The Board of Directors of the Albuquerque Theatre Guild convened at the Desert Rose Playhouse. Present were Board members Marty Epstein, Claudia Mathes, Linda Lopez McAlister, Joel Miller, Ninette S. Mordaunt, Ray Orley, Valerie Scott, Scott Sharot, and Hugh Witemeyer.  Absent were Board members Jeff Anderson and Reeve Love. This attendance constituted a quorum. Also present were special guests Kay Grant, Wendy Orley, and Nicole Duke.

1. Call to Order, Welcome of New Members, and Approval of Minutes

President Orley called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. He thanked the Desert Rose and Shiela Freed for hosting the meeting. He welcomed newly appointed Board members Jeff Anderson and Joel Miller, who are replacing Eli Browning and Kristen Loree. The Board approved an amended version of the minutes of the August 6 meeting, and the agenda for the September 3 meeting.

2. Treasurer’s Report 

Treasurer Claudia Mathes presented (1) a balance sheet showing ATG assets and liabilities as of 9/3/11; (2) a summary of income and expenditures from 7/1/11 through 9/3/11; and (3) itemized spreadsheets showing approved and actual expenses, together with actual and projected receipts and expenditures, for 2010-11 and 2011-12.

3. Election of a Vice-President

The Board postponed the election of a Vice-President until its October meeting. Scott Sharot will continue to serve as Interim Vice-President until the election.

4. Membership Status of UNM Department of Theatre and Dance

Hugh Witemeyer reported on the policy that prohibits the University of New Mexico and its employees from being “instrument[s] of partisan political action.” The policy prevents UNM groups from belonging as voting members to an organization such as ATG that proclaims advocacy as a major benefit of membership. In view of this policy, the Board approved a request from the UNM Department of Theatre and Dance that its ATG membership status be changed from that of Voting Organizational Member to that of Non-Voting Organizational Member.

5. Revision of ATG Bylaws

To address the situation of theatre-producing member organizations that may not take an active role in ATG governance, the Board voted to begin the process of revising the definition of Non-Voting Organizational Membership in the ATG Bylaws. The Board designated an ad hoc committee consisting of Linda Lopez McAlister, Ray Orley, and Hugh Witemeyer to draft the revision. The Board also endorsed a suggestion by Marty Epstein that the draft be reviewed by an attorney. The revision process is to be completed before the end of 2011.

6. McCune Grant

Applications for 2012 McCune grants are due on September 30. The Board must review and approve a draft of the ATG application before that date.

7. World Café

Scott Sharot reported on the “World Café” model for collaborative dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and action planning by organizations. The Board thanked Scott for his informative presentation, and acknowledged the advantages of the World Café process over some other formats, especially if its costs are affordable. The Board discussed several upcoming deliberations in which the ATG might find the model useful, but made no immediate decision about its application.

8. Theatre Lovers Circle

Kay Grant and Wendy Orley asked the Board to approve the creation of an ATG Theatre Lovers Circle and appropriate funds to launch a membership drive. The Board expressed enthusiasm for the idea of the Circle but raised a number of questions about its operation and its interface with existing ATG structures and practices.

After an extended discussion, Linda Lopez McAlister proposed the following resolution:

Be it moved that the Board approve in principle the formation of a Theatre Lovers Circle within the Albuquerque Theatre Guild, and that TLC leaders meet with Board members before the October Board meeting to discuss the project in greater detail.

The resolution was seconded by Marty Epstein and approved unanimously by the Board. Subsequently, the date of the discussion mandated by the resolution was set for Sunday, September 25. Board members are encouraged to circulate their questions and observations about the TLC proposal by e-mail before this date. Further consideration of the Theatre Lovers Circle will take place at the October 1 meeting of the Board and the October 8 meeting of Member Organization Liaisons.

9. Individual Membership Initiative

ATG Individual Membership renewals for 2011-12 stand at 98. The Board has authorized its Individual Member Representatives to conduct telephone conversations with 67 unrenewed members. Scott Sharot has offered to summarize the results of the conversations.

10. Update on Donor Grant applications

Three applications have been received since the grants were first announced. Another announcement will be issued in the second week of September.

11. Theatre Events at Social Venues

Valerie Scott reported that the managers of the St. Clair Winery and the Jazzbah music club are interested in the possibility of hosting short, live-theatre events (e.g., performances of excerpts from upcoming productions) during business hours. Val expressed her willingness to co-ordinate such a program on behalf of the Guild.

