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Summary: Many shows announced, fundraiser updates,
shows need help, Mission Statement discussion, and more!
Reports
1. Managing Director - John Mitchell.
Financially, we are tight. We haven’t seen the audiences for Uncle Sam that we would like to see.
Thursdays will be pay what you can. There will be unlimited two for ones for company members. We’ve
launched the fundraising season, but part of the grassroots effort should be company folks finding five
people who are willing to give us $50. They can donate on line, bring a check in, or bring cash. John
has a letter we can use. It will be on the website and will also come via SAA.
Wuchte says we should put this campaign on our website.
The campaign goal is $100,000.
Our May 7th fundraiser is a silent art auction. Invites are by email. Looking for volunteers for
monologue booth. Kind of like a photo booth. People will pay money, a curtain will open, and actors will
give a monologue. The monologues can be ANYthing you want. The artists we are auctioning are lined up by
Jonathan Tavvs and are very popular.
Nigerian Spam Scam is back on Friday nights for two Friday nights. Julie and Frank volunteered for tech.
22nd and 29th of April (?)
New girl Jenine asks if anyone has flyered major universities for our shows.
Car wash in the parking lot is for folks who are raising money to bury one of their friends. (This
happened during our meeting, and a few people did donate money.)
2. Artistic Directors - Padraic and Plunkett.
Fast & Loose on May 8th (Sunday). Start time will be 7 or 8 p.m. 8 pieces.
Music night is June 3rd, Friday after Ivona. Jonathan Goldstein is heading it up. There will be a band and also auditions.
Dr. Jeuss mainstage cycle: dark night is I Wrote This, kid stories.
3. Mem Com
Julie gives headshots to Mem com.
4. Literary - Ruth Silveira
Needs second readers for scripts that she finished. She has sent 14 or 15 response letters to folks. Some
of the scripts are two years old, and some are actually good.
5. Marketing - John Wuchte
Postcard distribution for theaters.
Ivona—they contacted the Polish consulate, who went crazy. Lots of publicity through that. Email and
flyers. Possible Polish discount.
6. Development - Margaret Martinello
We have launched a $100,000 campaign as of April 1st. Four proposals for $30K have gone out. We’re putting
together a board of counselors, 10 members who give $5K each, which will give a $50,000 base. If fools
know anyone, please contact Margaret about that $5K gift. Information will be on the website soon.
We’re looking to expand Board of Directors also for expertise and fundraising. Margaret is meeting with
them regularly, and they have made financial commitments.
Wuchte asks about the NEA. Plunkett explains the site visit we had last year.
Margaret says she is pragmatic in her approach. She’s going to local foundations who have a proven track
record of funding theater. The NEA, on the other hand, takes a long time to fund anyone.
New girl Jenine says Sloane Foundation deals with science and technology and they fund theater
sometimes. Julie M. did apply to this foundation for “Holon” and we were rejected.
7. Operations - Brandon Clark
Thanks for sign ups. Confusion about curtain speech for Sam…House Manager does not HAVE to give the
curtain speech. It can be someone else!
Lee Wylde has a suggestion for preshow recording.
We need house shifts filled for next weekend.
8. Finance
Jason Mullen says John Mitchell covered his stuff.
9. Technical Director - Kate Morrison
Please direct all calendar stuff to Becky. Keep the green room cleaner. She helped with FLEA show and it
was great. Stick around and help fold the big curtain today!
10. SAA - Julie Mullen
Nuttin.
11. Publicist - Phil Sokoloff
PLEASE tell Phil 21 days before events occur to maximize coverage. He found out about stuff TODAY,
and it’s a bit late
Producers
My Uncle Sam
PLEASE come support it!
FLEA show - Read by Julie M. (emailed by David)
Franz LaFete’s Extraordinary All-American Side-Show and Human Oddity Whatsit – also known as the
FLEASHOW! had a great night last night!
Those who were there know. Those who weren’t, missed out.
Thanks go to Reverend Tommy Gunn and all the performers!
I especially wanted to thank all those who helped make last night such a success. Starting with Kate, who ensured that all the
technical elements of the show worked and no-one burst into flame, bled to death or was electrocuted. Jason and Paul, who provided the lighting and sound
for the evening and then did the ultimate service of sitting in the booth at their boards, while everyone
else got to see the wonder that is Pussy Power.
