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Table of Contents

Overview

Responsibilities

In general, the chair is responsible for running meetings and keeping an eye on everything happening in the ensembleEnsemble. It is good to either be familiar with most ensemble Ensemble processes or know someone who is. Making sure everyone is doing their job can be tricky at times. Ultimately, you will develop your own style. There is also some advice on this page. First and foremost, remember to be organized and prioritize.

Oversight

There are a lot of processes you will want to be familiar with and keep an eye on: Administrative

Top Priority:

  • Term Show!
  • IAP & Summer Shows
  • Recruitment
  • Room Reservations
  • Finances
  • Event Registrations
  • Director Interviews

Other Administrative:

  • Ensemble Documentation
  • Ensemble History
  • Room Reservations
  • Mailing Lists
  • Event RegistrationEnsemble Calendar
  • Finances
  • Membership Requirements

Other Procedural:

  • Retreat
  • Term Shows
  • Small Shows
  • Large Ensemble Events (Laser Tag, Bowling, Karaoke, Picnic, EnsemBALL, etc.)
  • Community Events (Movie on the Lawn, CAST, etc.)
  • Classes
  • Director Interviews, Play Choice
  • Ensemble Office Cleans
  • Special Projects (Archiving, Splash Class, Sonnets, etc.)

Running Meetings

Be pragmatic. Invite non-officers (events coordinator, show producer, class coordinator, etc.)

Projects

Encouraging Projects
  • Play Choice
  • Office Cleans
  • Social Events
  • Other Ensemble Events
  • Anything else Term Job-related
Term Shows

It is imperative that you select your Producer, SM, and TD carefully. (Note: For the fall show, the email for the Producer should be sent out by the beginning of August.) They will set the attitude for the show. While it can be difficult to be Chair and Producer simultaneously, it is worth considering. Technically, the term show is not your responsibility once a Producer is selected, but it is always good to keep an eye on it. You should be using your knowledge of Ensemble history and your awareness as an officer to predict what could go wrong and make sure the right people have it on their radar. As the chair, you theoretically have access to all the Ensemble's information. The Producer and/or SM might not. You should make sure that communication is open, that people have the resources they need to do their job, and that the Ensemble as a whole is as coordinated as possible.

Meetings

Officer Meetings
  1. At the beginning of each semester, choose a time for weekly officer meetings. Keep in mind that many of the officers may have rehearsals. It's okay to have a temporary meeting time for the first few weeks as folks settle into the semester, a more regular meeting time during the rehearsal process, and a different meeting time after the show. If a meeting needs to be rescheduled for a week, that's okay. If someone needs to miss a meeting, that's okay, too (although you should definitely be there, and if the Secretary can't be there, make sure someone else takes minutes).
  2. Budget 90 minutes for the meeting, but aim for 60 minutes or less. If meetings are consistently running too long, prioritize and try handling simple administrative reminders via email. Some business is better discussed at the weekly production meetings.
  3. Make sure to send a reminder to the Ensemble at least a day before the meeting. Include a rough agenda. You may also want to encourage a specific member to attend if the business pertains to them (e.g. a specific Dirstaff member or Term Job).
  4. It is certainly reasonable to cancel meetings during Tech Week and occasionally reasonable to cancel around holidays or if there is very little business to discuss. Try to avoid canceling two meetings in a row.
BoT, Term Job Assignment, Retreat, EoT
  1. At BoT, review important policy items (DEI, Set Shop, Office Security, membership requirements) and talk about the upcoming show and major events. If you would like, you can set goals for the semester.
  2. Immediately after BoT, assign Term Jobs. Think carefully about these. Giving difficult jobs to responsible people will make your life easier. Assigning Set Shop Master to a responsible person who lives in East Campus is a good idea because proximity for this job is key.
  3. At EoT, recap the show and spear new members. At Fall EoT, get people to find locations for Spring Retreat.
  4. Try to avoid contentious discussion and keep the meetings short, especially BoT and EoT. If there is a tough matter to discuss, try to limit it to just the relevant people.
  5. Retreat should be reserved for discussions which can be productive with a large group.
  6. Even if it has been in the past, Retreat does not need to be long.
  7. Be pragmatic. If you discuss something, try to drive the discussion towards concrete action items.

Advice

Organization

Organization is key. You probably already have your own way of keeping organized, but I recommend keeping a list of everything that needs to get done in the Ensemble (at present) and highlighting those that you need to take action on. Typically, there will be three to five categories of things and three to five tasks in each category. You will probably have three to five things you are directly responsible for at any given time, though if you are spending more than four or five hours a week on Chair responsibilities then you might be doing too much. You can use the list above for inspiration. While some projects may sound fun, they can be difficult Keeping a list of running projects is important. Some projects may sound fun, but will be difficult to in practice. Keep an eye out for these. Make sure people understand how much work they are getting themselves into.

Running Projects

It is your prerogative to say "No." Make sure people in charge of projects various things keep you up to date. Check in with them frequently. If things seem to be are out of control, decrease the their size and scope of the project.

Space Reservations

Regular Reservations

http://web.mit.edu/registrar/www/schedules/not.html

Reservations Priority

IAP Show
Small Shows

Recruitment

Recruiting new members is arguably the most important thing you will do as Chair. You must be a model member of the group. When talking to prospective members, I like to emphasize that we are an entirely undergraduate group and that we hire outside directors that bring a wide spectrum of theater knowledge.

Advertising

Advertising for events can generally fall through the cracks. One thing to always keep in mind is the MIT Events Calendar.

Assigning Jobs

Production Positions

It is imperative that you select your Producer and SM carefully: they will set the attitude for the show. While it is difficult to be Chair and Producer simultaneously, it is worth considering.

Term Jobs

When you assign term jobs, class and events coordinators are arguably the most important. Small show, video, and webmaster are also quite important.

Ensemble Philosophy

Whipping

When people are not doing their jobs, you need to think carefully about your response. Sometimes, a simple email will do the trick and get the person back on track. That said, if the tone needs to get harsh then it is best to do it outside email. There is really no substitute for talking to someone in person. Consider a person in the context of all their commitments to the Ensemble. If they forgot their term job but were diligent in their production position, you might want to let them go depending on the circumstances. If you do need to take action to a person, try to meet with them in person and explain very clearly what happened and understand why it happened and what can be fixed in the futureIf you so desire, it is your prerogative to set a direction and attitude for the ensemble.