Committee Meeting Minutes: June 17, 2006

American Theatre Critics Association
International Committee

Meeting Minutes

Arden Park Hotel
Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Saturday, June 17, 2006, 5:00 PM EST

Present:

Jonathan Abarbanel
Kerri Allen
Ira Bilowit
Bruce Burgun
Carol Douglass
Marie Kilker
Rita Faye Smith
Philip Stephenson

*Note: Inadvertently, Glenn Loney had not been notified in advance of this meeting. Our apologies to him.

Vice chair Kerri Allen opens the meeting at 5:00 p.m.

Open-forum meeting. No set agenda.

Jonathan states that international committee should be about more than just involvement in IATC. The group discusses connecting with international festivals, universities with developed international dramatic study programs, and foundations that may eventually be able to underwrite travel of ATCA members. The committee is eager to create on online and a tangible resource booklet for the general membership about international productions, travel and publication opportunities.

Different financing options and travel opportunities both here and abroad are discussed. Professional and academic exchange programs, FATCA support, and international foundations are noted. The possibility of getting funds from academic institutions based on various conference subjects is discussed. Having institutions underwrite delivering papers is mentioned, as well as approaching bureaus of tourism and promotional junkets given by ministries and theaters. We note that the NEA should be approached for funding at a future juncture.

In the hopes of keeping the general membership aware and supportive of international activities, Jonathan notes the strength of a large international committee to function as a swing/voting block. Committee member Bruce Burgun is a candidate for the executive committee and we are urged to support him.

The committee seeks to justifying our budget, while making sure to utilize and validate it annually. The international budget, in relation to that of other committees’ budgets, is explored by Ira Bilowit and Jonathan.

The committee questions the need and function of the ExCom liaison position. It is mentioned that in the past, committee chairs themselves were the ExCom liaisons. It is suggested that the current is a redundancy in an organization the size of ATCA.

The next international committee meeting will be held during the mini-conference in New York City, winter 2007. Exact date, location and time are TBA.

Kerri adjourns the meeting at 5:45 p.m.