Recap of 2009 Annual MeetingStarting at 2pm on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at Playwright Tavern in NYC, we had a great Annual Membership meeting, full of information and lively discussion. Approximately 29 members (including 9 Executive Board members) were in attendance, plus 1 guest. We always have to say "approximately" because some members have other obligations that force them to arrive late, and not everyone signs in at the door. We attempted a teleconference hookup for the first time at Playwright Tavern (we've done it successfully when we used AEA's Council Room a couple of times). It was not entirely successful - we learned that it was difficult for the 2 callers to hear any discussion that involved members who weren't sitting at the dais. We'll be aiming to remedy that for our next membership meeting, and we're hopeful that more people will avail themselves of the option to "phone it in". Although we didn't attain the constitutional quorum of 35 members, we were able to cover a lot of ground while the ballots were being counted by Board member Robert Cohen and his committee:
Just before we segued into the Forum, Robert Cohen, co-Chair of the Nominating Committee, announced the election results, as follows: Chair: Rich Costabile To see a full list of the current Executive Board, visit To all members who put themselves forward as candidates, including the above plus Carole Ursetti (outgoing co-Secretary), Noah E. Spiegel and Jeremy Ward, my sincere thanks. We look forward to a great and very productive year, with lots of energy and new ideas. After a very brief hors d'ouevres-and-refreshment break, we launched into the featured forum, a lively and informative discussion with our AEA business reps in attendance: Rick Berg, Senior Business Rep Much ground was covered, but the greatest energy arose during the discussion revolving around the duties and responsibilities of a stage manager - and specifically what isn't to be expected of a stage manager. Many war stories were related, inequities bemoaned, hopes expressed. A full transcript of the forum plus the minutes of the business meeting will be made available as soon as our volunteer force is able to complete them. Also know that minutes and transcriptions of the last few meetings are close to publication. You'll receive notice when they become available. My personal thanks to all the 2008-09 Board members, who each took one or more projects under their wings and ran with them. I made a point of special shout-outs to co-Secretary (now 2nd Vice Chair) Erin Joy Swank and Board member-at-large (now Treasurer) Jon Goldman for the countless hours they devoted over the past year to the Stage Managers' Association. As I always do - at every meeting and in most of my messages to you - I enthusiastically encourage you to become involved with at least one SMA committee. The benefit to your fellow members is great, and the payback can be enormous. As with any volunteer organization, if all the work falls on the shoulders of a core few, then the full potential of the organization is not able to be realized, and those core few suffer burnout. It was great to see (and hear) everyone who attended the meeting. Keep an eye out for future announcements about a summer event or three and a full schedule for 2009-2010 - the SMA's 29th year! Meanwhile, visit our wonderful new web site, at www.stagemanagers.org. Rich Costabile, Chairman
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