INTRODUCTION
Every Registered Student Organization at the University of Massachusetts is required to follow a specific constitution. This constitution shall be up for review and amendments once every two years.
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of the organization shall be: The University of Massachusetts Theatre Guild, abbreviated as UMTG.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
To provide a practical learning environment committed to facilitating student-run, theater-oriented experiences for UMass students, Five-College students and community members.
ARTICLE III: GOALS
UMTG will provide a social forum for theater-related discussions and activities including the production of one musical and one play each semester.
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Equal Opportunity
Membership in UMTG shall be open to anyone in the Five-College area regardless of sex, creed, religion, race, sexual orientation or physical or mental ability.
Section 2: Voting Membership
Voting members of UMTG are UMass undergraduates who:
o attend at least two-thirds of the bi-weekly UMTG general body meetings AND
o attend one load-in or load-out of a UMTG show in the current semester.
o have upheld all artistic team or cast contracts entered into in the current semester
Voting membership qualifies persons to vote in any UMTG election or voting meeting. Voting membership is at the discretion of the Executive Board and in the case of a legitimate conflict an exception may be made.
Section 3: General Membership
General members of UMTG are those who:
o are not UMass undergraduates OR
o are UMass undergraduates who have not fulfilled the requirements to be granted voting rights.
General members may:
o audition and perform in productions
o hold positions on an Artistic Team
o propose amendments to the constitution
o nominate shows for consideration
General members may not vote in UMTG elections and voting meetings. However, UMass undergraduates may petition the Executive Board for voting membership at UMTG elections and voting meetings if they were unable to fulfill voting membership criteria for a legitimate reason.
ARTICLE V: EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1: The Executive Board
UMTG voting membership shall elect an executive board consisting of: one Chairperson, one Musical Producer, one Play Producer, one Secretary, and one Treasurer. These positions are open to UMTG members that are UMass undergraduates. All Executive Board members shall uphold the UMTG Constitution, attend rehearsals for both productions at least once a week, meet regularly with the UMTG advisor(s) and attend all general body meetings. Executive Board positions last one academic year, elections are held in the spring prior to that year. If an Executive Board position is not filled additional elections may be held as necessary. If a position cannot be filled the Executive Board as a whole must take on the responsibilities of that position. No member of the UMTG Executive Board shall be cast in any UMTG production.
Section 2: Chairperson
The Chairperson is responsible for:
o initiating all group activities and program development processes
o facilitating membership meetings
o maintaining membership morale
o scheduling rooms for meetings, auditions, rehearsals, and all other UMTG events
o meeting regularly with the UMTG advisor(s)
o acting as the representative of the UMTG to the UMass campus and outside community
o working with the Treasurer on budgetary matters
o upholding and maintaining the UMTG constitution
The Chairperson has signature responsibility.
Section 3: Producers
The Musical Producer and Play Producer are each responsible for:
o acting as a liaison among cast members, artistic team members, and any other persons involved in his/her production
o creating and maintaining a time line for his/ her production
o hiring and overseeing his/her production’s artistic team
o overseeing his/her production’s audition process
o holding weekly Artistic Team meetings for his/her production
o ensuring that every cast member signs the UMTG cast contract
o ensuring that every artistic team member signs the UMTG artistic team contract
o enforcing the provisions of cast contracts and artistic team contracts
o working with the treasurer to allocate each production’s budget among the artistic team and monitor that funds are spent appropriately
o holding “20 Minutes” during his/her production’s rehearsal time on a weekly basis to check in with the production’s cast
o attending rehearsal for his/her production at least twice a week
o performing the duties of any Artistic Team position that is either in need of a replacement or cannot be filled
Section 4: Secretary
The Secretary is responsible for:
o working with the Chairperson to coordinate administrative duties
o keeping track of attendance at general body meetings
o keeping track of voting membership
o reporting to the UMTG membership via electronic mailings
o planning, with the Treasurer, the Coffeehouse, New York Trip, and banquet
Section 5: Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for:
o keeping track of all UMTG funds and financial records
o submitting purchase orders and SASP requests, and conducting all other financial transactions
o allocating the UMTG’s annual budget among the productions, Coffeehouses, New York Trips, banquet and any other expenses
o working with the producers to allocate each production’s budget among the artistic team and monitor that funds are spent appropriately
o working with the UMTG advisor to create a budget proposal for budget hearings each spring
o planning, with the Secretary, the Coffeehouse, New York Trip, and banquet
The Treasurer has signature responsibility.
