WEST Membership Meeting Minutes

LCCC Cheyenne

Sept. 7th, 2013

Called to order at: 8:30 am

Secretaries’ Report (Sarah)

Motion to approve the secretaries’ minutes by Zach 2nd Nancy motion carries

Treasurer’s Report (Bethany)

Motion to approve the treasurer’s report by Merlin 2ndWende motion carries

Old Business

  • Problems with finding a location for 2013
  • After first contact with Rock Springs we were given an reply of no after 4 months
  • Several other colleges were willing but unable to contain the size
  • LCCC David Greer said he could then ended up leaving and Jason Pasqua took over
  • Sheridan was very willing to host but was unable due to construction but will be done in 2015
  • Kelly taking over as the main facilitator coordinator
  • LCCC has been very welcoming as well as South.
  • Remember to be kind to those who are helping WEST out.
  • Locations
  • Rock Springs will need to express when they want to be back in the rotation
  • What was expressed to the board is it really needs to be when college kids will not be in session.
  • Adding Sheridan, Powell, LCCC, Gillette
  • Jason would really like to host in the future and is hoping this will help get them a proscenium
  • Powell is very interested but the dates is a problem
  • Cam-plex is willing but dates would be a problem in the future
  • Dates may seriously need to change as almost all location are having a problem with the dates
  • Possible Regional’s
  • Sending Judges to schools and invite the top to perform at state
  • Get the judges from that region
  • Be a one day competition maybe host at the local colleges
  • Have the Board put together a committee from WEST to present
  • Speech has a limited amount of slots that can be brought to state vsregionals
  • If tournaments were smaller it would allow for workshops
  • Other states due this
  • As more schools join we are running out of slots for big shows and have to add a fourth day
  • Committee for this
  • Zach will head it
  • Wheatland
  • East
  • Powell
  • Wind River
  • Central
  • Correcting timers if they have the wrong time limits
  • Why prosthetics need to be made
  • Anyone can apply a prosthetic
  • The idea is to do a design not copy a design
  • Turning in evaluation forms
  • They can be emailed by Board Meeting in January
  • Original Script rewrite
  • Turnitin.com
  • Cost $350
  • Kathy thought she had seen the same scripts being resubmitted this would solve the problem of is it original or not.
  • Maybe the problem is a judge problem for Kathy specifically
  • Can we do a free version on Google drive
  • Ask her to judge every script on its merit not what changed
  • Using a google drive students can look at the scripts and see the winners and why it one.
  • Tim will look at google Drive to create a drop box for scripts
  • Motion that we make a rule change the language to state postmark or electronic timestamp, digital postmark in original scripts byMerlin 2nd Annette
  • General agreement to submit scripts in these two ways for this year.
  • Add time stamp to rules
  • Makeup rules rewrite
  • Specific plays or theme
  • Make judging cut and dry
  • Adding better progression
  • Could 2nd year have store bought prosthetics?
  • Having a theme show
  • Makeup Committee
  • Sarah
  • Merlin
  • Audrey
  • Bethany B.

