Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

Board of Directors Meeting
Thursday, September 3, 2015

IN ATTENDANCE: Magda Abou-Saif, Lloyd Carbaugh, Paul Domalakes, Lesley Fallon, Casey Gallagher, Judith Harris, Jo-Ann S. Kelly, Beverly Kuhar, Linda Lapos, Joan Miller Moran, Patrick Mulcahy, Patricia Mullin, Jerry Noll, Barry Pell, Christine Perrucci, Dennis Razze, John Russo, June Schlueter, Susan Sefcik, Ronald Sheppard, Douglas Smillie, Bob Snyder.

EXCUSED: Kris Burfeind, Lona Farr, Joel Gilley, Blake Marles, Will Neuert, Kathleen Kund Nolan, David Rothrock, Fr. Jerry Schubert, Ruth Spira, Kerry Wrobel.

STAFF: Jill Arington, Debra Walter.

Prior to the opening of the meeting, the Board engaged in an informal discussion of Season 2015.

Opening Prayer

Paul Domalakes led the prayer to open the meeting.

Approval of Minutes from March Meeting

Lesley Fallon made a motion to approve the May minutes and June Schlueter seconded.

President’s Welcome

John Russo welcomed everyone to the meeting, congratulated all on an excellent season, and thanked the board for their contributions.
John also welcomed new board member, Magda Abou-Saif.

Members Reaching Term Limits

The Board honored the board members who reached their term limits: Joel Gilley, Christine Perrucci, and June Schlueter.

Committee Reports

Executive Committee- John Russo reporting

The Executive Committee met in advance of the board meeting. They discussed Act 153, a piece of Pennsylvania legislation requiring background checks for employees and volunteers who interact with minors.

Audit Committee- Ronald Sheppard reporting

The Audit Committee will meet with the auditors in October to plan for the audit for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015.

Committee on Directors- Douglas Smillie reporting

With June Schlueter and Christine Perrucci at their term limits, the Committee on Directors loses two members of its committee.
The committee is in the process of creating a binder of relevant information to be distributed to all board members at an upcoming meeting.
The committee distributed a board self-assessment to be completed by each member.
The committee sought approval to approach several candidates for board membership:

Tom Lubben previously served on the board and is eligible for reinstatement. Linda Lapos made a motion to approve and Judith Harris seconded.
Steve Auvil is a sponsor of the Festival and recipient of the Will Shakespeare Award. Paul Domalakes made a motion to approve and Ron Sheppard seconded.
Nancy Ahlum is a high-end realtor formerly of Bucks County, currently living in Saucon Township. Lesley Fallon put her name forward. Linda Lapos made a motion to approve and John Russo seconded.
Daniel O’Connor is an alumnus of DeSales currently working as a Vice President for Santander Bank. Paul Domalakes made a motion to approve and Casey Gallagher seconded.

Campaign Committee- Patrick Mulcahy reporting

The campaign will end on December 31st.
The campaign was announced to the public at Gala, in a mailing, in the season program, and in curtain speeches. The committee expected $30-60,000 in income from the mailing mechanism and brochures stuffed in the program. One individual gave $10,000.
The committee announced that they may follow up with board members who indicated that they know a prospect.
The campaign has technically surpassed its $3.5 million goal, though part of its income is in the form of bequests, which are important but in a separate accounting category. $3.3 million of funds raised are in cash. The committee still hopes to raise an additional $414,000 for the endowment.

Institutional Advancement/Fundraising

Gala Committee- Casey Gallagher reporting

The gala was “tremendous success” and was attended by 504 guests, which is a 10% growth from 2014. The gross income was $145,375 and the net income was over $100,000. Participation by attendees in the various auctions over the past 5 years has significantly increased.
The 2016 gala is scheduled for June 4th, and will not conflict with the Good Shepard gala. The first Gala Committee meeting will be held October 7th. As previously announced, the 2016 Will Shakespeare Award will be given to DeSales University President Father Bernard O’Connor. The honorary co-chairs for 2016 are still to be determined.