ARTICLE VI: THE ARTISTIC TEAM
Section 1: The Artistic Team
For each production, there will be one Artistic Team, which will create the artistic concepts and participate in their execution.
The Artistic Team for each production will consist of the positions of: Artistic Director, Vocal Director (musical only), Rehearsal Pianist (musical only), Choreographer (musical only), Musical Director (musical only), Stage Manager, Technical Director, Set Designer, Scenic Artist, Lighting Designer, Sound Designer, Costume Designer, Hair and Make-Up Designer, Publicity Coordinator, Master Carpenter and Dramaturge. The Producer may add other Artistic Team positions at his/her discretion. All artistic team positions last one semester.
The members of the Artistic Team for each given production (with the exception of Artistic Director) are appointed by that show’s Producer and are subject to the approval of the Executive Board. Each production’s Artistic Team attends weekly meetings with its Producer.
The Executive Board shall select the Artistic Directors for the following semester’s productions during the semester preceding the production. The Chairperson, the Producer of the show for which the applicant is being interviewed, and at least one other Executive Board member must be present at all interviews for Artistic Director.
Section 2: The Casting Board
The casting board for the musical shall consist of the Artistic Director, Vocal Director, Choreographer, Chairperson, Musical Producer and any others chosen at the discretion of the Musical Producer. The casting board for the play shall consist of the Director, Chairperson, Play Producer and any others chosen at the discretion of the Play Producer. No member of a given production’s casting board may audition to be cast in that production.
Section 3: Other Staff Positions
Any other staff position shall be appointed by the appropriate member(s) of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VII: VOTING AND ELECTIONS
Section 1: Executive Board Elections
Written nominations for the Executive Board will be taken from the UMTG general membership. Any UMASS undergraduate may nominate himself/herself.
UMTG members may hold any Executive Board position for as many terms as they are elected
A quorum of two-thirds of the UMTG voting membership must be present in order for Executive Board elections to occur. If there is no quorum, the Executive Board may vote to either proceed with the meeting as planned or reschedule an emergency voting meeting.
The procedure for the election meeting shall be as follows:
o The meeting shall begin with the Secretary’s reading of the names of that semester’s voting members, after which the Executive Board will hear general members’ petitions for voting membership.
o The Chairperson shall explain the election procedure to the membership when the meeting begins.
o Executive Board elections shall be conducted in the following order: Chairperson, Musical Producer, Play Producer, Treasurer, and Secretary.
o Before the election for each given Executive Board position, that position’s incumbent shall present a description of his/her position to the membership.
o For each of the five Executive Board positions, each candidate, in alphabetical order by last name, will be given a ten-minute opportunity to present himself/herself to the voting membership.
o After each presentation there shall follow a question-and-answer period, during which time the membership may present questions to the candidate. Persons who wish to speak must raise their hand and wait to be recognized by the Chairperson. The Chairperson shall recognize them in order of who raised their hand first. The Secretary shall keep a written list of this order.
· The Chairperson may cut a speaker off if that person's question has already been asked.
· The question and answer period shall last ten minutes and will be terminated by the Treasurer. After the question-and-answer period is terminated, anyone who is still on the list will not be allowed to speak.
o A discussion shall follow the question-and-answer period for each candidate. Anyone is allowed to state opinions and points of information about the candidate. Persons who wish to speak must raise their hand and wait to be recognized by the Chairperson. The Chairperson shall recognize them in order of who raised their hand first. The Secretary shall keep a written list of this order.
· Comments may be no more than one minute long and must end when the Treasurer calls time.
· The Chairperson may cut a speaker off if that person's comment has already been made.
· There shall be permitted no comments that present any comparison between the candidate currently under discussion and any other candidate running for the same position.
· The discussion period for each candidate shall last ten minutes and will be terminated by the Treasurer. After the discussion period is terminated, anyone who is still on the list will not be allowed to speak.
o During the election for each given position, no candidate running for that position may be present in the meeting room except during his/her presentation and during his/her question-and-answer period.
o Voting for each given position shall take place after all candidates running for that position have presented.
