Terra Nova Productions

Terra Nova Productions is currently recruiting new Board members to suppliment its excellent core team.  This page contains information that we hope will be useful for perspective Board Members, as well as files to download for further reading.

Interested parties should read through the material, and if not already in contact, contact the company through our email Terra Nova facility above to express interest.

The Company's Status and Purpose

Terra Nova Productions was granted its company status in March 2007.  It is a registered charity and a theatre company, that is to say an arts organisation whose purpose is to advance understanding and appreciation of the arts, and which therefore undertakes to use any profits it makes to continue this mission.  The Company Memorandum goes into this in more detail, and you can download the Memorandum and Articles from our Company Documents page. Because of its charitable status, Terra Nova is required by law to have a volunteer Board of Directors, although its officers and employees may be paid salaries or fees in keeping with industry norms.

The company also has the facility to allow for people to become members who vote at the AGM and elect the board.  Andrea Montgomery and Anthony Toner are members.  Members may work for the company without conflict of interest.

The Company's Vision

Terra Nova Productions was conceived to 'Put the Wonder Back Into the World We All Share'.  It does this via the medium of the performing arts, through projects which engage with other cultures, from a base in Northern Ireland.  The company will take its projects anywhere in the world were engagement and appreciation is possible.  For a sample of current work, browse the Productions and Projects section of this website. 

The projects we are working on in 2011 are All At Once I Saw A Crowd, The Ulster Kama Sutra and The Austen Festival.  All At Once I Saw A Crowd is an environmental piece, involving actors, an animator, a puppeteer, a composer, and several visiting artists from China, Macau and Hong Kong.  We are currently negotiating with a Hong Kong co-producer, Chung Ying Theatre Company. Check out the project pages for more information.

Realising the Vision

Terra Nova Productions is growing and developing.  The Company is led by founder and Artistic Director Andrea Montgomery.  You can read about her track record at www.andreamontgomery.net and her biography is below.  Ms Montgomery is currently paid on a project-by-project basis, as are other key personnel, such as producers, education workshop leaders etc.  Elizabeth Murphy is scheduled to join the company on a free-lance basis as producer in 2010 - her biography is below.

Our aim is to develop the Company to the point where a core administrative team is permanently employed, while project artists and team members continue to be hired as and when necessary.  With such a lean structure, the role of the Board is especially important, and sub-committee work in key areas of expertise is vital. 

Terra Nova Productions aims to grow its Board to a minimum of six by the end of 2010.  You can read about other members on our Board page.

The Role of the Board

The Terra Nova Board aims to work at the level of policy, strategy and advice.  We recommend the J A Sonnenfeld 2002 article in HBR What Makes Great Boards Great - Terra Nova Productions aspires to a great Board.

The Board has an important role to play as ambassadors and advocates on behalf of the company.  The Board are requested to take an active role in the fundraising activities of the company by supporting and championing efforts to secure a wide rage of funding from: government agencies, grants and trusts, to commercial sponsorship and good old fashioned 'fundraising activities'. 

 As the company develops through 2010-2011 Board members can expect to assist in the development of the company's business and fundraising plans.

Finance

Annual financial projections and budgets are currently prepared by the Artistic Director for Board approval.  Board members have prior sight of budgets submitted with any funding application.  Working in partnership with Treasurer Philip White, quarterly financial updates are now being prepared and presented by the Artistic Director at Board meetings. 

Insurance

The Company is properly insured, carrying Board Indemnity through Hiscox, and both Employer's and Public Liability insurance through Zurich.  Copies of the current insurance documents are available on request.

Board Obligations - Documentation & Participation

Board members are required to provide Terra Nova Productions with a register of their interests.  We also hold the address, telephone number and date-of-birth for all Board members.  Board members are required to attend as many as possible of our 5 - 8 Board meetings per annum, and to likewise attend our AGM.  The last AGM was held on 6th Feb 2010. 

Board meetings are as efficient and functional as possible, with agendas and papers provided several days in advance.  Much of subsequent Board involvement happens at more informal sub-committee meetings and email exchanges, where id members provide expertise on areas they know well and are interested in.

Our company documents provide clear guidelines on voting procedures, and explain how Board members should handle any conflicts of interest arising during their work with the company.

Board members need to be familiar with the company's equal opportunity policy and its PCVA policy.