so that we can communicate with each other without filtering through me.

Have a great weekend!!!

BD