Date:
June 15-16, 2003
Present:
Belgium BASTT
Jerôme Maeckelbergh Rose Werckx
Bulgaria UBA
Kamelia Nikolova
France OSTF
Jean-Pierre Decaudin Michael Day
Germany DthG
Karin Winkelsesser
Hong Kong HKATTS
Rosie Lam Tung Pui-man
Taurus Wah HKAPA
Hungary OPAKFI
Ivan Szabo-Jilek Mihaly Vargha
Japan OISTAT Japan Center
Hideki Nishiyama
Netherlands stichting OISTAT
Eric de Ruijter
OISTAT
Jennifer Walker
New Zealand ind. member
Tolis Papazoglou
Poland Polskie Centrum
Jacek Rybarkiewicz
Sweden OISTAT
Gustaf Kull
UK ABTT
John Faulkner
USA USITT
Bobbi Owen USITT
Regrets for the whole meeting:
Gerhard Berent (OeThG), Gunther Conecny (OeThG), Aglika Stefanova (UBA), Jose Antonio Prades Hung (UNEAC), Nicolae Scarlat (Uniter), Irena Sentevska (YUSTAT), Olle Söderberg (STTF), Richard Hudson (SBTD), David Miller (ABTT).
Regrets 1st day: Tolis Papazoglou.
Regrets 2nd day: Rose Werckx, Karin Winkelsesser, Rosie Lam Tung Pui-man, Taurus Wah, Eric de Ruijter, Jennifer Walker.
1. Welcome and opening remarks
Jerôme thanks the delegates for giving up a part of their precious time at the PQ to attend our meeting. The following themes were discussed at the two meetings of the commission. The notes below constitute a summary of the official minutes, the order is not chronological.
(For the complete minutes, following the original numbering of the agenda, see link below).
2. Running projects
2.1 New Theatre Words
Rosie T. Lam distributes copies of the Chinese New Theatre Words, created by HKATTS there is discussion on how best to promote this, update it and include it in the future of NTW. There are plans for the PCC to create a digital New Theatre Words. Olle Söderberg had previously written a proposal to update NTW. John Faulkner, having worked on the previous version spoke about the amount of work to revise. The question was raised is NTW still selling? Jennifer Walker explained that NTW is one of OISTAT's best assets, it provides OISTAT with steady regular income. OISTAT centres continue to re-order when they run out. For the moment there is sufficient stock, but this should be monitored. Jerome explained the working idea for the revisions of NTW, which would involve sending groups of words via e-mail to those involved for corrections and having the majority of the work done in this fashion.
ACTION: John Faulkner and Jennifer Walker will take up contact with Olle Söderberg, and facilitate moving the proposed NTW Digital Version forward.
2.2 Theatre Atlas
The "theatre atlas"- a database of technical and practical that can be downloaded from the web. Jerôme explains that the ITTGuide hopes to include the theatre Atlas.
2.3 New theatre publication
Karin Winkelsseser presents the "Theatres in 2000" project, a publication of the Architecture Commission, created by the German architect Reinhold Daberto. They are now working on the next edition "Theatres in 2004", and she would like to encourage people to submit new theatres and renovation projects.
ACTION: Karin Winkelsseser will ask Reinhold Daberto to submit information on the project to be put on the website.
2.4 OISTAT website
The OISTAT website is presented. There is now a Website Working Group: Jerôme Maeckelbergh, Gustaf Kull, Eric de Ruijter and Jennifer Walker. There is a new format for the website in development that will use frames to make the website more integrated, easier to maneuver and user friendly. The website is our point of contact with members, but also for strangers. The map page is discussed, with changes to the statutes there can be more than one OISTAT Centre per country. It is agreed that the country names can stay, but when you click on them you will find the organisations in that country.
2.4.1 "Agenda"
The OISTAT Agenda page should contain more information. PCC members should submit events and encourage centres to do the same. There is a page on schools that are interested in international contact, as well as a list of teachers interested in giving lectures around the world. There is also a list of magazines in the fields of OISTAT. The technology page is rich in projects.
