Oral Presentation Tuesday 31st Jan

Well we have come to the end of this course. A lot of learning has taken place during the past year and a half. Unfortunately I was unable to make the campus session as I am currently in the United States, however for those who took my survey and are interested in my findings here is the link to the Prezi I made. I found this to be a great online tool in giving a more artistic presentation.

Check it out at:

http://prezi.com/magwhxsvwayo/present/?auth_key=asbtcc3&follow=pspnw-dbke3p

Congratulations to all Module 3'ers!

Harvard Referencing Aid

I am currently trying to write my Bibliography and References used ensuring I am using the correct Harvard referencing system. My sister pointed me to a useful online tool called the Harvard Reference Generator to reference Books, E-mails, Journals and Websites. You just enter all the information regarding the source you have used and it creates the reference in the correct form. It certainly helps speed this process up. Hope you find it useful!

http://www.neilstoolbox.com/bibliography-creator/index.htm

Professional Artefact

PROFESSIONAL ARTEFACT

My initial thoughts into my professional artefact included:
- New, Updated showreel that included clips of Choreography I have done this year
- Small booklet giving tips to business owners on starting-up a company
- Slideshow on the pitfalls that can lead to business failure
I understand that the artefact should not be the start of something new but should help us in our professional practice. I have recently been in discussions with a couple of ex-employees and the owner of the theatre as there is a new investor interested in buying the building and investing into a new show. I have been approached for my ideas for a new show and put together a brief. We have also brainstormed ideas for a new name of the theatre and had graphic designer design some new logos, which we approved. The investor has recently shot down 3 show ideas from a producer in Vegas. He is looking for something new, creative and original that isn't already in the area. We have a chance coming up to present our ideas to the investor.



Therefore, for my professional artefact I would like to submit two pieces.The first part will be the planning, initial ideas and development for a new theatre. My inquiry has studied business failure and what went wrong for the company. The planning and development section of my artefact will summarise the results of my inquiry and how I came to the ideas for the new business and why.
This will include:
- Brainstorms of ideas
- Summary of inquiry results
- Organisation structure ideas
- Photographs, Logos, Graphic Designs
- Market studies
- Magazine articles, video or website links
- 3 year financial plan
- Resumes of key managers/performers

The second part of the artefact will be a business plan for the new theatre. This will be a work in progress as any business plan must constantly be adjusted to the economy, market, area etc. It will include the following elements:
- A summary of the overall plan and history of the theatre
- Market analysis showing the target market, competition, media we will use to target customers
- Company description about the nature of the business, why it will be a success and our target audience
- Organisation and Management on how I feel the company should be structured from results of inquiry
- Marketing ideas and strategies
- Description of new show ideas in detail
- Description of logos and graphic designs that have been created
- Summary of the 3 year financial plan that the accountant has devised

Although the theatre closing was very upsetting and bad for my dance career it has pushed me to start thinking further about career transition and  has given me the chance to study the business side of the industry and setting up a new company. I have still been able to conduct and undergo an inquiry which although it was not what I had initially planned I feel will help develop my career further. I lost my job as Dance Captain and Dancer however, out of that I have been able to get involved with creating a brand new production. The reason I decided to take the BAPP course was to aid me when it came to making a career transition.  Even if the investor decides not to take our idea, I feel that producing this plan gives me a piece of work to present to future investors or employers, whilst also developing my business skills that an Arts Manager requires.

Career Transition and Theatre Management Survey- PLEASE COMPLETE!!

CALLING ALL BAPP STUDENTS!!!!!

This is a quick 10 question survey as part of my inquiry into theatre survival and career transition into arts management. Please take just 5mins out of your day to complete this and pass it onto anyone else in your professional community via Facebook or E-mail. I am looking to get a LARGE amount of responses.

Thank you!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SWX8T9T

1st Draft Due Date?!?

Does anyone know the date when our first draft is due? I thought I read that for Paula's group it was Monday 14th November and just wanted to confirm whether this is correct or not? Also, should this be the whole 6000 words or just what we have so far.

I am currently working on editing my introduction and writting my Evaluation of my Inquiry Process. I have also created a new survey for BAPP members and their network of dancers/performers to complete, which I will post soon.

Hope everyone is doing well. I have been so preoccuiped with my personal life over the past 2 weeks that I havent had time to do much. However, I am now ready to knuckle down and get my inquiry on paper.

Module 3: where I am at

In regards to Paula's recent blog Module 3 Blogging I thought it very useful to post where I am currently at in my inquiry.

Title: (Need some feedback on this as I fear it may be too long?)

How/why/can theatres survive the current downfall in the economy?
What skills must an arts manager posess to manage a successful company?
How can artists successfully transition from stage to management?

Inquiry Questions and Topic
My Inquiry is looking into what led to the downfall of the theatre I worked at. What went wrong, or happened in management and how could this have been prevented. I hope to look at the current national and international scene in theatres and compare what happened to other theatres. To look at business failure and compare some of these issues with the issues the theatre faced. I plan to find out what skills an arts manager needs to run a successful theatre company. What skills do Dance managers need? To look into career transition from performer to manager and how you can make a smooth transition.

Ethical Issues
Due to some law suits I have decided to make all participants from the theatre anonymous in the interviews and surveys they complete. I had gained permission for my inquiry back in May, however now the theatre is closed I have no way of gaining permission for any further inquiry. May need to discuss this matter with Paula.

Literature Review
Should this be just one piece of literature when it comes to writing the inquiry? So far I have reviewed 2 articles that related to my inquiry. I have also order a book, which I think will be of interest. It is called 'Hermanisms: Axioms for Business and Life' by John L. Herman Jr. I found this through reading his blog Hermanisms. He has owned more than 20 companies and his book is about what you can learn from a business failure and how it may be of much value to you.

Gathering Data
So far I have done a survery using Survey Monkey for ex-employees of the theatre entitled Why small businesses fail and so far have 9 responses. I have conducted 2 interviews with ex-employees, that were videotaped for my own record to analyse. One was the accountant which was conducted at his house and one was with one of the lead performers at my house. It was interesting as already I have two very different perspectives from someone who worked in the office to someone who was onstage. I have some more interviews set up this coming week. I also have started a new Facebook page to discuss issues with ex-employees and my inquiry called Arts Management CMT.

Analysing Data
To analyse my interviews I will need to review the videotapes and make notes. I will present any comments in my inquiry with quotation makes and use the Harvard citation for the source of the quote. In order to ensure anonymity, I plan to identify each participant using a letter and number, E1 (employee 1) or P1 (participant 1) for those people not affiliated with the theatre.
Survey Monkey allows me to easily analyse my results. It shows me a summary of the results from my survey giving a number of respondants, percents and response counts for each questions. It presents the data using bar graphs or table formats depending on the question. As many of my questions are on a rating scale I am currently researching the best way to convert the results into statistics.

New SIG Discussion

Hi guys,

I would like to start using the Facebook SIG to discuss various topics and thoughts with you that regard my inquiry. I found this a useful tool last term and think it will help me to develop my thoughts with a wide range of professionals.

I have just started a new discussion on the Arts Management thread on our BAPP Facebook page regarding budgeting in theatre companies. Please join and let me know your thoughts even if this may not be specific to your inquiry. I would like to hear your opinion.

Thanks!