My notes on the SALVA AGM

SALVA may not mean much to some of you but it is the controlling body of the theatre. It produces most of the plays seen there. Some productions come in from outside groups ( and it's a great way to visit the Costa del Sol) and SALVA will then be the local producer. It holds the lease of the theatre.
FOTA's history goes back along way (another time) but now we support the work of the theatre by fundraising and in what follows it's worth remembering that this year FOTA has given the theatre 19,000 euros partly because of a near emergency over the financial stability of SALVA.

At the meeting we were told that Lynn and Eddie Barnett (all names are on the SALVA Board unless otherwise stated) were sorting out legal problems, especially with regard to employment matters. As the theatre has grown with more and more productions, paid staff have become necessary. This has been the case for some time and now job descriptions and a proper contract setting out their parameters have been prepared.
Lynn and Eddie were also working closely with directors to prepare and monitor budgets for productions much more vigorously. They had examined production costs over the last two years to try to produce guidelines and this was described as a 'work in progress'. This was all necessary because the past year had been the best ever at the box office but had only produced a modest profit - hence FOTA's decision to hand over so much money.

There were no contests for the places on the Board which were due for re-election and the one vacancy was filled by Lynn Halliday, our Vice-president.

When Any Other Business came along it began with Sweelan Ford(non Board) asking if anything special would be done to celebrate 25 years of the theatre. She then volunteered to produce a booklet and calendar (see last post).

The cost control exercise took up some more time with it becoming more apparent that greater clarity in organisation structure and control was a significant need.

Lizz Freeman asked whether there were too many shows being put on since there was a limited pool of performers. No decision was taken.

A question was put about tickets being ordered and not picked up or paid for. A credit card system was not considered a good idea so I hope that no FOTA member does this !

The loop system for the hard of hearing is out of action at the moment and this is because the system seems to be incompatible with the theatre's current sound system. Howard John will try to find a way round this.

The meeting ended with a presentation and thanks to John Mack who is leaving the post of Treasurer after 19 years.