Kentucky Theatre Association

Board of Directors Conference Call

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Present (on the phone):  Dawn C., Brad D., Cathy G., Alana G., Kameron G., Rowen H., Wayne K., Jeremy K., Todd R., Zackary R., Shelby S., Kim W.

Absent:  Sarah B., Cheryl B., Ariadne C., Tamera I., Jane M., Phil N., Brittany S., Tracy W.

The meeting was called to order at 1:01 p.m., by President Brad Downall.  Introductions were made by all joining in on the phone call.

The minutes of the September 14, 2019, meeting had been sent out to Board members previously.  A few items had changed since the meeting, but there were no additions or corrections to the minutes.  Kim moved, and Alana seconded, to approve the minutes.  The motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report – Jeremy did not have a formal report; one will be presented at the next meeting.  The usual expenses and incomes had occurred since the last meeting.

State Conference plans:

• H.S. Festival – NW Regional had to be moved to Atherton H.S., due to the number of shows.  Central Regional had a scoring error and has been handled.  North Regional only had 2 adjudicators – work to avoid this in the future.  All schools advancing to State have been contacted for time scheduling.  At State, there will be 2 workshops on Friday, followed by pizza party/activity mixer.
• C.T.  – Five theatres have registered to compete.  One will perform on Friday evening; two on Saturday morning; and two on Saturday afternoon.
• Roots/Bluegrass – The readings have been moved to the Playhouse.  There will be 3 ten-minute shows and 3 cuttings from full-length shows.  Someone will double-check with Ari about the directors and casts.
• Screening Auditions – Nearly 250 have signed up this year.  Check for the registration fees should be coming in soon.
• Volunteers – Brad and Jeremy will send out a sign-up sheet for Board members to volunteer for jobs to help with the Conference.
• Hotel – Hilton Garden Inn – Information needs to be sent to the C.T. participants as soon as possible.

Award Nominations:

Amy Attaway has been nominated for the Kathi Ellis Award.  Clear Creek Creative has been nominated for the Karen Willis Award.  Information on the nominees will be emailed to Board members who are asked to reply to Brad with a “yea” or “nay” vote.

Nominations Committee Report:

Many current Board members have indicated a willingness to continue.  A slate will be compiled by the committee and sent out to the Board prior to the meeting at the Conference.

Benefit Committee Report Discussion:

A report was sent out previously for perusal.  Most H.S. members were happy with current status; other groups were not so much.  Facebook does not seem to be the best way to communicate to all members; emails are preferred.  Division heads should be responsible for driving programs/activities in their areas.  Lifetime member option needs to be discussed further, as well as a possible increase in the membership dues (possibly $5.00 more).  Look at offering more P.D. workshops, and more often at more locations.  Add a repository on the website for lesson plans, plays by KY playwrights, play resources, college guidebook, etc.  Broadway licensing & Playscripts offering discounts, in return for publicity &/or ads.

Several items can be set up and started right away.  [Event calendar is already running on the website.]  Other items may need additional discussion and setup time.  The committee will provide a recommended timeline for implementation and will send this to Board members prior to the meeting at Conference.

Old & New Business – None

With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 2:06 p.m.  The next meeting will be during the State Conference, at the Univ. of Louisville.  Specific location and time will be forwarded when determined.

Respectfully submitted,

Wayne Kirsch, KTA Secretary

Kentucky Theatre Association

Board of Directors Retreat

Saturday, September 14, 2019

University of Louisville, Thrust Theatre, Louisville, KY

Present:  Ariadne C., Dawn C., Brad D., Alana G., Wayne K., Phil N., Todd R., Zackary R., Shelby S.

On Phone:  Cathy G., Kameron G., Tamara I., Jeremy K., Rowan M., Jane M., Brittany S., Kim W.

Absent:  Cheryl B., Sarah B., Tracy W.

---   ---   ---   --- 

The meeting was called to order at 1:04 p.m., by President Brad Downall.  Introductions were made by all in attendance and on the phone.

The August 10, 2019, conference call minutes were distributed (and had been sent out to Board members previously).  A correction was made in the starting time (a.m., not p.m.).  Kim moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Zack.  The motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report – Jeremy had sent information regarding finances.  He mentioned the bank balance is around $29,000.  Brad announced there had been a problem with tax forms not properly filed in the past, but Jeremy has been working to correct the situation.  The job of filing tax papers in a timely manner will now be identified as part of the treasurer’s job.  Ari moved, and Phil seconded, to approve the financial report.  The motion passed.

SETC Report – Jeremy sent his report from the last SETC meeting.  He highlighted a few key issues:

(1)   giving gender-neutral awards; (2) determining a policy on home/charter schools’ participation in festivals; (3) identify a mentee candidate for KTA to the SETC Conference.

Discussion was held on the awards issue.  It was moved by Shelby, seconded by Ari, to have two “Outstanding Performance in a Lead Role”; two “Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role”; to be given at all festival levels.  Further discussion was held regarding other options, followed by a vote on the motion, which passed.  [The “Newcomer Award” will continue at State, and “Ensemble Award” may be given by adjudicators as a discretionary award.]

HS Festival – Registrations are coming in nicely.  Northwest is at its maximum with 9, and will hold performances on Friday and Saturday.  Information about dates and times need to be sent to school asap; and adjudicators will need hotel accommodations, due to the overnight.  Current numbers in other Regions:  East – 4; West – 3; Central – 6; North – 3.  More schools have indicated possible entries.  Brad is working on gathering adjudicators for each of the Regionals.  It was noted that some dates coincide with testing programs, causing problems for schools participating in festivals.

