CET Booster Club General Meeting

Minutes, September 19, 2024, Approved

Present: There were 35-40 people plus the Booster Board present by approximately 6:10 pm.

The meeting was called to order by Emily Wilson-Tobin at 6:03 pm.

  1. Emily Wilson-Tobin welcomed everyone and summarized A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespearean comedy, light and accessible, lots of parts; resonates with this group; audience will be seated in multiple places in Craft Theater). Emily also introduced Adam Weakley, CET’s new technical director.

  2. Student Board: 

    1. Ionie Steudle and Claire Lewis, co-presidents of CET’s student board, introduced themselves and talked about the student board, including some of their functions; they also announced the upcoming CET trip to Waird’s Orchard on September 29. 

    2. Emily explained that activities organized by the student board are open and inclusive; students are welcomed to attend and the events are optional. If there are barrier to attendance (including transportation and/or cost), students and/or their guardians are encouraged to reach out to Emily, the student board, or members of the CET Booster Board. 

  3. The CET Booster Board

    1. Introductions: The CET Booster Board introduced themselves: President Sascha Matish, Treasurer Cara Genisio, Producer Margie Morris, Secretary Alisse Portnoy, and House Manager Trudy Gates. 

    2. Sascha talked about the role of the Booster Club and its Board: the board supports Emiluy and the kids however they need, for example with the CET website, collecting dues, organizing volunteers, and running tech week meals. 

    3. Sascha also talked about volunteer opportunities. There are lots of opportunities! For example, during tech week students are at school every day for long days, so the Board provides food. Jenn Nelson and Kristin McGuire are co-chairs for food this year, and will reach out to the group as we get closer to tech weeks. CET always needs people to run errands (for example, to hardware stores). There are things to do during the show, too, including selling concessions and flowers; and assisting with costumes and props.

      1. No pressure, no requirements! Everyone’s in a different place, and involvement will look different – ranging from getting your kid to/from rehearsal, to sending in a bag of chips, to serving meals, etc. 

      2. There is a form online at < https://www.a2cet.org/volunteerform > if you want to let the Board know what you’re interested in. 

    4. CET Website: CET has a new website, at < https://www.a2cet.org/ >. There is a lot of info there, including how to reach board members, photos from previous shows, the volunteer form, and the way to pay dues (or donate) online.

    5. CET Booster Board Treasurer Cara Genisio talked about CET dues, which cover some of CET’s expenses. 

      1. Dues are per show. If a student does one show, the requested amount is $75; if a student does two shows, the requested amount is $140. (Just Desserts in the spring is free.)

      2. Dues are not required, and people also can select different amounts (less and more than the requested amounts). 

      3. To register students as CET members:

        1. Please use the “pay membership dues” link after you log into the website. There are pull-down options for $0, $75, and $140. If a student is a non-paying member, please use $0 in the pulldown menu so we have a record of your student as a member, regardless of dues paid. 

        2. If you want to pay less or more than the requested amount, please use the “make additional donation” menu instead of the “pay membership dues” menu.

  4. Emily talked about what it’s like being in a CET show, including schedules and expectations. 

    1. The cast production schedule will change, but it provides a good sense of in-building time. There also is memorization expected outside of rehearsal time. 

    2. The crew meets twice a week until the show. Sometimes there is extra time, too, for example to hang lights. 

    3. Tech Week is the big commitment, requiring all hands on deck. The dates are set in stone, and it will be a tiring week. 

    4. Expectations are that students attend when called, and also we understand if students have something come up. Communication is key; have students let us know as soon as possible if they will miss something for which they’re called. 

  5. The meeting moved into Question and Answer format. 

    1. Q: Will chorus roles shift? A: Yes, they will get more specifics, including some lines. 

    2. Q: Transportation? A: The AAPS bus pass doesn’t work on weekends, so CET provides bus tokens for students who take the bus. Just let us know.

    3. Q: Other costs? A: The student board organizes things like everyone going to a restaurant downtown. We are happy to provide gift cards for students, buy tickets in advance to things like the orchard trip, and the like. Students can talk with Emily, any member of the student board, or any member of the Booster board for that. 

    4. Q: Will the show be recorded? A: Yes. 

    5. Q: Do others come in and work with the kids? A: Yes. For this show, there will be a fight coordinator, for example. Also a touring production from EMU will perform their abridged version of the show.  

The meeting was adjourned at 6:33 pm. 

Respectfully submitted,

Alisse Portnoy, Secretary