Initiatives- Debra Walter reporting

465 patrons participated in specialty events over the summer, an increase from 380 in 2014. A total of 1,175 participated in engagement events, including tours. The Shakespeare Society grew from 41 to 54 in 2015, and the number of sponsors increased from 25 in 2014 to 28 in 2015, increasing revenue from $153,000 to $180,000. Income from the annual fund also grew from $59,000 to $62,000. Debra Walter thanked the board for their contributions to a “phenomenal year.”

F. Strategic Planning- Patrick Mulcahy reporting

1. The Strategic Planning Committee did met in July. Its work in that meeting will be summarized in this evenings Strat Plan agenda item.

Guild Update- Beverly Kuhar reporting

Though 193 volunteers participated in the 2015 season, it is still a struggle to fully staff weekend performances as volunteers go out of town. A volunteer was the recipient of the grand prize in the annual PSF raffle.
The weather proved to be a challenge for outdoor concessions this season.
The estimated profit for souvenirs this summer was $3,500. Patrons liked the variety of the items for sale, though the committee was disappointed that licensing restrictions prevented them from selling Les Misérables merchandise. A laptop was purchased to better track inventory, but the committee felt the program was not satisfactorily volunteer-friendly.
Therapeutic Thursday at the Apollo Grille raised $300 for the Festival, and the Special Events Committee plans to set up the fundraising event one more time in 2016. The annual company welcome picnic was a success this year, and Weis supermarkets gave a donation towards feeding the company during Festival changeover.
The Guild Thank-You Dinner will be held on Thursday, October 15 and will include a performance of the 2015 WillPower Tour, Julius Caesar.

Administrative Update- Casey Gallagher reporting

The Festival experienced a record breaking season. Attendance grew 15% from 2014 to 38,615 patrons. Les Misérables brought in 1,800 more patrons than 2014’s Fiddler on the Roof, though all productions surpassed their projected attendance and the records of previous productions. Overall ticket sales exceeded $1 million, and subscriptions grew by 45%. PSF also participated in the new Lehigh Valley Kidsventure program and saw a 90% growth in sales of family packages. Les Misérables played to 103% capacity and each individual performance was sold out except the first preview, which sold 470 of 473 seats. The 2015 repertory was the highest on record, and The Foreigner became highest selling individual “rep” show. Rapunzel was the second highest-selling children’s show, trailing the 2009 production of Cinderella by 200 tickets.
The fiscal year will end on September 30th. There are no final numbers to report at this time, but PSF is projected to end “in the black,” with similar numbers to FY2014.
2015 has been a transition year in terms of staffing, and the Festival now has new hires in its Box Office Manager, Director of Production, and Business Manager. Casey reported that the new Business Manager, Karen Spano, is “spectacular.”
2016 will be PSF’s 25th Anniversary Season, and the Festival will be brainstorming what sort of activities and programming will be implemented to mark the occasion.
PSF again received the National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare in American Communities grant of $25,000 in support of WillPower.
Debra Walter has accepted a promotion as a major gifts officer for DeSales University. She will continue to support PSF’s 2016 Gala as a member of the gala committee. While Deb’s time was split between the Festival and the University’s Theater department, her successor at PSF will be minimally involved in the Theater department’s development activities.

2016 Season and Budget- Casey Gallagher reporting

The 2016 Season is still under consideration. Because a director became unavailable for the season due to a scheduling conflict, the Festival is now reconsidering the plays it planned to present for its 25th Anniversary Season. Until the season is finalized, a budget cannot be completed.

PSF Strategic Plan 2015-2020- Patrick Mulcahy reporting

Patrick led the board through a presentation explaining the process for developing the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan and outlined the conceptual framework for the plan.

New Business & Adjournment

Judith Harris shared that former board member Ben Marcune is creating the statue that will be installed near Labuda Theater, which is scheduled to be dedicated in the fall.
The board congratulated Jerry Noll for receiving an award from the Mercy School.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:43pm.