A high school social/activity is being planned for the State Conference, if space is available at U of L.  It would be on Friday night after workshops, and advanced registration for this activity (with fee collection) will be needed.  [It was suggested to check the schedule to avoid conflicts with the Board meeting.]

Roots of the Bluegrass – Cathy offered thanks to Jane, Ari and Alana for agreeing to be judges.  She has been able to recruit 10 additional judges; so we are in good shape for the entries we have so far. There was concern about "required" formatting, so it was changed to "suggested" formatting.   There are currently 20-25 short plays entered, and about 5 full-length entries.  Deadlines are Sept. 15 for 10-minute plays; Oct. 15 for full-length shows.  Zack made a great looking logo for ROTB.  Info will be forwarded to Ari to get casts/directors  for the winning shows.

Community Theatre – There have been no registrations yet.  It was suggested to put the festival info on the KTA Facebook page.  We have heard of a couple of theatres looking into participating.  Registration deadline is Nov. 1.

It would help in recruiting theatres if we had a written document/brochure defining the benefits of membership in KTA.  Brad asked for volunteers for a committee to work on this issue.  Appointed to this committee were Shelby, Kim, Todd, and Zack.

State Conference – Most of the details have been discussed in the area reports.  A walking tour of the facilities at the U of L will take place immediately following this meeting.  The Hilton Garden Inn will be used for the Conference; 208 rooms at $99/night.  Jeremy is working on getting other hotel accommodations.

Middle Grades Festival – Sarah sent her report.  She is working on a venue for the festival (most likely in Taylorsville), and hopes to have a festival date soon.  Any workshop presentations or volunteers from the board are welcomed. Supporting the Middle Grades Festival growth would be a great way for new (and existing) members to engage in KTA.  It’s a fun event. If interested, please text or call Sarah at 606-922-2903.

President – Brad needs to set a nominating committee, to gather candidates for Board positions as well as the Executive Committee.  From those volunteering, the committee was set as Tamara, Alana, Ari, Rowan, and Brad.  Information should be sent out on social media and other resources, asking for prospective candidates.  It was asked if there are certain areas/interests that would be helpful on the Board.  Suggestions included professional theatre, technical reps/vendors, marketing/PR, Arts in Healing.

Old/New Business:

            Brad is still looking for suggestions regarding honoring/memorializing Kathi Ellis.  Send these to Brad in

            the next week or two.

            Nominations are also needed for the Karen Willis Award.  Let Brad know of candidates.

With no further business to be brought forward, the meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m., and the tour of facilities began.  The next meeting is proposed to be a conference call meeting in late October/early November.

Kentucky Theatre Association

Board of Directors Conference Call

Saturday, August 10, 2019

The meeting was called to order at 11:05 p.m., by President Brad Downall.  Introductions were made by all joining in on the phone call.

The minutes of the February 2, 2019, meeting had been sent out to Board members previously.  Kim moved, and Zack seconded, to accept the minutes as written.  The motion was approved.

Treasurer’s Report – Jeremy had sent out a copy of his report.  It showed a total balance of $28,811.92.  Major expense recently was the July payment of the liability insurance of $735.56.  Sarah moved to accept the report.  Jane seconded the motion, which passed.

SETC report was also sent out with the Treasurer’s report.  The next meeting will be August 23 – 25, in Charlotte.  The State Reps are putting together a list of adjudicators to assist in other states’ festivals.  There is also plans for adjudicator training to help build the program.  State Reps will be visiting other states’ conferences as a networking concept.  Greg Mach (WV) will be coming to the KY Conference; Jeremy will visit TN on October 17 – 20.  The State Mentor/Mentee program will be offered at the next SETC Conference, with registration covered.  Attendee will be responsible for covering their own lodging.  Interested members should send their names to Brad, and the Executive Committee will make a decision.  SETC 2020 will be in Louisville, on February 26 – March 1.

HS Festival – The invitations for this year’s regionals have been sent out.  Dates include: NW – Oct. 5; East & West – Oct. 26; Cent. – Nov. 2; North – Nov. 9.

The Roots of the Bluegrass – Cathy has agreed to chair the competition this year.  The deadlines are Sept. 15 for the 10-minute scripts; Oct. 16 for the full-length shows.  Cathy would like to present 3 full-length cuttings and 3 10-minute scripts.  It is requested to have 4 Board members and 4 non-Board members as readers for the submissions, with the playwrights recommending the cuttings to be presented.  Alana and Jane volunteered to be readers.

Community Theatre – The invitations for this year’s State festival will be going out soon.  The theatre used will be the Univ. of Louisville’s Thrust Theatre – a ¾-thrust stage, but we will play it to the front section like a proscenium.  Backstage space may require some adjustment to the 10’x10’ square.  Tech facilities at the theatre should be good.  There have been some concerns raised from theatres/directors at the past festivals.  The Executive Committee is looking into these, with further discussion to come prior to this year’s festival.

State Conference – This year’s Conference will be held at the Univ. of Louisville, on Nov. 22 – 24.  The next Board meeting will be held on-site, on September 14.  Work is progressing on hotel rates.  [Due to a home football game, additional conflicts have arisen.]

President’s Report – Brad mentioned we will be doing a remembrance for Kathi Ellis.  Send ideas to Brad; final details will be made at the September Board meeting.  Brad asked Board members to volunteer for jobs/duties for the year – specific committees; help &/or adjudicate at festivals; officer positions; etc.  Suggestions should be sent to Brad or committee chairs.  We are also looking to formulate a list of adjudicators.  Names should be sent to Brad.  It was suggested that some form of feedback be given to adjudicators following their service, at all levels.  This type of feedback should follow the AACT and SETC adjudication guidelines.

Old & New Business –

It is time to start submitting memberships.  The membership year is November 1 through October 31.  Payments made now will be good through October 31, 2020.

