2003-2004 ELECTION



T H E S L A T E


Chair/Vice-Chairs (3 positions open)

    Shelli Aderman
    Richard Costabile
    Marci Glotzer


Secretaries (2 positions open)

    Rich Abrams
    Dan Zittel


Treasurer (1 position open)

    Gail Eve Malatesta
    Babette Roberts


Executive Board (2 positions open)

    Sandra M. Bloom
    Andrew Feigin
    Margie Price
    Scott Schneider



CANDIDATE STATEMENTS

CHAIR/VICE-CHAIRS

Shelli Aderman:
    I am thrilled to be asked to run again for Vice Chair by the nominating committee of the Stage Managers' Association. It has been my honor and pleasure to serve the SMA since 1992. The SMA has grown and expanded over this past decade, and it has been a joy to watch it grow. The directory committee is ever closer to having on-line submissions ready, for a fall printing of the Stage Managers' Directory. This would not have been possible without Zoya Kachadurian, Bill Jones and Nadine Charlsen; members of the directory committee. It is through this wonderful volunteer association that I have seen myself, and so many others grow as stage managers; and I look forward to what lies ahead, should I be fortunate enough to receive your vote. Thank you.

Richard Costabile:
    It’s been a great privilege to have served as Chairman for two years now, and I’m very eager to further the progress we’ve been able to achieve in that time. We’re on the cusp of several very exciting and significant advances in the SMA’s use of the internet, and one by one the committees are rebounding from their dormant state. You’ll be hearing news of the long-awaited Directory shortly, and the Headset won’t be far behind.

It’s been quite a busy year for me, and for the SMA membership generally, but through the labors of our Officers, Board, webmaster and membership, things are moving in the right direction. Now, if only several members would step forward who’d be willing to work hard to advance our efforts to increase the activity outside the NYC metro area, as Margie Price has effected in Philadelphia….

Thanks for your support. Please vote – your voice makes a difference.

Marci Glotzer:
    I am your current second vice- chair and would like to hold this position for one more year.

The reason I initially ran for office is the same reason I am running again this year -- so that I could take an active role in finding new ways for the SMA to better serve its members. To that end I started, with the help of the Board and our amazing web guru William Jones, the "AskUs" section of the website, where members and nonmembers alike can get their stage management questions answered. It has been a success as far as attracting nonmembers to our website, and I'd love our members to check it out as well. It can be an invaluable source of information for SMs at all levels of experience.

I am also a member of the off-Broadway, LORT, SM and COST committees at Equity. SMs are well-represented at some of these meetings but I would like to find ways for the SMA to take a more active role with the union in issues that affect us both as stage managers and as union members.

How else can the SMA better serve you? I encourage you to contact me, either through the website or my e-mail address: marcigee@earthlink.net -- and give me your opinions on what can be done.

Thank you all for your continued support.


SECRETARIES:

Rich Abrams:
    I have been actively involved in stage management for theater, concerts and corporate events since 1974. My practical experience as an organization secretary includes six years as Chapter Secretary to a  tri-state public safety association, five years as Corresponding Secretary to a local chapter of an amateur radio association, and four years as secretary/treasurer of a stage lighting rental company. I have authored numerous membership summary and other association reports, and recently served as co-chair and secretary to a statewide homeland security seminar. I hope to serve the needs of the SMA and the membership by serving on the Executive Board. I am currently the Assistant Theater Operations Manager for Yale University School of Drama, and the Yale Repertory Theater. My employer fully supports any activities in theatrical organizations.
Thank you.

Dan Zittel:
    For several years now, it has been a pleasure, privilege and honor to be of service to the association and to our community of stage managers as co-secretary for the SMA. We are entering a new phase for the SMA with the infusion of our new web site and the numerous advantages it holds for greater involvement and benefits for the membership. I  would like to continue as one of the co-secretaries so that I can help merge the old with the new and aid in the creation of future administrative policies and procedures that I hope will only increase the enjoyment and satisfaction of membership.


TREASURER:

Gail Eve Malatesta:
    I have been the SMA treasurer for the past 10 months and I feel like I am just starting to get a handle on the many aspects of the job. It has been a busy year with getting our account with the Actor’s Federal Credit Union and working on setting up our Versign Account for online payments. Now with the renewals coming in daily the job has just started and I feel it would help the website transition if I could continue on for one more year to get everything on a solid footing before I end my stint as SMA treasurer.

Babette Roberts:
    I have been a proud member of the SMA for 5 years. During over a decade long career as an Equity Stage Manager, I realized the SMA has been vital in my career development. I have worked under almost every Equity contract. I feel that my experience is vital to the development of fellow stage managers. In addition to my Stage Management career, I have been the co-owner of a small theatre-based business for over a decade. I feel that my small business experience, organization  skills and my years as an active member of the theatre community makes me uniquely suited to fulfill the job of Treasurer. I ask for your vote in hopes of making the SMA an organization that we all can be proud.


EXECUTIVE BOARD:

Sandra M. Bloom:
    My time serving on the Board of the SMA has been an exhilarating experience. I enjoy determining the direction this organization will go. I am a strong believer in service, which is why I have decided to run again for the SMA Board.

Member of the SMA since 1983, AEA since 1970, SAG since 1972, AFTRA since 1973 and HAU since 1989. Many of you know me from my involvement at Equity where I presently serve on the Council in the Stage Manager category and on numerous committees [including the Stage Managers’ committee] and negotiating teams. I have always represented the stage manager’s point of view. I am a working Stage Manager.

I will continue to encourage the SMA membership, no matter where they live, to participate via technology, the web site and if possible, in person. I want to make the SMA a vital, recognizable and necessary part of our industry.

I believe it is important to continue to strengthen and expand the scope of the SMA. I believe I have had a positive effect and have more to contribute. I ask for your vote.
Thank you.

Andrew Feigin
     is very pleased to be nominated to run for another term on the Executive Board. After almost 30 years as a stage manager I continue to have a deep appreciation for stage management as a profession, and stage managers as wonderful people. The SMA continues to be a great meeting place (both earthbound and in cyberspace) for stage managers, providing a hub for people who share what can be a lonely position of responsibility. If elected, it will be my honor to continue to provide a caring and experienced voice on the Board.

Margie Price:
    I have been a member of the SMA since 2000, an Equity Stage Manager since 1992, and the Secretary of the Philadelphia Equity Liaison Committee for six years. For the past three years, I have been involved in community-building between stage managers and production personnel in the Greater Philadelphia area through monthly Drink Nights, job postings, business directories and maintenance of an ever-growing contact list to help keep people working and in-the-know about regional resources. If elected to a seat on the SMA Board, I will bring to the table my knowledge of what is happening with members outside of NYC in an effort to bridge the gap we sometimes see between NY and the "Provinces". And I will endeavor to facilitate on a national scale the kind of community building that has been so successful in Philadelphia. Thank you for your consideration.

Scott Schneider:
    Membership in the SMA has been directly responsible for bringing me into a wide variety of stage management situations that I might otherwise have never even considered, from Renaissance Faire to Opera. I am amazed by the number of working young stage managers who don't take advantage of the great opportunities and invaluable collective knowledge offered by the SMA and am interested in exploring ways to improve new member recruitment and outreach.

At the same time, I would like to learn more about the potential of the SMA. as an advocatory influence on both our producers and our unions, especially in the cause of protecting living wages and job opportunities.