New Business

  • Camellia
  • Hathaway Bill was passed for Fine and Performing Arts
  • Katie will send out the information on Hathaway to the listserv
  • Honors and Performance level still does have the foreign language
  • Opportunity and Provisional does not have foreign requirement but has it and Fine and Performance Art as choose or do both
  • New State Standards are good to go and waiting for the Governor’s Signature
  • Standards have built in that students need to see a live performance can be a class but the purpose was to help teachers to get kids to attend outside performances.
  • Teachers may need to look at changing the requirements of class to not being that all students in class attend State Drama as size is an issue.
  • Going to publish standards in two styles to help see how each area connects to another and see the progression as well as possibly offering more variety of classes
  • Katie (Arts Council)
  • Wyoming Arts Alliance
  • Looking for input on how they can help WEST
  • Grant
  • Most groups will fall under the arts project up to $2,000
  • Artists across Wyoming will bring an artist that is on the WAC list up to $700
  • Poetry Out Loud
  • National competition
  • Great way to meet standards
  • State Competition held in March
  • Need to hold a school competition can be held after school or on a weekend.
  • Pieces need to be from the anthology and can be found in the book or online
  • Listserve
  • Katie can add anyone that is not on there
  • Katie will contact professors from across the state to add them
  • State Drama Fees for non WEST members
  • Just the WEST scholarship would be available for WEST members
  • Mission Statement
  • Advocacy for programs
  • If you are at the point for asking for no budget cuts you are too late (Zach)
  • Come up with a program to go to these administrations that this is important and what an impact can have.
  • 90% of students that were involved in extracurricular activities graduated(Zach)
  • 50% of students no involved in extracurricular activities graduated
  • Connect performances between schools in a town change kids out each night from each school.
  • Parents need to be the drivers
  • Professional Learning Community (Zach)
  • Talk to PTSB about who is certified
  • (Eric) A group as cohesive as WEST would be listened to by PTSB
  • Maybe the push needs to be in the junior highs
  • Best Practices and Curriculum
  • Career and College Ready
  • New State Standards
  • Possible National Standards
  • Common Core
  • Wyoming theatre and other states
  • Influencing state and national policy
  • What do we want to do when we grow up (Bethany)
  • Do we only want to be a group that does State or do we want to be true advocates for theatre
  • What current members of WEST have the tools, time, contacts, etc. to see this being done.
  • WEST needs to find members who have these resources and time, to create a strategic plan.
  • Some believe that WEST was created only to run State Drama even though it does not reflect this in the bylaws
  • As a membership we need to decide do we want to move forward?
  • Katie (WAC) said there is a grant specifically for this.
  • WEST rules can be a committee the meeting can be break into comitees then vote.
  • The board can make up committees and share those focuses with the membership.
  • Workshops for students throughout the year
  • Workshops for teachers-Professional Development
  • Educator exchange
  • Do a SWAT analysis and survey monkey to see where the membership sits on mission statement and possible committees
  • Adding question of why not being a member of WEST
  • Non-profit status
  • Inviting non teachers with influence to join WEST
  • Concept Design forms
  • The focus is the process and decisions of what the student did little focus on plot
  • Watching the kids-We are guests, especially this year
  • Web-based registration
  • Web-based for tab as well as registration
  • Possible number raking sheet that is electronic for judges
  • State Drama 2013
  • Lucky to have the location
  • Lots of conflicts for rooms at State
  • No prosceniums on Saturday
  • No Lighting check-in until 8:00 Thursday
  • Tech is all over
  • Hotel recommendations
  • Come to South in costume and makeup
  • Schedule will come out from Kelly on the listserve for both master and performances
  • Awards at Central
  • Dealing with the mass of kids with little to watch
  • Maybe have two additional schools watching performances at South
  • Remember Cheyenne South is still in session.
  • Maybe we need to limit the amount of kids brought by each school just for this year due to the size
  • Maybe bring kids that could do improv things to entertain the kids
  • Problem would be finding another room
  • Managing students
  • Limit the choice of who attends but bring the project.
  • For instance if a student brings a project last minute bring project but not them.
  • Furniture will be pulled from Central and East to bring things
  • Jason is doing a tour of GPA space and giving measurements at this meeting
  • Realize the timing issues with makeup application
  • Fee for travel bus for all the schools
  • Need members to find out if their Districts will allow this
  • District logistics
  • Sarah Bessette is running Makeup take concerns to her not to Cassie or Audrey
  • Performance from LCCC
  • Will do Gorilla Warfare theatre
  • Jason will create a tweeter feed and Facebook page that will have the information
  • Food
  • Food Service is very willing to provide meals
  • Can get tickets
  • Takeout boxes
  • Will send information out on the listserv.
  • Measurements for rooms
  • Arena25’ 3” x20’ 1” total acting area and a 3’ angle cuts for entrances
  • Normally seats 98 but will add about 20 more chairs
  • Fall Conference 2014
  • Date: Sept. 4th-6th
  • Gillette
  • State Drama 2014
  • Cam-plex
  • Cost and contract
  • Board has budgeted for around $3,000
  • Each time we ask for something new it costs including using outlets
  • New Board Members
  • Nominations go to Jeff
  • Nominations are open until November 15th
  • Sarah Bessette
  • Zach nomination for Wende 2nd Jeremiah
  • Calculations for Sweep
  • Should main stage shows get more points towards Sweeps
  • Maybe see at taking weight off the tech
  • Sweeps have not been looked at since tech events where added and dramas and duets where broken down.
  • Motion to adjourn 2:13 by Eric 2nd Sarah at 2:13