Jeremy sent a survey to high schools that have participated in our festivals, seeking input on strengths, weaknesses, and other goals.  A few of these have been returned.  One suggestion is to have some form of reception or mixer for all students attending the State Conference.

Additional discussion was held on adjudication.  It is strongly urged to work toward more uniformity in the responses throughout all levels of competition – regional, state, and SETC.  Hopefully the proposed training from SETC will be helpful with this idea.

With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 11:53 a.m.  The next meeting will be September 14, 2019, at the Univ. of Louisville.  Specific location and time will be forwarded when determined.

Respectfully submitted,

Wayne Kirsch, KTA Secretary

Kentucky Theatre Association
Board of Directors Retreat
Saturday, February 2, 2019
Lexington Children’s Theatre, Lexington, KY

Present: Ariadne C., Dawn C., Brad D., Kathi E., Alana G., Cathy G., Tamara I., Wayne K., Jeremy K., Rowan M., Phil N., Zackary R., Kameron S., Shelby S., Tracy W., Kim W.

On Phone: Jane M., Sarah B.

Absent: Cheryl B., Todd R., Brittany S., Alicia H. (stepping down from the Board)

—   —   —   —

The meeting was called to order at 12:37 p.m., by President Brad Downall. Introductions were made by all in attendance and on the phone.

The minutes of the November 16, Conference meeting were distributed (and had been sent out to Board members previously). Alana moved, and Tracy seconded, to accept the minutes as written. The motion was approved.

Treasurer’s Report: Jeremy presented the final budget report for fiscal 2018. The totals show income was $417 more than expenses. Screening auditions will be handled by SETC now, but does not change our income too much.

They are working toward charging a flat fee for auditions in all states. Phil moved to approve the 2018 final report. Shelby seconded the motion, which passed.

Jeremy then presented a proposed budget for fiscal 2019. SETC entries expenses had to be corrected to $4,000. Corresponding increases were made for the income from auditions and HS Festival registrations. A balanced budget of $25,500 was approved, after a motion from Kathi and second from Tracy.

SETC Report – SETC is beginning a mentoring program for people interested in learning to be a State Rep to SETC. A designated person would have some expenses covered (including Conference registration) while they “learn the ropes” of the position. Four Board members are interested in this program. Rowan has already registered for the

Conference; Jeremy will check to see if her registration can be changed in order to be the KTA mentee.

Upcoming SETC sites – 2019: Knoxville, TN; 2020: Louisville, KY (Feb. 26 – Mar. 1); 2021: Cincinnati, OH. SETC will be finding State adjudicators for all state festivals.

MS Festival – Sarah reported there are currently 6 entries, with up to 2 spaces remaining open. They will need adjudicators (recommended 2). These may have to have background checks, if they haven’t already had one. There still room for additional student workshops, as well as teacher PD opportunities. All are invited to attend, March 23, at Paul L Dunbar High School, in Lexington.

HS Festival – A number of directors have requested holding a “town meeting” with members of the KTA Board, to discuss festival adjudication – specifically the disparity between regional and State adjudications. The atmosphere at this year’s regionals was very positive and welcoming. It was suggested to possibly send out a survey regarding last year’s events and input for the future. This could be followed up with face-to-face meeting(s), possibly something at the Middle Grades Festival. Anyone with suggestions of questions for the survey should send them to Jeremy SOON.

There is a need to determine regional sites and dates soon – to be announced before the close of school this year. [KY Thespian Festival is Oct. 19.] We should also start looking at a possible model of a 2-day festival and/or expanding the number of regions.

Community Theatre – Wayne and Todd are working on updating a complete database of theatres and contacts.

President’s Report – Brad mentioned we need to identify specific Board duties vs. Conference duties.

The Roots of the Bluegrass – Cheryl will not be chairing this year, so another chairperson is needed.

State Conference – Ari and her committee at U of L are busy working on this. The university is totally on board with support of this event, which is Nov. 22 – 24, 2019.

With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 2:06 p.m. After a brief break, the members moved to a Strategic Planning session.

Kentucky Theatre Association
Board of Directors Meeting
Friday, November 16, 2018
Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville, KY

Present:  Cheryl B., Sarah B., Lisa C., Brad D., Alana G., Wayne K., Jeremy K., Bart L., Phillip N.,
On Phone:  Kathi E.
Absent:  Dawn C., Kelley E., Alicia H., Kim M., Jane M., Zackary R., Shelby S., Kim W.

—   —   —   —

The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m., by President Brad Downall.

The minutes of the November 4 conference call meeting had been sent out to Board members previously.  Jeremy moved, and Phil seconded, to approve the minutes as written.  The motion passed.

Jeremy mentioned that the Treasurer’s report had been emailed out earlier.  He hopes to have an updated, year-to-date statement to be sent out by the end of the month.  The issue was brought up on how much financial support to give to the groups (CT & HS) chosen to advance to SETC.  Last time each group received $1000 (to help off-set the larger travel budget).  Other states provide from $0 to $2000 per group.  Bart moved, and Wayne seconded, to give the groups $1000 each.  The motion carried.

Jeremy had sent the Board members a report from the SETC Fall meeting.  The states are looking to find ways of bridging the gap between those people who only attend the State Festival and those that only go to SETC.  We need to try to get more people attending both festivals.  The method of handling the screening auditions is being changed slightly by SETC.  They will be paying for the expenses of the adjudicators, not the states.  This will involve a corresponding increase in the auditioning fees for the next two years, which will also help equalize the fees across all ten states.

