Minstrel Booking

Please note: I'm having a little trouble with the graphs that usually accompany this report. But I want to get the report out a day before the meeting. I'll follow up with the graphs separately tomorrow if I get them squared away.

December was, as usual, a rather weak month because of the Chorus Song Night, whose attendance is generally about half what we might expect for a regular show. Our average paid attendance was 75.0 for the month, and 55.0 including the Open Stage. For the calendar year 2016, those figures were 92.0 (28 shows) and 74.5 (39 shows) respectively. Financially, the Minstrel lost $304 in February, and netted only $690 for the year. That seems rather low compared to $5,827 for calendar year 2015, even when considering that the Minstrel was carrying its own insurance cost this year. I have not had time to look into that, but wil do so by February.

The only new development outside of normal routine is that MUF has removed the sound panels from the walls of the Meeting Room in preparation for painting and recarpeting. They would prefer not to reinstall them if possible. There sound in the room for the Kennedys' concert last Friday without the panels wasn't bad, but the sound techs said they did have to compensate for a considerably brighter quality to the sound. Perhaps the placement of the built-in speakers makes the change more manageable than it had been with our old speakers on stands onstage. My primary concert would be for acts that desire high monitor levels where the monitor sound might bounce off the back wall for a muddy effect. Mike D, can you please weigh in on this?

New bookings made in December

Feb. 17------------------------ Dave Kleiner & Liz Pagan opening for Carla Ulbrich

May 5-------------------------- Jack Williams

November 17--------------- Joe Jencks

Highlights for January

January 13------------------- The April Verch Band: Fiddling of all styles, singing, and step dancing

January 27------------------- Catch the Tim Grimm family band. Tim is an excellent songwriter for his first time at the Minstrel. He performs with his wife and two sons.

Mike Agranoff