Discussion ensues over privacy issues. Currently many contacts on the website list home address and phone #'s. As this is a public forum, we need to be sure that people actually agree to have this information listed. Proposals are made which ensure that information is recorded but not available to the public.
ACTION: Jennifer Walker will send an official letter to all Centres and commission members and request that they fill in the contact information as they would like it to appear on the website. This will include a line that says "if you don't react you agree with the current information posted on the site". Gustaf will continue to code all e-mail addresses.
3. New projects
3.1. ITTguide
Jerôme presents his "ITT Guide" explaining that it could be a potential money making venture for OISTAT. Jerome describes the various features of the guide. Currently in Dutch and English, but working to make it multilingual. The question is raised who uses it? Jerome explains: international theatre suppliers, everybody who works in theatre, suppliers, buildings, and theatre groups. Jerôme hopes to co-operate with existing guides to add to the digital guides. The ITT will be very detailed, useful and constantly updated. However the financing is difficult. Eric de Ruijter reminded that the Governing Board and the delegates at the last PCC meeting had decided that they would observe the further development of the project.
Interested commissions and/or individuals are invited to support Jerôme in his activities.
3.2 OISTAT Publications.
The committee discussed the need for guidelines for individuals interested in publications that used the OISTAT name and/or logo. The members agreed that it would be appropriate to urge the Governing Board to consider creating guidelines. The "Proposal for making publications under OISTAT umbrella" distributed before the meeting by Jerome Maeckelbergh was not used, because Tolis Papazoglou moved, and John Faulkner seconded the following motion: "It is proposed that OISTAT charge a license fee for anyone to use the OISTAT logo on any publication, excluding OISTAT centers. Details would be arranged later." The motion passed unanimously.
3.3 International Designer's Database
Jerôme Maeckelbergh reported that Laura Crow has been working on a database for Costume Designers and he was working on one for designers associated with the PQ, but that there is little additional interest. He was urged to seek assistance with FileMaker via e-mail through OISTAT.
4.0 Work of the PCC
There was an extensive discussion on the work of the PCC and its relationships with other commissions. The lack of concrete projects and the increasingly successful web site have become semi-autonomous. The PCC has not resolved, in this or previous meetings, whether it should initiate projects or service the work of other commissions.
In essence, the discussion centered on whether the PCC should concentrate on its original role in publication, whether in that role it should be an initiating or a servicing body, or whether it could, as a volunteer body with a floating membership, supervise and ensure communication both internal and external of the OISTAT agenda.
The motion put to the meeting, proposed by Bobbi Owen and seconded by John Faulkner was to replace the PCC by two workgroups: one website-workgroup with Jerome Maeckelbergh as interim-chair and one publication-workgroup with Karin Winkelsesser as interim-chair. The groups would require an interim co-ordinator: it was proposed that this should be Eric de Ruijter.
To respond to the concerns about status, a joint meeting, entitled a meeting of the Publications and Communications Commission of OISTAT would be arranged in alternate years.
Subject to the agreement of the Executive Committee, it was further suggested that the workgroups would be sub-commissions to the EC.
The motion was put to the meeting with the following result: in favour of the motion, 7 votes, against the motion, 3 votes, with 1 abstention.
4.1 PCC chair
The meeting then proceeded to elect a further interim Chair to cover the period until the Governing Board has responded to the motion on the future of the PCC. The candidates were Jerôme Maeckelbergh and Eric de Ruijter.
The votes cast were as follows: for Jerôme Maeckelbergh, 6 votes, for Eric de Ruijter, 5 votes. Jerôme Maeckelberg was therefore voted as interim-chair and Eric de Ruijter as interim vice-chair.
5. Next meeting.
No invitation for 2004 has been extended. The members of the committee agreed to meet in Toronto in 2005, during the World Congress. If an invitation is received, Jerôme Maeckelbergh will consult with the members of the committee.
The interim Chair thanked members and other participants for their contributions and closed the meeting.
Minutes respectfully submitted by
Jennifer Walker, OISTAT secretary, NL
Bobbi Owen, PCC member, USA
John Faulkner, PCC member, UK
Summarised by
Karin Winkelsesser