Sarah mentioned the date and location for the next Middle Grades Festival.  It will be help at Paul L. Dunbar High School in Lexington, on Saturday, March 23, 2019.  Alicia indicated an interest in helping to co-chair the festival.  The teachers attending would like to have some Professional Development workshops.  Lexington Children’s Theatre may be able to help with some of this.  A suggestion is to have a mini “new play” reading session.

Lisa reported that we have four entries in this year’s festival.  All of the performances will be held on Saturday.

Cheryl stated that there was a good number of submissions for the Roots of the Bluegrass competition this year.  The winners have been chosen.  Rehearsals were held today for the presentations of these winning scripts.  Brad suggested we should recognize those persons who read the entries and scored them.

Brad recommended we should start reaching out soon to the high schools about next year’s festival dates and locations.  It looks like KY Thespians Festival will be October 19.

The 2019 State Conference will be November 22 – 24, at the University of Louisville.  This is the weekend before Thanksgiving.  The festival will be spread among various buildings on campus, but looks very promising in all details.

As determined at the last meeting, the Karen Willis Award will be presented to both nominees this year.

The report of the nominating committee listed that Kelley, Lisa, Kim, and Bart will be going off the Board this year.  The committee proposed (with corresponding second) to accept the following 8 persons to serve on the Board:

1. Ariadne Calvano, Tamera Izlar, Tracy Ward, Brittany Stacy, Kameron Stambaugh, Rowen Haigh Mahoney, Todd Reynolds, and Cathy Rhoden Goguen. The Board voted to accept the slate and recommend its passage to the membership at the Annual meeting tomorrow.

The nominating committee also proposed (with corresponding second) the following slate of officers for next year:

President – Brad Downall; Vice-President – Phillip Neace; Secretary – Wayne Kirsch; Treasurer – Jeremy Kisling; and Assistant Treasurer – Alana Ghent.  The Board voted to accept the slate and recommend its passage to the membership at the Annual meeting tomorrow.

Alana presented a recommendation to the Board on behalf of the Strategic Planning Committee.  They suggest holding a Board retreat for setting goals/objectives and to get more of the Board involved in the activities of the Board.  This would possibly be in late January, in Lexington.  They are looking at a couple of places for getting grants.

Suggested meeting schedule for 2019:

January – Day-long retreat in Lexington

May/June – Conference call meeting

August – On-site meeting at the Conference site in Louisville

October – Conference call meeting

November – Meeting at the Conference

With no further business to be discussed, the meeting was adjourned at 8:08 p.m.

 

ADDENDUM TO THE BOARD MINUTES

ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE ANNUAL MEETING

November 17. 2018

President Brad Downall called the Annual Meeting to order, giving a “State of the KTA” summary.  Jeremy Kisling reported on the organization’s finances.

The President then opened the floor for the election of Board members.  The slate presented by the nominating committee, and recommended by the current Board, was approved by the membership.  (See the list above.)

The floor was then opened for the election of the Executive Officers.  Again, the committee’s slate of candidates was approved by the membership.  (See the list above.)

The date of location of next year’s State Festival was announced – University of Louisville on Nov. 22 – 24, 2019.

With no further business brought forth, the meeting was adjourned.  This was followed by the award ceremonies for this weekend’s festivals.

Kentucky Theatre Association
Board of Directors Meeting
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Conference Call Meeting

Present (on phone):   Cheryl B., Sarah B., Dawn C., Brad D., Wayne K., Jeremy K., Bart L., Jane M.

Absent:  Lisa C., Kelley E., Kathi E., Alana G., Alicia H., Kim M., Phillip N., Zackary R., Shelby S., Kim W.

—   —   —   —

Brad called the meeting to order.  There was no quorum as only 8 Board members were participating; therefore issues were discussed so that consensus could be reached.

Minutes of the September Board meeting had been sent to members previously.  These will be acted upon during the meeting at the Annual Conference.  The Treasurer’s Report was also tabled, but Jeremy assured us we had money (approx. $35,000).

There have been people registering for the Annual Conference.  A few high schools need to complete registration yet.  Rental costs for needed equipment should run about $1400 (+/- around $500).

Conference Update:

Community Theatre – There are 4 theatres entered this year.  Due to travel distances and schedule conflicts, at least 3 of them need to perform on Saturday.  Brad has scheduled 2 theatres to load-in & rehearse on Friday evening; the others will load-in & rehearse on Saturday morning.  All performances will be on Saturday.  Adjudicators will meet on Saturday at 10:20 a.m.  We have received a waiver for the venue and approval of the adjudicators from AACT.

Roots of the Bluegrass – This event will be held on Friday evening, at 7:30 p.m., in the Glema Mahr Auditorium.  The finalists have been chosen, and casting is being handled.

High School – Twelve schools have been chosen from the 30 participating schools in the Regionals.  No additional invitees were needed.  Brad has lined up 3 volunteers to assist with this festival – Bart Lovins, Carolyn Greer, and Chris Tolliver.

Screening Auditions – Currently there are about 240 students registered, putting auditions on Saturday and Sunday.

Workshops – Currently none have been booked, but some are being planned.  This should need 2 or 3 rooms.

Awards – It was the consensus that most awards will be plaques.

** Renovation at the theatre – Currently there are no acoustical tiles in the lobby and painting may be in progress, but the theatre is usable and should cause no problems.  Brad is looking into getting on-site concessions and/or snacks to add to the local restaurants that are near-by.

Karen Willis Award:  The vote on the two candidates was tied.  It was suggested to give both groups the award.  This was approved by the Board members present.

Nominations:  We will need to elect a new President, Vice-President, and Treasurer, among other at-large members.  Brad has received 3 or 4 suggestions for new Board members.  Sarah, Alana, and Bart will work on setting the slate for the elections, to be held at the Annual Business Meeting, Saturday night of the Conference.