Hans and John Mitchell for being generally handy. Lou for being loud and selling lots of beer. Kathy for selling still more beer and paraphernalia
in the lobby. And Brandon for getting us all the liquor as well as the liquor license.
I also wanted to thank the cast and crew of My Uncle Sam for being so obliging in the change-over and for
many of them staying around for all the insanity.
There’s another show with all new acts on the 30th. Confirmed to be returning will be Reverend Tommy Gunn,
Miss Satanica, Michael Rayner and Lenora Claire. Possible additional acts include, Hoopalicious, Bonnie
Delight, Rubber-boy and Deth Cheez. There will be torture, dancing, flame and sexiness. Maybe even a
CHICKEN TOWEL!
If last night’s house was a good gauge, the 30th will sell out.
-- David LM Mcintyre, Advance Man
Ivona
Going well, great cast & production team. Poker fundraiser Sat. night. Come take a flyer and show up! They may need help with bartending, carrying kegs or
tables, stuff like that. Bob DeRosa will teach beginner’s poker course at the beginning of the party,
6 p.m.
4/30 they have another fundraiser, location TBA. Interpretive black tie affair. Lounge music, swanky,
fun. This does conflict with FLEA show/Uncle Sam closing night, but they had to move the date due to other conflicts. OK, well,
just stay tuned for the 4/30 party. It MAY or may not happen.
Needs: carpenter and someone who can sew! On Mondays or Wednesdays in next two weeks they needs people to
sew. See Kate or Becky Harrison. They have board ops.
Triple Crown - Tom Kiesche
Week One—Mullen & Goodman, Riley, Duffy, Kiesche, Lanahan….get more scripts in! Starts Memorial Day
weekend at 11 p.m. Ivona is off that day.
Ten Tops - Aldrich Allen
Reenactment of Seder Supper with Uncle Aldy.
Tuesday 4/26 is Ten Tops. Sign up on line (2 more signups left online) or night
of.
Fast & Loose - Julie Mullen
Please help me produce! Hans G. and Brandon Clark volunteer!
Goose & Tom Tom - Padraic Duffy
Reading 4/17 at noon here at theater. Auditions on 4/23. Sign ups on line.
Slow & Tight - John Mitchell
Picking scripts. Probably done by end of this week.
Open second weekend of Goose & Tom Tom. Wed & Thurs night show.
Auditions 7th & 8th of May.
I Wrote This - Jessie M. and Corey
Still taking submissions until next company meeting. They want original copies of things because they want
to project them during the show. (Leave photocopies in the Kid Stories box
in the office; will ask for originals to scan if your piece is chosen.)
TOWN HALL MEETING
Should Our Mission Statement Be Changed?
We’re not talking about changes, just whether it should be changed at this point.
John reads our current mission statement. Does it reflect what we see on our stage?
Wuchte: First, the mission statement is most important to Margaret, our Development Director, so it
is important for grant purposes that it is a very well written statement. Internally, it might not be so
crucial as we work daily. Second, listening to mission statement, you want to make the mission
statement UNIQUE. Many theater companies have similar ones. Two sentences in beginning are about empowered
structure, which has changed. Second half is about artistically what we put up, and it’s broad.
In summation, it should be rewritten for donors, etc.
Padraic: The mission statement is broad, but it is referred to when projects are decided, especially in
terms of picking new work and work that challenges theatrical expectations of theater. There are many
good plays that don’t get picked because the work doesn’t really challenge expectations in the way that
AC thinks SF should be doing according to the mission statement. So statement may not be important, but AC
does refer to it, and it’s a good anchor for us although our work is eclectic.
Jason: The mission statement is so broad that it’s meaningless. He thinks it should be rewritten.
Tenaya: How important the statement becomes is up to us. When she went to this marketing seminar a while
ago, the seminar folks felt the statement was very important to say what we represent to the community.
Statement definitely can be refined in that regard!
John Mitchell: John printed up other mission statements from “competitors”. He reads the Met’s
mission statement. Reactions from the group. Broad but succinct. Evidence Room, which is more specific.
Noise Within.
How is the mission statement important to what we will pursue for the next 10 years?
Kathi: Branding your theater. We’re saying this is what we’re selling. This is the type of theater that
we do. She thinks our statement is muddy and needs rewriting.
New girl Jenine: Mission statement seems unclear to her as a new person. What does challenging mean?