The Board was intrigued by this possibility, but recommended that Val speak first with ATG member organizations to gauge their interest in taking part in such a program. The idea could be included on the agenda of the October 8 Liaisons meeting.

12. Airport Display Cases

ATG will mount a display in the lower-level showcases at the Albuquerque Airport from February 10 to April 5, 2012. Valerie Scott asked the Board to recommend a designer for the display. The Board suggested that a call for a designer should be circulated to ATG member organizations.

13. Facebook Guidelines

The Board voted to approve the recently circulated Buzz Committee document entitled “ATG Facebook Page Administrative Guidelines” as the policy governing the Guild’s administration of its Facebook page.

14. Committee Reports

1. Buzz Committee
   
   Linda Lopez McAlister reported that the Fall/Winter issue of “Albuquerque Spotlight on Live Theatre” went to the printer on August 28 and should be delivered on September 9. The new issue will be stored at the National Hispanic Cultural Center rather than the Albuquerque Little Theatre. Copies will be distributed at the State Fair and the Balloon Fiesta.
   
   ATG website usage during August declined slightly from the record levels of July. Facebook fans have grown to 1622 and Twitter followers to 847. The ATG entry in the qClaps email newsletter continues to reach 4700 recipients each week. Richard Cameron of http://www.theatrechat.net has added a New Mexico Theatre Chat feature to his long list of chat groups on Facebook.
   
   Between September 19 and 24 KUNM will carry spot announcements about upcoming shows in the Tennessee Williams Festival and the September 24 panel discussion, “Tennessee Williams Today: The Changing Legacy of a Great American Playwright.” The panel is also the subject of Kelly Koepke’s September press release and may be featured in an interview with Spencer Beckwith on the KUNM program, “Performance New Mexico.” 60 spots promoting the ATG website on KNME television began running on September 1.
   
   Five Albuquerque theatre productions were reviewed on the Talkin’ Broadway website in August, and three more are scheduled to appear in September. Other articles and reviews on member productions and companies appeared during July and early August in the Albuquerque Journal, Prime Time Monthly, Albuquerque Arts, Weekly Alibi, and Local IQ.


2. Finance Committee
   
   Kristen Loree and Ray Orley will submit a grant request to the McCune Foundation before September 30.


3. Membership Committee
   
   As of September 1, 98 Individual Members have begun or renewed their memberships, whereas 67 have not. 29 Organizational Members have renewed their memberships, whereas 8 have not. The newest member organization is the Sandia Performing Arts Company—welcome to the Guild!


4. Actors Circle
   
   Lou Graham has resigned as co-leader of the Circle for personal reasons. The workshop on stage combat and stunt work has once again been canceled. The next meeting of the Circle will take place from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, September 10, at the Working Classroom’s new facility (423 Atlantic Ave. SW), and will feature a reading of Lennox Robinson’s Irish comedy, The Whiteheaded Boy. Future meetings will include a workshop on auditioning led by Shep Sobel and Joanne Camp (October), a workshop on makeup led by Larry Todd (November), and a workshop on Robin Lane’s actor-devised performance piece about Albuquerque and its residents (December).


5. Directors Circle
   
   Brian Hansen will lead a discussion entitled “Developing a Production Concept” on December 10.


6. Playwrights Circle
   
   Ray Orley has written to members of the Circle about the possibility of its resurrection. He has received enough indications of interest to warrant a meeting later in the year.


7. Youth Theatre Outreach Team
   
   High School Preview Nights. Three ATG member companies have agreed to offer performances for high school audiences in the Fall semester: Mother Road (A View from the Bridge, September 15), Opera Southwest (The Barber of Seville, October 7), and Blackout (an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, December 8).


8. No reports
   
   No reports were received from the Production Circle, Tennessee Williams Festival Committee, Unity Committee, and Web Committee.

15. Adjournment and Future Meeting Dates

The meeting adjourned at 12:55 p.m. The next Board meeting will take place on Saturday, October 1, at 10 a.m. at the Adobe Theatre.  The November meeting will take place on 11/5 and will include both a business session and a strategic-planning discussion.

Respectfully submitted,
Hugh Witemeyer, Secretary