The next meeting of the Board will be at the Conference, in Madisonville, around dinner time on Friday evening.

Kentucky Theatre Association
Board of Directors Meeting
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville, KY

Present:  Sarah B., Lisa C., Brad D., Kelley E., Wayne K., Jeremy K., Phillip N., Zackary R.

(on phone):   Alana G., Kim M.

Absent:  Cheryl B., Dawn C., Kathi E., Alicia H., Bart L., Jane M., Shelby S., Kim W.

—   —   —   —

The day began with a tour of the facilities, showing where various events will be held.  HS in the Glema Mahr, & CT in the Steve Beshear Center.

The meeting was called to order at 1:45 p.m. (CDT) by President Brad

Minutes of the January 27, 2018, Board meeting were reviewed.  Sarah moved to approve the minutes.  Phil seconded the motion, which was approved.

The treasurer’s report was tabled for now.

SETC Report – The 2019 SETC Festival will be held in Knoxville, TN, on Feb. 27 – Mar. 3.  The Fall Business meeting will be Aug. 24 – 25, in Charlotte, NC.  SETC will be taking more control of the adjudication process for the screening auditions, helping to find adjudicators and standardizing fees for next year (set at $75).  John “Jerf” Friedenberg will be the representative at our State Conference.  There is a desire to make a master list of out-of-state adjudicators to share with all states for their festivals.

H.S. Regionals – Current schedule is:  Oct. 13 – Central @ Bryan Station H.S.; Northwest @ Hardin Co. PAC; and North @ Scott H.S. (tentative);  Oct. 20 – West @ Owensboro H.S.;  Nov. 3 – East @ Madison South H.S.

Website – Lots of info has been updated, with special features working, such as membership renewal notices and registration forms and payments.  About 20 or so have paid membership dues so far.

State Conference – Registration fee for the H.S. Festival (registration & membership) will be $155 (early bird) and $175 after the deadline.

Most area hotels will be offering a group rate for the conference, ranging from the mid-$60s to $90-$99.  Some of the hotels include Comfort Inn, Baymont, Hampton Inn.  Information will be put online.

Student Staff – Glema Mahr students & staff will be working at the festivals.  The same people should be working the full festival schedule.  The AACT Festival Commissioner will be Steve Krempasky.

Adjudicators – This area is being discussed.  See below.

Workshops – We are trying to put together some workshops to appeal to all participants.  There will be a shout-out for submissions, with the form being placed on the website.  This will also be true for vendors.

HS Festival – This will be held in the Glema Mahr theatre.  There will be spots for 12 theatres.  There might be some renovation work in the lobby/common area, but hopefully this will be completed prior to the conference.

C.T. Festival – This will be in the new Steve Beshear Learning Center.  Currently it looks like 4-5 theatres are interested in competing.

Roots of the Bluegrass – Applications are online and have started coming in.  Deadline for submission is Sept. 15.  Everyone should help spread the word and get more submissions.

Screening Auditions – As mentioned above, SETC is taking a more active part in the planning for this.  It will probably be about the same participation as in the past.

Karen Willis Award – No award was presented last year.  There were 2 nominations.  These submissions will be sent to the Board members prior to the next meeting.  Additional nominees will be accepted.  It is possible to present 2 awards this year.  A suggestion was made to create a standing awards committee which would handle this, and possibly additional, awards in the future.  Consensus was that this was a good idea.

Middle Grades Festival – A suggestion was made to hold the 2019 festival at Paul L. Dunbar H.S. and Atherton H.S. in 2020.  The Board gave its approval to go with this plan.  They would like to have workshops in all areas of theatre – acting, tech, writing, etc., even a possibility for a 10-minute play reading/writing workshop.

President’s Report – The adjudication certification process is moving ahead.  Kathy Pingel (AACT) has agreed to present two 2-hour webinar sessions on adjudicating.  This could be helpful for all levels of festivals.

Does KTA want to consider looking at a part-time Executive Director again?  Current finances could probably support it.  A second option would be to increase the Board, with more specific selection criteria.  It might be helpful to hold a Board Retreat or Strategic Planning Session.  A Strategic Planning Committee was formed to proceed on these and other topics.  Committee members will be the Executive Officers, Alana, and Kelley.

A nominating committee was appointed which will meet prior to the next meeting.  It consists of Alana, Sarah, and Brad.

Bylaws Review – Jeremy has copies of the KTA Bylaws, as well as those from other states.  He will send these out to the review committee for discussion and recommending possible amendments.

With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 2:56 p.m. (CDT).

Kentucky Theatre Association
Board of Directors Meeting
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Lexington Children’s Theatre, Lexington, KY

Present: Cheryl B., Sarah B., Dawn C., Brad D., Kelley E., Alana G., Wayne K., Jeremy K., Kim M., Jane M., Zackary R.,
Shelby S., Kim W.
(on phone): Lisa C., Bart L.
Absent: Kathi E., Alicia H., Phillip N.

— — — —
The meeting was called to order at 12:12 by President Brad

Introductions of new members – Kelley Elder (Owensboro) and Cheryl Brumley (Campbellsville Univ.)

Minutes of the November 17, 2017, Board meeting were distributed and reviewed. Corrections: “Kathy” should be “Kathi”; and HS Festival had 26 competing, 11 at the State level. Kim W. moved to approve the minutes as amended; Zack seconded. The motion passed.

