2018 Annual Meeting – Tuesday, April 10th @ 6pm
We need your help to elect the next round of board members. Join us for a short meeting to meet the current board and the new board. It’s a great time to ask questions and let us know how excited you are for the next season! Also, if you aren’t a member already, but have been involved in the last 5 years, ask about becoming a member that night.
2018 Annual Board Election Candidates
The following is the list of candidates running for the open board positions for the 2018 annual meeting. Here is list of the open board positions:
- Treasurer
- Membership/Events Chair
- Website/Social Media Chair
- Play Reading Chair
- House and Grounds Chair
- AD Sales & PR Chair
- Set/Shop & Props Chair
Treasurer
Chris Terven
Having been the Treasure at Community Players for the past several years, in that time I’ve:
- Worked with all the Board Members to increase our sales/income and decrease our expenses across the board.
- Continued efforts toward putting aside monies for future ‘large’ maintenance expenses – (e.g. Air-conditioning replacement, Furnace Replacement, etc…)
- Managed our day-to-day expenses with the other Board Members and production expenses with the different production staffs
- Budgeted and managed our finances for capital improvements (Recently: new lobby, heating and cooling upgrades, lighting system upgrades, etc.…)
- Worked toward Automating and Simplifying the Treasures position
I’m seeking re-election to this post for ONE more term so that I can:
- Finish the Automation and Simplification of the Treasures duties (heavy on the automation since there’s not many ways to simplify it left :))
- Mentor a candidate or candidates to replace me after this term
- Work towards and through several upcoming renovation efforts
- Continue to work with the rest of the Board Members to minimize expenses, maximize income, and get the best ROI for our investments in our productions and facility.
- Hopefully remain sane 🙂
Membership/Events Chair
Erica O’Neill
Erica is excited for the opportunity to run for re-election as Community Players’ Membership and Events Chair. She has learned so much over the past few months, which only makes her more excited for the prospect of 2 more years serving this wonderful company and community. Erica was born and raised here in Bloomington and fell in love with theatre after performing almost non-stop throughout high school. She received her bachelor’s degree in Directing and Stage Management from Illinois State University in 2009. Since that time she started working for State Farm which she continues today alongside her husband, Matt. This job lets her pursue her passion of theatre; which she was more than excited to start up again in 2015 when she started her journey at Community Players in Noises Off! From then on she has found a new family of friends and has enjoyed all the roles she has gotten to play both on and offstage here at Players. From Dance Captain to Assistant Director, and from ensemble to lead roles, every opportunity has been a blast and she can’t wait to see what other ones come her way. Erica would love to continue to bring her passion, dedication and nerdy joy to this Board of Governors and future events here at Community Players.
Opal Virtue
I would like to run for the position of Membership and Events Coordinator. I have nineteen years of experience as a Florist. As a florist one of the main responsibilities is events coordinating, such as weddings, special events and holidays. I also do customer service, so I deal with people every day.
My people skills, organization skills and creativity, make this a perfect position for me. I would very much like continue to build membership and work on continuing to offer that membership and the community, the opportunity to learn more about our organization. Thank you for your consideration.
Erin Box
My name is Erin, and I am very interested in running for the position of Membership Chair on the Community Players Board of Governors.
I’ve been a member of this theatre for the last 2.5 years, but have seen shows here dating back to 13 years ago. What I love about this theatre is that, even during my first audition experience, I immediately felt welcome, and every cast I’ve worked with has since become family. I’ve had such a wonderful experience that I’d like to be able to share that with more people!
To this position, I would hope to bring that same sense of belonging to each person that chooses to join the theatre community. We are all members, after all, and I think it would be great to have more events throughout the year in which individuals can participate – even if they don’t have the time to be part of a show. Socials, or different opportunities to get involved in the community would be really fun! Just a couple of ideas I’ve thought of include Christmas Caroling around town during the holiday season, pros readings of fairy tales/children’s books at the local libraries, or providing opportunities for members to express their talents without the commitment of a full-blown stage production.
I’ve wanted to be more involved with the group ever since I joined, and I think this is the perfect opportunity to expand on the sense of community we already have. Either way, I look forward to my future working with this organization, but I appreciate the opportunity to be considered for this position.
Website/Social Media Chair
Bridgette Richard
I am very interested in being the Social Media/Website Chairperson on the Community Players Theatre Board of Governors. I am currently the interim chairperson for this position, and would like the opportunity to continue my work in the position for a full term. I believe that my social media expertise combined with my love of theatre, and my years of involvement within the local theatre community make me a great candidate for the position.
If selected, my plan is to continue with a timeline for regular posting across all four platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, & Twitter) as I currently have been, and continue to find ways for us to virtually engage with our patrons and local community through social media. I also plan to continue to meet and discuss with our theatre Historian about material for our weekly throwback posts, and possibly find other ways to incorporate our history into the mix. I also plan to meet with other chairpersons and committees of the board to discuss items worth promoting/posting about on our site and social media, as well as to generate new ideas and brainstorm how to gain an even stronger web presence.
In addition to being someone who loves to generate buzz on the net, and be socially active on the web, I believe that research, self-education, and metrics tracking are key components of this position. I plan to do continued research and finding free, quick bite learning applications to continue to expand my knowledge and compile resource information on software, new technology, and social media trends. I also plan to experiment with various mobile apps that pair with our current platforms to look for new, fun ways to connect with our fan base. I will also regularly track our metrics with the tools provided within each platform to monitor community interaction and growth to help determine which platforms, peak times, and types of posts are most successful to continue the evolution of our virtual outreach.
