Finance & Reputation
Due to an unsuccessful funding application and a low turnover of ticket sales, the diverse London theatre is under financial strain and will need to dip into its reserves. There is the opportunity to receive CSR sponsorship from a private company. The company is offering £50,000 which will able the theatre to continue its free classes for ‘at risk’ young people in the area over the summer. The relatively unknown logo will go onto the website, programs and flyers. The British company, BAE, specializes in multinational defence, security, and aerospace technology. Its arms trade revenue was $22.9 billion in 2018.
Does the board authorise the sponsorship?
Staff & Operations
The new Artistic Director/CEO (AD) has put forward a strong case for a staff restructure. This would include making the Executive Director (ED) position redundant. After many efforts to retrain and support the ED, the AD doesn’t feel she can continue to justify the position and wants to bring in someone she feels would be more beneficial to the theatre in the new position of Senior Producer.
The ED has worked for the company 27 years and is a founding member. He is 61 and approaching retirement age which may make it difficult for him to secure another job. For every year he gets closer to retirement he will need to receive a larger redundancy package.
Does the board support the AD’s decision?
Organisational Reputation
It’s February 2020 and news of a Covid 19 lockdown has hit. Our PAYE members of staff will be switched onto the furlough scheme, as advised by the government, and all working from home with immediate effect. We have a regional tour booked from early March – mid May 2020 which includes 5 venues across the UK. We have contracted the freelance crew and the actors (a company of 6) as well as verbally committed to 3 creative learning facilitators to run wrap around workshops with local schools (but their written contracts have yet to be drawn up).
Do we the board agree to honour the commitment and pay the creatives despite the tour being cancelled? And if so, which ones? Or do we encourage all freelance staff to wait for the government to announce a scheme of support for the self-employed?