Kim M. gave the treasurer’s report. The monthly report was table; with current balance around $38,000. The proposed budget was distributed and discussed. In 2017, we took in about $2,000 more than we spent. The budget shows an increase in postage. Having the State Festival at EKU is still unconfirmed, but may cost more than the last time we were there. The budget proposal is conservative, but realistic. There was a request for additional funding for groups going to SETC in Mobile, especially in reference to the extra travel costs. It was suggested we ask groups going to SETC to give volunteer service in their HS Regional festival, as in-kind service. This concept was rejected. Jeremy reported that KY is about the lowest state in SETC in giving financial assistance to the groups representing them. We may possibly want to set up a policy for increasing the travel stipend based on the number of miles to the festival. Since only 1 C.T. group is going this year, we are saving some money. It was the consensus to give the C.T. rep and both HS reps a stipend of $750 plus $250 in mileage support. Jeremy asked to raise the SETC State Rep budget up to $500. After discussion on the website upgrade (see below), that budget line was increased to $1200. After further discussion and input, Jeremy moved to approve the budget as amended; Alana seconded. The motion passed.

Website – Zack has been working on improving & streamlining the website. He presented a proposal to contract with WILD APRICOT (an online system for membership management, registration, communications, etc.). It would handle the financial items, directories, registrations, event check-ins, and send automatic reminders. This system coordinates well with WORD PRESS, which we are currently using. The fee, based on a membership of up to 500, would be $756 for the year. There would be a percentage fee for online pay gateway (less than 3%). This cost would be in addition to the current domain costs. Feelings were this looks like a great way to help KTA grow. Kim M. moved, and Stacy seconded, to approve a contract with WILD APRICOT. The motion was approved.

Review of the 2017 State Conference – UPike and Jenny Wiley did a wonderful job in hosting the festival. Kim W. made a request that KTA send Jenny Wiley a formal letter of thanks that could be used for their grant purposes. Brad will take care of it. All left over awards were returned to the KTA office to be sent on to the recipients.

SETC – Jeremy reported this year festival is in Mobile, AL, in February. They are working on creating a central database for resources, contacts, etc. Audition process is still under discussion. They are considering whether each State should continue to be allowed to send 2 reps per festival or go back to just 1 per State. The current Exec. Director will be resigning soon; so a search will be upcoming. There will be KY’s State meeting at SETC. All persons in attendance is urged to come to the meeting. [Note: SETC in 2019 will be Feb. 27-Mar.3 in Knoxville.]
Middle Grades Festival – Things are moving along for this year’s festival, which will be March 17, at Spencer Co. Registration information will be sent to Zack soon for posting on the website. So far 4 schools have committed, with the hope of more signing up. One more adjudicator is needed. Since this is the 5th year, they will be using a pirate theme, “Storm the Stage”. Several workshops have been lined up; would like to have another one. All were urged to encourage other schools and teachers to attend, even if just to watch and learn.

High School Regionals – Tentative locations are being lined up: W – Owensboro HS; NW – Hardin Co.; N – Scott HS ?; E – Madison Southern; and C – ??? Dates will be determined soon.

Community Theatre – Wayne reported he and Lisa Cole are making plans to contact ALL CTs in the State, hopefully in person, to discuss KTA, including membership and participation. It would help to have a flier describing benefits and resources for KTA members. Jeremy will put something together by March 1st.

Roots of the Bluegrass – We need a chair for this, with a full committee assigned. Cheryl agreed to chair with a number of others offering to help out. A scoring system for the submissions will be recreated and put back into use.

State Conference – Tentative plans are for EKU on Nov. 16-17 (?), with Glema Mahr hosting the 2019 conference. We have received a request from the Univ. of Louisville to host the 2019 festival. Option one: EKU in 2018, UofL in 2019, and Glema in 2020. Option 2: (if EKU can’t) Glema in 2018 and UofL in 2019. More info is to come.

Karen Willis Award – So far 2 nominations have been received: Actors for Children Theatre, who works at a grief counseling camp for kids, among other deeds; and Teatro Tercera Llamada – a Latino theatre group presenting social justice & bilingual theatre to the Louisville area. Brad will send out information on both groups, and asks Board members to return votes by email to Brad only.

Bylaws – A review needs to be done; last update was around 2007. Brad, Shelby, and Jeremy will serve on the committee.

2018 Board meetings – Proposed schedule includes:
May/June – held by conference call
August – held at the Conference site
October – brief meeting by conference call
November – held at the Conference
It was suggested we look into using ZOOM for future meetings.

KCAE – Jane reported the Conference will be held in June, possibly in the Louisville area. They are looking for presenters for the Conference. Several offered to help.

With no further business brought forth, the meeting was adjourned at 1:52.

Kentucky Theatre Association

Board of Directors Meeting

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Jenny Wiley Theatre, Pikeville, KY

 

Present: Sarah B., Lisa C., Brad D., Bill F., Wayne K., Jeremy K., Kim M., Phil N., Kim W.

(on phone) Kathi E., Alana G., Jane M., Zack R.

 

The Board toured the facilities at the Jenny Wiley Theatre and U. of Pikeville.

 

Minutes of the June 4, 2017, Board meeting were reviewed.  Lisa moved to approve the minutes; Sarah 2nd; and the motion carried.

 

Kim M. gave the treasurer’s report.  The insurance was paid ($795 for half).  No other major items were incurred.  Jeremy moved, and Phil 2nd, to approve the treasurer’s report.  Motion passed.

 

Jeremy reported on SETC.  There are mini-grants available to help with screening auditions.  Secondary auditions will be held at the Central Office.  They are looking at ways to consolidate auditions in order to cut costs.  The SETC Fall meetings will be on Sept. 8-9.  Jeremy will look to recruit some adjudicators.  He will email the Board about any key issues that arise from the meetings.