If selected as the Social Media/Website Chairperson, I will make an ongoing and prolonged commitment to engaging our audiences by providing a positive, enthusiastic, and interactive virtual experience. I am full of so many ideas, and what you’ve seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg.
Billy Blue
I am interested in this position for many reasons. One, being 24 and growing up in today’s world and knowing how powerful technology and social media is, I think it is important for an organization to keep its presence in those areas very strong. I am extremely technologically savvy and love social media, having pretty much every social media option that is out there. I find that this position gives the theater a chance to reach audiences that may not always be open to this art we all hold close to our hearts.
I have my own blog, and website that I manage and keep up with. I currently am the creator of my mother’s side business website, Crawford’s corner pub website and DePew and Dehn’s website. I also maintain social media for Crawford’s corner pub, and my mom’s side business as well as keep my own up to speed. I am not a stranger to computers and troubleshooting and if I don’t know the answer I have plenty of friends I can ask that will.
In this position I plan to keep doing social media take overs as I think it is a great way to get people interacting with the shows. Facebook live events and interviews are something I think would be cool to start doing as a way for more people to be reached. I love Facebook for the platform that it reaches and the numerous people that use it and I think it needs to be utilized to our advantage and really allow people to see what is going on.
I would love to do meet the cast previews during the show process. Allowing people to meet the cast and the crew of the shows going on, giving them a chance to be seen and promote the show. These are just a few things I think would be super fun and a great way to promote the shows.
These are just a few reasons as to why I would love to serve as the technology chair and would be happy to answer any further questions that may asked of me.
Play Reading Chair:
Dave Krostal
I would like to submit my name to be considered for the Board of Governors play selection committee at Players.
I feel could bring decades of theater experience to the committee. I attend most plays here locally and several times a year I travel to Chicago to see some of the best theater in the country. I have served on the play selection committee for Heartland Theater, have directed at both Heartland Theater and Community Players and have performed in dozens of shows locally. I have been active with Community Players since 1980 and have been involved with at least 15 shows there. I know and have worked with numerous theater people here in Bloomington/Normal and have a degree in Theater Education from Illinois State University. I feel I can bring a fresh perspective to players and I hope you will consider me in being a part of this committee. Thanks!
Scott Myers
I am interested in continuing on the Board of Governors to give back to an organization that has been a part of my life for 40 years. My first show with Players was in 1976, and since that time I have worked both on stage and off in various capacities including acting, directing, helping with set and publicity, and served on the Board back in 1979-1980 and again in the last three years. I am applying for the position of Play Reading. Having had theatre in my life for so long, I am aware of quite a number of shows and plays. Having different perspectives is an important element in looking at what our audiences (of all ages) would enjoy. I have one perspective with my age being more in the “senior” category, while having another younger perspective as I tap into the minds of my own two college-age children and working daily with elementary-age children as well. I believe that one of the many strengths of Players, is the diverse types of dramas, comedies and musicals that appeal to our varied audiences in this area. A balanced playbill of recent, classic and cutting edge productions will keep our steadfast season ticket holders coming back while bringing in younger audiences as well as onstage and backstage participants.
I am currently Head of Drama at a private summer camp, and have attended and continue to attend numerous shows in Chicago and on Broadway. I have gotten to know most of the past and present board members and would hope I could have the chance to continue to make a positive addition to an already impressive group of talented and creative individuals. It is an exciting time to be a part of the Community Players organization and I look forward to being able to serve in this new role. Thank you for your consideration.
House and Grounds Chair
Jay Hartzler
I wish to continue my position on the Board of Governors as House and Ground Chair. I have been in this position for the past eight years. Over that time, I have overseen the maintenance and upkeep of the building and want to continue doing so for the next term. Theater is more than just what you see on the stage. It is fixing leaks in the basement. It is replacing the aging furnaces. It is poking the weasel. I want to continue to maintain the property and to upgrade it for the future.
Ad/Sales & PR Chair
Stephanie Duquenne
Over the last two years I have had the privilege to serve as your Ad sales & PR Board member. This role has provided me the opportunity to work within our community to garner the much needed support for the Community Theatre while learning more about how to best support the Theatre. I feel that by dedicating two more years to this role, I can work on growing it and better aligning the goals of this position with the goals of the Theatre.
My professional background has been focused on nonprofit event planning and fundraising. I have worked with organizations over the past 15 years to develop events and messaging to grow their constituent base and keep dedicated volunteers and alumni engage. I feel that my professional skill sets can translate seamlessly to this role on the Community Players Board. I have built community relationships through this work and the work that I am involved in with other key nonprofits in our community that I hope to continue to leverage support from for the Theatre. I have a passion for community theatre and have found a home at the Players. I want to continue to make a positive impact on this theatre and feel that continuing in this position will give me the opportunity to do so. I feel I have built some momentum in this role and hope to smoothly move into the next season with consistent communication to current advertisers and secure current potential advertisers for the 2018-2019 season.
Thank you for your consideration.
Set/Shop/Props Chair
Bruce Parrish
I am running for the head of the shop, set, and props. I have been in charge of the shop for almost half of my 42 years of service to Players. I am currently working on a project that updates our shop inventory. It may take some time and so I believe the term will allow for the completion of these inventories. This would include creating a tool inventory and then work on a prop inventory. I believe this will help in creating a document for Producers and also for insurance purposes.