[Usittne] Minutes USITT NE Section Meeting Houston plus

Tue Mar 25 19:45:56 EDT 2008

Minutes from USITT New England Section Meeting in Houston & other information.  
March 20th, 2008

Table of contents:
Minutes from meeting
Addendum #1 – financial and membership report
Addendum #2 – notes from the Regional Section Officers Meetings
Addendum #3 – minutes from first unofficial TADA meeting (Saturday night at the Flying Saucer Bar in Houston)

In attendance:
Crystal Tiala [Boston College], Mike Katz [MIT], Keith Cornelius [Emerson College], Darlene Anastas [Milton Academy], Anna Labykina [Boston Conservatory],  John Forbes [UVM], William Beautyman [Limelight], Eric Cornwell [Southern Connecticut State U.],
Barbara Craig [Holy Cross], Nathanial Wiessner [Williams College], Cosmo Catalano [Williams College], Mary Pfister [Williams College], Jeni Anderman [Goodspeed Musicals], Don Hirsch [Don Hirsch Design Studio], John Devlin [St. Michael’s College], Susanna Brown [Tufts University], Rafael Jaen [Emerson College], Toni Elliot [Bridgewater State], Gary Mitchell [Limelight], Sue Picinich [U of Southern Maine], Michael Cottom [University of Massachusetts, Amherst]

Handout:
The group was provided with a hand-out of the year’s past activities to read. This is the same form that was sent out on the list serve before the conference.
The handout also included a financial and membership report from Ron Dallas. To summarize:
-        last year overall we lost $418.57 to leave our bank account at $3, 235.98
-        membership
o      we have 24 total paid members  (see www.usittne.org) for membership information or see addendum #1 below. 
o      Of the 24 members there are 17 individual, 2 organizations, 1 sponsor, 2 student, and 1 student volunteer. 

Regular Annual meetings:
USITT national conference
Annual BBQ in August
new:   KCACTF Region 1 at end of January

Discussion:
Darlene inquired about software that would be useful for students to have at the high school level.   Suggestions were Vectorworks, AutoCAD,  any scheduling or report generating software, PhotoShop
Facebook:  Now that USITT NE has a Facebook group, all faculty should require their students to post at least one item on it.  Theater related projects are particularly welcome. 
William Beautyman proposed creating a workshop for  “trouble shooting for dimming and control”   There was general interest for this item. 
A brief discussion ensued about sound system software:  Q-Lab and SFX
PROPS:  
The list serve is grossly underused here.  If people are throwing items away, be sure to post on the listserve in case anyone wants them. 
A committee was formed to work on a props database so we can all see items found in each other’s storage to rent/borrow depending on the institution’s policy. 
Currently an extensive database is too costly to maintain but it may be possible to at least list the major items or items that could be of particular interest.  Milton Academy, for example, has a large selection of swords and armor. 
The committee will comprise of :
                                                    i.     Susanna Brown [Tufts University]
                                                  ii.     Anna Labykina [Boston Conservatory]
                                                iii.     Michael Cottom [University of Massachusetts]
                                                iv.     Keith Cornelius [Emerson] could provide a student to help with inventory
                                                  v.     Michael Katz [MIT] is in charge of coordinating the database format
These items should include major items of interest and who to contact.   This will Allow more people to share resources
Student groups:  Eric Cornwell is interested in starting a student chapter.   Currently there is only one student chapter in New England and that is the Pingree School in South Hamilton, MA.  Sponsor is Neal Truesdale  email:  ntruesdale at pingree.org    President is Matt Rubin email:  mrubin at pingree.org
NETC:      We have not been involved in NETC for many years.  Darlene offered to have a USITT NE table at NETC for us.  Darlene, please contact Crystal (tiala at mindspring.com) about a month or two before the event and I will have materials and swag sent to you for the event.  Many thanks.
Annual BBQ:We are discussing moving the BBQ in August to a new location like a park.  Some suggestions include:
Darlene’s Farm in Lakesville
Sturbridge Park
Western Mass to combine with seeing the new theaters there
Theaters we may want to tour:
New theaters in Pittsfield, MA
Award winning theater in Bodoin, Maine
New theaters in Boston
The question arose, why are you members?
it is a support group
networking
learning long term problem solving skills
discussion at how people manage their lives or survive in theater
academic advancement
Technicians and Designers Anonymous  [TADA] – proposed by Keith Cornelius:  We should form and support a committee of the whole named Technicians and Designers Anonymous (TADA), which meets regularly, say once a month, to provide help and encouragement to the members....It would follow the familiar format: someone gets up and says, "Hi, my \name is ---, and I work backstage." I'm still working on ideas for the 7, 8, 10, 12, or, more likely, 13 steps. But after we recite those we'd all have just a bit too much to drink....Okay, this is just a repackaging of the idea that we might just prefer to meet now and then for a beer, but maybe it has humorous potential. :-)
Local TADA meetings should be created locally throughout New England. 
The Costume Society of America could get USITT together:  Headed by Sue Picinich [USM]
Michael Katz is going to check on how to attach a calendar to the Facebook group so people could post their productions or events.  
The listserve is underused. Please feel free to post jobs, props or other resources.  