 

The High School Regionals were reviewed.  Some Board members were lined up to help with different Regionals.  More will be recruited.  Invitations will go out to the schools, beginning this week.  Jeremy presented a draft of the adjudicator’s score sheet and rubric guidelines.  Some tweaks were discussed, but the consensus is to go with this form.  Jeremy will update the forms and send them out to the Board this week.  They will then be put on the website and sent to the schools.  One question to be looked at by the Board:  What if 2 or more schools have the same scores?  The rubric will be checked to see how it aligns with the Middle School standards, so it could be used for their festival as well.

 

Membership forms were discussed.  Can these be combined with registration forms as one document?  Can these be put on the website as a fill-in document and submitted electronically?  Can payment be handled through the website, either by a P.O. number or payment with credit card or PayPal?  Most of these are probably doable, but there is not sufficient time to get this done now.  The decision was to go with a pdf form this year, and look into the electronic system following State Conference.

 

Hotels in and around Pikeville have been contacted for rooms during the Conference.  The Hampton Inn, Hilton Gardens, and Holiday Inn Express will be available, with costs around $99-$109 per night.  Details, with links, will be posted on the Conference page of the website.

 

A list of staffing needs will be provided to Kim, to help recruit students to work during the Conference.  Adjudicators will be sought through SETC and others, aiming at getting adjudicators from out of state.

 

Professional Development has not been a part of State Conference for several years.  [It has been included in the Middle School Festival.]  There is a request to start offering it again, but it is difficult to fit it in at Conference due to time constraints with so many activities now.  It was suggested we look at offering P.D. sessions at various other times during the year.

 

Venues to be used for the State Conference:  C.T. at the Jenny Wiley Theatre; H.S. at the Booth Theatre – U. Pike; Screening Auditions at the Chrisman Auditorium – U. Pike; Roots/Bluegrass at the Jenny Wiley Theatre.  A tech rider for each venue needs to be sent out to participants.

Roots of the Bluegrass entries have been received.  Judges are being lined up.  Once decisions are made, they will be passed on for cutting and prep for performance.

 

Screening auditions will start registering after Labor Day and continue to around Nov. 1st.  Due to our Conference being held later, we could see big numbers again.

 

Brad asked everyone to give consideration to nominations for the Karen Willis Award.  Anyone with a nominations should send the information to Brad.

 

Zack has been working on updates to the website.  Anyone with info to be added should send it to Zack.  He will investigate options for adding PayPal or credit card payments through the system.

 

The next Middle School Festival will be held on March 17th, 2018, at Shelby County Middle School.  This is the 5th year for the festival, and it’s returning to the site of the first one.  Any ideas for workshops, for students and/or teachers, should send them to Sarah.

 

A nominating committee needs to be appointed.  Brad, Sarah, and Kim W. will make up the committee.  If interested in serving on the Board, or know someone who is, please contact one of the committee.  We’ll need to get their info, resume, “Why they want to be a Board member?”.

 

On the KCAE front, the “Every Student Succeeds” bill had its 3rd reading recently.  All schools, all students, all levels are to be provide opportunities in the visual and performing arts.  However how much time is to be provided is uncertain.  Schools can satisfy staffing needs with only 2 persons, e.g. nurse/counselor; librarian/nurse; etc.  More info is available upon request.

 

Questions concerning C.T. festival were posed: (1) a need for clarity and consistency in the rules followed; and (2) scheduling excerpts (1st in gets preference?).  These will be investigated before this year’s festival.

 

There was also a question regarding the timeliness of reimbursements.  An attempt will be made to have payments sent as soon as possible.

 

Brad will send out a Doodle poll to see about dates/times for another Board meeting before Conference, possibly a phone-in meeting.

 

With no further business brought forth, a motion to adjourn was made by Lisa, seconded by Kim M.  Meeting was adjourned.

Kentucky Theatre Association

Board of Directors Meeting 

Sunday June 4, 2017

Lexington Children’s Theatre

 

2:00-4:00pm

Wayne Kirsch, Jeremy Kisling, Kim Miller, Zach Ross, Alicia Henning, Dawn Connerly, Brad Downall, and Phil Neace

 

Sarah Diamond Burroway and Shelby Steege (on the phone)

 

Agenda

 

2:00pm Welcome

 

2:10pm Conference call starts

 

Additions to Agenda

• Nothing New

 

Approval of Minutes

• Jeremy moved to approve, zach 2nd
• All Approved with the change to SETC acronym in the minutes

 

Treasurer’s Report

• We are where we were at from the beginning of the year (nothing changed with MG festival)

 

2017 Proposed Budget

• Change- we have agreed to support for SETC to $500 per school
  • Suggested we change the amount based on the distance the festival is each year (more further away, less closer to home)
    • Could be an issue from year to year change since some schools would get
  • Suggested that we link the amount to milage
    • Possibly a flat fee plus an amount per mile
  • Suggested that for THIS year we hold to the increased rate and see how that works for this year
    • Suggested that we explore funds from other sources to assist schools (some states get grants from the state to help not just the state Theater Association)
• Membership Seems low
  • We should be striving for that to increase
  • What should it be- closer to $2,000
    • All the board members, schools, community theaters pay for registration (should be about $1,500)
• Usually the audition registration is lower
  • Closer to $8,000
  • Suggested that maybe we could keep it up if we offered trying to organize some form of transportation that the auditionees pay for.
    • Would be a lot to organize for this year
  • We had a lot of “out of state” auditionees due to our date being later in the season
• We lower the audition to $8,000 and increase the membership to $2000 we would be $1,000 off
  • Suggested we plan for more Middle School entries
  • Suggested that we do a per performer fee for Community Theater (more like SETC)
  • Suggested we do a performance fee and then an additional fee (like $15 per performer)
    • Would the performers expect something more for this (like a t-shirt, ect)
      • We will table this for now
• Concerns about expenditures
  • There is currently nothing in the SETC rep line
    • Usually $850 to offset the cost for the Fall and Spring meetings
• The High School Festival registration is also a little low
  • Possibly closer to $2,800
• Will Jeremy be conference coordinator again this year?
  • Someone should possibly train with Jeremy (co-coordinator?)
  • We need someone at the registration table
    • Suggested
      • College student
      • Board members sign up
      • Pay someone (give them a flat fee?) / intern
      • Add: $500 to budget for hotel/ small stipend
  • There would be some travel cost for  Conference coordinator
    • Much of it can be done by phone
    • Maybe Brad and Jeremy does it this year and create a manual
• Are we okay with having a budget that is not balanced (at least on paper)
  • We do have money in reserve
  • If we approve the budget with changes it is $2,775 off
    • Motion made and approved to approve budget with the understanding that we will have to dip into our cash reserves for this year to offset the budget.
      • Jeremy moves for approval and Alicia seconded
• Membership building
  • Do we give them anything for their membership
    • Letter? Pin? Pen?
    • Do we remind them about renewal