Structure or intellectual ideas?
Jason: It’s intentionally broad.
Plunkett: The statement was done by committee, which contributes to its vagueness and ambiguity. We should
figure out a mission and then a mission statement.
Kiesche: Branding and mission statement are different, in his experience with his small company.
He ran into problems with differing opinions about projects later on, and he thinks that is due to
mission statement being broad. This is different from branding. Branding is a quick tag.
John M: When he did surveys asking if work reps members, opinions were actually quite split. So it’s
important that we actually look at our mission first.
Brandon: Thinks statement fits what has been put on. It covers different types of theater, off the wall and
conventional. Consider View of the Dome vs. W. Our openness is not mentioned in the mission statement,
which is a real plus of the company.
Phil: When he first joined, he loved the name. Something sacred one night and something foolish
another night. Our brand is yin and yang that way.
Kate Morrison: She talks about a wretched experience with another LA theater company. She vowed to never
do theater in LA again. Then she did W with Joe Jordan and that was enough to get her interested. But
the mission statement itself did not explain the company to her. She likes what we do and is proud of
all work that has gone up on stage. We need a rallying cry and a way to articulate that vision. It
will be good for the group to have something to hold up like that. Current mission statement is somewhat
flat and not motivating.
Lou: Echo Phil, mission statement gives a sense of balance. But statement didn’t really mean much. It
was the people here.
Ruth Silveira: To Tom, your experience with your business is different because the personnel stay the
same, whereas our company shifts and changes, and that’s a part of our dynamic. So yes, mission
statement could be changed to reflect dynamic.
Padraic: We’re not all here because of a common artistic vision. So in trying to create one vision,
the narrower the vision is, the more dissent you’ll have. This company was proud of the fact that there
was no vision at first. You know, some companies might have a specific statement, like, “Everyone who
likes Brechtian stuff, come over here.”
Julie: That should be our new mission statement.
Tenaya: The mission can be more succinct and speak to the heart of what we’re about, but it can still be
broad. This might help people who are proposing work.
Tom: There are no rules about a mission statement. What we’ve said today can be wrapped up into a mission
statement, taking pieces of what everyone has said. It doesn’t have to be nine lines. It can be anything.
Lanahan: Along Jason’s POV, but likes the large umbrella. It should be rewritten, but to include the
broadness here.
John M: It’s just about our ten year anniversary, and that’s a good time to look at our mission. The things
we contribute will be our legacy for this company. We don’t want to trash the past, but maybe focus the
vision so that all of the interesting things that make the company what it is can be guided by a vision.
Aldrich: When we came up with the statement, there was no lack of vision. There was an excess of
vision. Perhaps fewer people should rewrite it.
Plunkett: At least ten people worked on this statement by committee.
Julie: When we started this meeting, I didn’t care about the mission statement. But upon hearing the
other company’s statements, I realize that ours does not quite describe the company to an outsider. For
example, from Evidence Room and Noise Within, I got some community outreach vibe. We don’t really do
that, which is fine. But we do open our doors to strangers. We’re an open company.
Josh Moyse: Having a vision is good. There’s room for improvement in ours. With an effective statement,
you can do any play you want, and the question is just how.
Kiesche: Mission statement is different from our goals. Our goals change periodically.
Wuchte: An idea: put in programs a place for the audience to write a word that describes Sacred Fools.
Also, Wuchte liked what Phil said about Sacred Fools and what it means, because that really ties in with
our name and really gives an image of what we’re about. Noise Within and Evidence Room sounded like
they had the grant writer in the room with those statements, just using the words that sound good. Our
open door policy is really something that stands out about us.
John M: It’s a cornerstone.
Kate: Kate doesn’t like the audience writing words idea. Our mission statement should be driven by us.
We should not define ourselves by how we are viewed.
Jason: I’m curious about why everyone is involved, and those reasons might give us a good mission
statement. The word community keeps coming up.
Kiesche: Another thing that should be in the mission statement is not only community but a huge community
outside the membership. There are so many people who we think of as Sacred Fools, but they are not members.
John M: To echo Tom, someone said that the interesting thing about SF is that we are a real
company and a real community.
Last words: John Mitchell mentions a retreat in the future.
Minutes taken by Julie Mullen, and edited and
posted to the web by Corey Klemow.
Contact Corey with corrections and clarifications.
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