……………………………………………………………………………………………
Addendum #1 – membership information. 
Send checks or inquiries to: 
Ron Dallas 
63 Everett Street
Arlingtion, MA 02474
PHONE: (617) 422-2585                    
FAX: (617) 422-2801 
EMAIL: ron at dallas-family.com

Annual Dues are:
INDIVIDUAL......$15.00 
STUDENT............$5.00 
ORGANIZATON..$50.00 
SPONSOR..........$100.00
**Being a member of the national organization does not automatically make you a member of the region.  Also, you may be a member of the regional section without becoming a member of the national organization. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………
Addendum #2 – Report from the Regional Section Officers Meeting

USITT will continue to provide free registration for up to three student design/tech students to go to the national conference.  It is up to us to decide who these students will be.  Rafael Jaen began the process last year but we never carried it through to fruition so so far we have not taken advantage of this opportunity.
There was a discussion on how conference locations are decided and it was clear how difficult the process can be.  They are working hard on keeping it affordable and with enough room for us.  It is a daunting task.  It was suggested that this information be posted on the USITT website. 
There is a business group looking at creating a new model for the USITT organization.  They hope to vitalize the region sections more and build more bridges to professionals.  The report should come out over the summer.
USITT will be moving its website server and will be hiring someone to maintain it, which should make changes faster and easier. 
It was suggested that a fact sheet for chairs be created and put on the website for basic information on how to be a chair.  
There is a board retreat on Tuesday afternoon of the conference next year.  USITT will pay for up to two officer’s hotel room Tuesday night if they attend this retreat.  If any officers are willing to go, please let me know. 

………………………………………………………………………………………..…..
Addendum #3 – minutes from first unofficial TADA meeting (Saturday night at the Flying Saucer Bar in Houston)

Unapproved Minutes
Meeting of the Ad Hoc Sub-Committee
TADA Of USITT-NE, 
Boston Chapter
3/23/08

Present:  Cornelius, Katz, Labykina, Phelps, Tiala
Absent: D. Corum, G. Sense

Committee met on the upper floor of The Flying Saucer, Houston, TX.  

At some point it was noted that an adequate quorum existed to allow the committee to conduct business.  Motion was made to discuss the need for "steps" (up to 39, perhaps), or "affirmations," to be read or recited at future meetings of TADA.  Unanimous consent was asked for--and generally appeared to be given--that this meeting be considered "for brainstorming only," and that no formal action be taken without significant further review.  Following is a listing of most proposals that were not summarily rejected by the recording secretary:

1)     Guess what happened…(at my theatre)?
2)     My self-esteem is in no way proportional to my paycheck.
a.      My self-esteem vastly exceeds what might be expected given my paycheck….
b.     My paycheck in no way reflects the great value of my work
3)     Keep your shirt on.
4)     Can't see it from my house.
5)     Time is not my enemy.
6)     It's only a school play.
7)     "Good, quick, cheap et cetera"
8)     Time is my friend.
9)     Due dates--now what?
10) Budgets--what's up with that?
11) Paint is an acceptable cosmetic.
12) At any given time the line may already be behind you.
13) Geekiness is anti-aphrodisiacal.  
a.      Now what?
b.     What's up with that?
14) Sawdust is an aphrodisiac.
15) Sawdust is not [undecipherable squiggles]
16) Luck?
17) I'm not going to play that game.
18) Murphy's Law--what's next?
19) Youth--wasted on the young.
20) Black will do until we find something darker.
21) Now what?
22) What's next?
23) Huh?
24) Remind me never to sit next to ________.
25) Oh, it's a parabola…ellipse…ovoid…sine curve….
26) We cannot adjourn until our sides hurt from laughter.
27) Will this be funny when we're sober?
28) WTF?  WTFWYT/WTFWIT?
29) I gave you that information already/in the first place.
30) What integrity?
31) I've never been there but I love it. [Offered by a non-member]
32) It hurts.
33) It didn't work last time, but who knows?

Committee adjourned without motion but with apparently unanimous desire to reconvene at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Respectfully submitted,

Keith Cornelius

You had to be there to understand…. So don't miss the next one.

Crystal Tiala
tiala at mindspring.com
EarthLink Revolves Around You.
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