 

Committee Reports/Discussions

 

Middle School Festival- Sarah Diamond Burroway

• Best festival EVER!
• 5 entries
  • A 6th that dropped out due to having a cast of MS/ HS
• PD was very popular (for teachers and students)
• Thanks Jeremy and Phil for their assistance
• How can we help to make connections from the Middle Grades festival to High School festival
• Will need support from board members for PD opportunities
• Zach- What can we add to the website (we have an outdated info)
  • Sarah and Zach discuss info to add to the website
  • Registration info and basic festival info
• Venue?
  • Looking at keeping it in Central Kentucky
  • Possibly back to Spencer County for 5th season

 

High School Regionals  Locations/Dates- Brad Downall

• All 5 sites and dates confirmed
  • Western- Sept 30th- Owensboro High School
    • Brad Downall coordinator
  • East- Oct 7th- Corbin High School
    • Kim Miller Coordinator
  • Northwestern- Hardin County Schools PAC- Oct 14
    • Bart coordinator
  • Northern- Scott HS- Oct 14
    • Wayne Kirsh Coordinator
  • Central- Frederick Douglas HS- Oct 28th
    • Dawn Connerly coordinator

 

Adjudication Sheet Discussion- Jeremy Kisling

• Jeremy came up with a draft that was based on Virginia model
• Creating a system that would allow us to possibly send on alternatives to State but it needed to be a scored not just feedback
• We need to create a rubric to show what a “four” looks like… a “three” etc
  • Would like to High School teacher reps and not teachers to create rubrics
• Is it similar to SETC?  Is the technical at this level for SETC?
  • Kentucky schools consistently don’t perform at the same technical level as other schools.
• Will this be used at state as well as regionals
  • Does not have to be used at State
  • Was designed to create a numerical system for regionals
• Left as a work in progress to check with how it aligns with SETC AND create rubrics
  • Phil, Alischa, Jeremy, and Brad will work
• Sarah suggested to see how it could be used for Middle Grades

 

Community Theatre- Brad shared for Lisa

• Community Theatre and their relationship with SETC
  • Read SETC letter
  • SETC created a fee just for CT (less than what HS pays)
    • At State level there is not a lot of participation and CT do not have a lot of money to pay for this
      • Should CT members pay full dues and fully be a part of the conference
      • Should CT become a separate conference
        • Sarah suggested it be separate because the way the time is set up for CT shows it does not allow for them to participate in the full conference
        • If CT splits off what would stop the High School not to want to split off
          • HS has similar issues with not being able to fully participate in the conference
        • Simual issues happened in Indiana and they split off.  It was best for the Community Theaters
      • Jeremy needs feedback before Fall meeting Sept 9-11th

Website- Zac Ross

• Are we doing a good enough job sharing with people across the state what KTA does?
• Does our Website give enough information about what we do?
• Zach had a new teacher look at the website and she had a lot of questions.
  • Give a bigger overview of what each section of the website to give a “new to KTA” view of what we do and what KTA is all about
  • This would help with membership
• About Us page
  • What does our mission mean more specifically?
  • What do we do more than just festival
• Membership
  • What do people get as members?
    • Possible ideas
      • An event calendar where members can promote their events
      • Discussion board
      • Audition and work opportunity boards
      • Teacher- resource sharing (shows and lessons)  
      • Membership spotlight
      • A members section
        • How would we do log in?
          • Possibly adding memberpress that allows this pretty easily and is inexpensive $99/ year
          • Simple to use/ it is user generated
          • Might need for all membership to be done online
          • Would need to make sure that there is a way for paying through purchase order for Schools
    • Do we need to monitor the Facebook page differently if we offer this?  Something to discuss in the future.

Roots of the Bluegrass

• Entry form is ready to be sent out
• Updated a new e-mail address
  • We have a registered e-mail for KTA that email will just forward to who ever is connected to the e-mail
• Added a paragraph that says that they need to agree to KTA cutting their play for performance at the RotB performance
• Kathi said that she is a tentative yes to assist with the cuttings again this year if she can.
• Hoping to get it out tomorrow 6/5/17

 

SETC- Jeremy Kisling

• States have discussed with SETC about getting liability insurance for all state groups to save money
• States may be asked to kick in money to create an app for festival
• Let Jeremy know if there is anything you want taken to the Fall meeting

 

KCAE

• No update

State Conference- Brad Downall

• Kim said all sites have been reserved
• Can Kim put together a list of hotels and food/ restaurants for our members

 

New Business

• Board member pledge/ outline commitment for board members
• Aug 27th 2-4pm meeting will be onsite meeting for final conference plans
• End of Sept.- conference call to finalize regional

4:00pm Adjourn

• Kim Miller Moved to Adjourn and Wayne Seconded