The Little is seeking members to get actively involved in helping to run our theatre. In normal times, the theatre is run by a committee of elected trustees, each of whom has a team of active members working to implement changes and improve the way that the organisation runs. The last two years has seen those teams fall away, as obviously scope for active involvement was curtailed by Covid.
We are now looking for members to step up and get involved in several areas. You don’t particularly need to have prior experience, just a willingness to learn and put in some time. So here’s what we need:
Facilities team (4 team members): this team looks after the theatre’s building. Everything from decoration to damp, toilets to tiles, telephones to t’internet… with an ageing building there’s always something that needs to be fixed, upgraded or changed, and there are always plans to improve our patrons’ experience whenever money allows. [Trustee: Martin Scott]
Marketing team (4 team members): this team sells our shows to the public, getting the word out via social media, brochures, posters, press coverage, advertising… by any means available. If you’re happy in the Twitter-verse or of the Instagram generation, then there’s a job for you. Similarly, if you like to talk to people and convince them to cover our shows in their publication, then step up! [Trustee: Jeremy Thompson]
Membership team (4 team members): this team looks after our members, making sure that they are informed about what’s going on, that there are occasions to get together, and that every member knows about opportunities for involvement. [Trustee: Jackie Caunt]
Production planning team (6 team members): the theatre’s own productions are planned up to 18 months in advance, with this team deciding which shows to stage and when. Choosing a season that will have something for different tastes while remaining commercial is tricky, so there’s a lot of work involved in reading plays! Then the shows have to be implemented… [Trustee: Joe Middleton]
Backstage co-ordination team (7 team members): this team is slightly different to the others in that each member has an area of responsibility of their own, looking after Prompting; Properties; Lighting; Sound; Stage (2 members); and one member with general responsibility. [Trustee: Andy Crooks]
The various teams will meet regularly to discuss areas of interest and concern, and to allocate tasks to team members. All team members are expected to be active, rather than just ‘being on a committee’… in fact, there’s a general desire to keep committee meetings to a minimum so that the time members have can be spent ‘doing’ things in their team for the theatre.
Technically, team members are elected, with the number of vacancies on each team as above. In practice, and especially at the moment, trustees can also co-opt additional team members if there are more candidates than posts available… with audiences down and money tight, we need as much help as possible at the moment to run the theatre – we aren’t going to be turning willing volunteers away!
If you want to know more about any of the opportunities for involvement, then please contact the relevant trustee (emails are above). To put yourself forward for a team, then download and complete this form.
