Community Minutes from the Board of Directors Meeting

May 20, 2014

Open Community Session

Board in attendance: Blair Howell, Pete Dorson, Ryan Sheely, Greg Wymer, Roy Doolittle

Management: Mike Descoteaux, Tom Spataro

Community: Rachel Andelman

Materials Distributed: Managing Director Report, Artistic Director Report, Board Member Profiles

1. Introductions of Board Members and community
2. Managing Director Report
3. Artistic Director Report
4. Community Discussion

1. Conversation about the new Town Hall format. Pros/Cons. Listing of methods of open communication that exist.
2. Conversation about growth of the theater over the last five years and opportunities for talent/project development at all levels.
3. Ways for motivated artists to get involved in IB leadership...coming to Coffee Breaks, helping with marketing, producing, etc.  How can we best channel the passion and talents at IB off stage?

5. Board member recruitment is ongoing. Hope to grow the Board from 8 members to 12 by the end of 2015, reflecting more diversity.

Managing Director Report to the Board of Directors

OPERATIONS/GENERAL

• Shopkeep POS system working well for bar; added merch capabilities last weekend
• Telecom switch in progress; Comcast in, phasing Verizon out
• Multi-Camera installation for both theater spaces starting in June
• ArtsBoston Audience Initiative; submitted 16,384 customer data records to AAI for data analysis; plan to utilize AAI to help us better understand and leverage our customers

PROGRAMMING SHIFT

• Per Artistic Vision, Mainstage ready to move to Thursdays; resultant programming shift
• For Harold Night, we asked 57 people (HN casts) their opinions about scheduling options, 38 responded (67% response rate) to the first of two surveys
• Programming shift details in AD report
• Lots of positive community engagement around marketing new time slots, etc.

WICF

• WICF webinar held for operational efficiency
• 606 patrons over 16 shows
• Family Show performed as part of Cambridge Science Festival
• IB’s picture on NPR story ranking Boston #2 comedy city in America

BCAF

• Tom to take lead producer role for BCAF
• BCAF submissions opened 5/15
• Mission is to provide artists a memorable experience; increase IB’s standing in the national community (brand awareness)

COMEDY SCHOOL

•  IBCS continues to lead the income on the balance sheet
• Enrollment for session 3 hits projected summer drop, but still a couple weeks left
• Pushing summer comedy camps

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Artistic Director Report to the Board of Directors

COMMUNITY

• Updated all cast and show “one sheets” with real-time published Google docs
• Theater-wide Generals and Callbacks 5/31-6/8
• Studio 40 Auditions 5/17. Indie team rosters to be announced in coming days.
• IB Awesome Award given to Dana Jay Bein
• “IB Good” volunteer program with Srilatha and Stirling up and running
• Family Show performed as part of Cambridge Science Festival
•  IB’s picture on NPR story ranking Boston #2 comedy city in America
• First entry into Boston Theater Marathon debuted at Calderwood Pavillion alongside Huntington Theater featuring world premiere satire by local playwright Amy Adler.

SHOWS

• Women In Comedy Festival proves a great match for IB in spirit, audience and content. WICF producers very pleased.
• Wednesday/Thursday programming shifts discussed (on many levels), options surveyed, decisions made and announced. Beginning August 6 & 7:

• Harold Night moves to Wednesdays (same times and format)
• Comedy Lab moves to the Studio Theater (Wednesdays at 8PM)
• “Hump Slot” moves to Thursdays, adding “So That Happened” in week 4 and condensing Comedy Lottery to once monthly
• Mainstage adds shows Thursdays at 730PM

• First People’s Battle running smoothly. Finals on Friday, May 30 in mainstage.
• Summer/Fall show proposals closed 5/15. Record high of 76 proposals received.
• Comedy Lab producers passing torch to Rosena Cornet and Kelsey Lalwer.
• Christine Toohey stepping down as Family Show director. Will Luera will step up as director with Nate Lopez as assistant director.
• Matt Chapuran to direct Gorefest 2014.
•  Bobby stepping out of directing mainstage for paternity leave. Mike D covering.
• ImprovBoston Musical AllStars performed at Chicago Improv Festival; great connections
• ImprovBoston to perform at Del Close Marathon and Sarasota Improv Festival
• Jonathan Katz to debut monthly show & podcast at IB on June 29
• Guest artists this quarter: Jim Belushi and the Chicago Board of Comedy!, Myq Kaplan, Nikki Glaser, Chris Duffy, UCB, Hari Kondabolu, Kevin Allison

COMEDY SCHOOL

• 401 (Intro to LongForm: the Harold) rolls out this session. New 501 rewrite underway.
• Nils Vaule to write Advanced Harold curriculum for session 4 roll-out.
• Debuting Acting for the Improviser elective with BU theater professor
• StandUp Program revamped: now features Intro to StandUp and StandUp WorkOut
•  IBCS Diversity Scholarship ready for final Board approval
• Consistently running into rehearsal and class space availability challenges

MISC

• Preparing for a big round of veteran performer departures with talent leaving Boston for NYC, Chicago and LA
•   Director Report Cards sent, returned, compiled with director/AD communication for continued creative and professional growth
• Boston Comedy Arts Festival submissions now live. New judge/curator structure to involve more of the IB community