Attendance:
26 members were present, which made a quorum.
Introduction:
President Zeke McPherson opened the meeting at PM.
Secretary Lexie Payne read the minutes from the last General Membership Meeting on May 15, 2025. Stef made the motion to accept the minutes as read; Robert seconded, and the motion passed.
Treasurer’s Report: Mikayla
Arvest (General): $ 5,045.661
First Financial (Concessions): $1,262.76
Union Bank (Building Fund): $727.68
Edward Jones: $21,749.41
President’s Yearly Report: Zeke McPherson
Zeke opened with the statement that we have had a busy year this year. Many things have happened. Year review.
Benons awards were fun and a big turnout, the setting was amazing
Bill Hays passing in October was a big moment for the OLT, along with the president and Rudi resigning.
“Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” was directed by Jessica Kropp. This brought in amazing talent, old and new, to the stage.
“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr.” was a JOLT production directed by Gini Burt. This was a fun production full of amazing young talent and big energy that brought families into the theatre for more plays in the year.
“Death of a Salesman” directed by Zeke McPherson, was a fantastic drama. The acting was amazing, and the talent really brought the story to life.
“Frozen Jr. “ directed by Kallie Howard, was absolutely fantastic with the sound and effects from the cast and crew.
“Descendants” Directed by Kallie Howard, had a lot of new faces from South Polk County. It was an amazing production filled with great talent, old and young.
“Camelot” is being directed by April Renee Burt this summer, with the anticipation of great performances from the cast.
Fall of 2026 will be “Private Lives” Directed by Drew Philpot and Lexie Payne. The rights are still in the process of being bought.
2027 is an exciting year of new plays yet to be revealed
Zeke encouraged others to join the crew or the cast of the next plays and help the community grow.
Old Business:
Nothing to report
New Business:
A Ballot for constitutional changes and action items was passed around to vote on. Three items were brought to the membership:
- The Ouachita Little Theatre constitution will be amended with the following statement about the use of A. I. Tools in OLT projects
“ The Ouachita Little Theatre and its crew members, volunteers, and leaders refrain from the use of Artificial Intelligence in the generation of any creative components for any projects, media, advertisements, and productions. Thus, the use of generative A.I is prohibited at the OLT in any creative projects, including but not limited to playwriting, music composition, visual artwork, graphic design, photography, photo editing, videography, video editing, sound effect generation, voice-over recording, narration, poster design, t-shirt design, press release, and social media posts.” - The OLT constitution will be amended with the following guidelines concerning the OLT’s recently implemented anti-Discrimination policy
“ At the Ouachtia Little Theatre, every board member, officer, cast member, crew member, and volunteer aged 18 and older must sign their agreement to the OLT’s Anti-Discrimination statement. This agreement indicates their intention to uphold the anti- discrimination policy to the best of their ability. This form is presented to board members and officials at the time of their election and to cast members and crew during the first week of each production. The OLT’s anti-discrimination policy is as follows: The Ouachita Little Theatre stands firmly against discrimination, especially on the grounds of disability, race, nationality, color, age, creed, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation. The OLT strives to guarantee a safe space for all participants and patrons.” - The Olt membership resolves that the 2026 elected board of directors and officers have the authority to remove long-standing decorations and memorabilia from the walls of the Rudolf Timmerman Auditorium. They must also offer ample opportunity for OLT members and supporters to obtain said memorabilia through the likes of a sales event or giveaways.
Zeke opened the floor for discussion on each topic. Number 3 brought up a discussion from multiple people. Julie mentioned that the action was given short notice and should possibly be discussed and thought about with more time. Zeke mentions that we had discussed this in previous board meetings and has been a topic for many months. Chase brought up the safety concerns on some of the pieces on the wall and also the distraction that they cause during a performance, not only the audience but the cast as they perform. Ann mentioned that the theatre being this way brought character; it is also what we have done in the past. When new faces come in, they look in awe. It also has a sense of pride. Zeke stated that these were all great points, but the voting was still needed and would still happen.
Each Item was voted on, and the following are the verdicts:
Item 1: Passed
Item 2: Passed
Item 3: Passed
Zeke discussed moving the annual membership meeting to January so as not to have as many conflicts. High school graduations, performances, and Mother’s Day all in May. This will be adding a constitutional change. A motion was made by Robert Canterbury to change the annual Membership meeting to January of each year. The motion was seconded by Ann Glenn, and the motion was passed.
Tribute:
Rudi was very thankful to everyone naming the auditorium after him; he stated that it was everyone involved that made this theatre what it is today. People in the audience thanked Rudi personally with speeches.
Amanda also thanked Zeke for stepping up to the president’s role when the previous president resigned.
Elections: Chairman Drew Philpot
Election Chairman Drew Philpot oversaw the election of officers. Thanks to him for the necessary preparation this entails.
Officers:
President: Ezekiel McPherson, unopposed, was voted President by acclamation.
Vice-President: Robby Burt, unopposed, was voted President by acclamation.
Secretary: Lexie Payne, unopposed, was voted President by acclamation.
Treasurer: Mikayla Barber, unopposed, was voted President by acclamation.
Board positions:
Those up for Board positions are:
Ann Glenn, April Renee Burt, Doug Sloan, Haley Brodersen, Silas Baker, Sharon Bollmeyer, and Stef Moore
Nominations from the floor: No nominations were brought to the floor.
Voting for five open positions was conducted by secret ballot by OLT members.
Results for the board positions:
Ann Glenn, April Renee Burt, Haley Brodersen, Silas Baker, Linda Johnson, LaDonna Barber, Drew Philpot, Kallie Howard, Amanda Baker, and Alex Night as past president position.
Congratulations to all the elected officials
Adjournment:
Julie made the motion to adjourn the meeting, Linda seconded, and the motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 6:30 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Lexie Payne Secretary