· A secret ballot vote shart determine an election's results. Each voting member present must submit a ballot for either one of the candidates or “No Vote” in order for a candidate to be elected. A candidate must receive a majority of the votes to win the election.
· In the event of a tie, the candidate with the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated from the list of candidates. A revote shall follow.
o The Executive Board shall resolve any problems that occur during the nomination and voting process.
Section 2: Show Nominations
Selection of the next semester's production will take place during the previous semester and will be scheduled by the Executive Board.
The selection process begins with the opening of show nominations. Anyone may nominate a show. A show is officially nominated when a written nomination form is submitted to the Executive Board within the nomination period.
After the closing of the nomination period the Executive Board shall hold an elimination meeting that will determine the three to five musicals and three to five plays that will be presented to the membership for voting.
o At least four of the five Executive Board members must be present at the elimination meeting. Each Producer must be present at nominations for his/her respective show.
o Any UMTG member may attend the elimination meeting. For each show nominated, one representative must be present to answer all questions regarding aspects of the show.
· The representative may be the nominator of the show.
· The representative must be knowledgeable about the show.
· If there is no representative present, the show will automatically be eliminated from the list of nominated shows.
o The Executive Board must present three to five musicals and three to five plays to the membership for the final vote.
o The Executive Board shall use a number system to rank the nominated shows and the top three to five musicals and three to five plays shall be presented to the membership.
The procedure for the elimination meeting shall be as follows:
o The Chairperson shall explain the elimination procedure to the membership when the meeting begins.
o The Executive Board will evaluate the nominated shows by category (Play or Musical), and in alphabetical order, by show title, within those categories.
o The representative for each show shall present it to the Executive Board, after which the Executive Board may ask questions about the show for clarification. After the presentation has been made and any questions have been answered, the Executive Board shall assign scores in each category.
· Each Executive Board member shall assign a number value for each show based on how strong it is in the following categories. The categories and definitions are flexible. The Executive Board may choose to rework them, as they deem necessary.
Ø Technical Feasibility: An evaluation of whether the group has the economical capability for tech, technical staff, designers and other resources necessary to produce a show. (Possible points: 0-5)
Ø Costume Feasibility: An evaluation of whether the group has the economical capability for costumes, costuming staff, designers and other resources necessary to create the costumes for a show. (Possible points: 0-5)
Ø Vocal Feasibility (if applicable): An evaluation of whether the group has the raw vocal talent, vocal training staff, vocal directors and other resources necessary to produce a show. (Possible points: 0-5)
Ø Dance Feasibility (if applicable): An evaluation of whether the group has the raw dancing talent, dance training staff, choreographers, and other resources necessary to produce a show. (Possible points: 0-5)
Ø Orchestral Feasibility (if applicable): An evaluation of whether the group has the resources to play the show and accompany rehearsals, orchestral training staff, musical directors and other resources necessary to produce a show. (Possible points: 0-5)
Ø Publicity Opportunity: An evaluation of whether the show will draw enough of an audience both on the UMass campus and in the community to make producing a show a worthwhile experience both financially and educationally. (Possible points: 0-5)
Ø Cast Opportunity: An evaluation of whether a show's cast offers an equal opportunity for a large number of members to learn and participate. (Possible points: 0-5)
Ø Cast and Crew Experience: An evaluation of whether a show is a reasonable, feasible challenge that will be a positive experience for all who are involved and whether it will provide good learning opportunities and creative chances for a wide number of cast and crew members. (Possible points: 0-10)
Ø Guild Benefit: An evaluation of whether a show will help the UMTG succeed in its mission and move forward as a result of the show’s challenges, learning experiences, message(s), and/or ability to involve members of the community. (Possible points: 0-10)
o After all shows have been presented and scored, each show’s numerical value will be summed, and the Treasurer shall determine the mean of the Executive Board members’ total scores. Only the top three to five plays and three to five musicals will be presented to the membership for the final vote.
o Any show that is assigned a zero in any category by any Executive Board member will automatically be eliminated.
Section 3: Show Voting
A quorum of two-thirds of the UMTG voting membership must be present in order for Executive Board elections to occur. If there is no quorum, the Executive Board may vote to either proceed with the meeting as planned or reschedule an emergency voting meeting.
The procedure for the Show Voting meeting shall be as follows:
o The meeting shall begin with the Secretary’s reading off the names of that semester’s voting members, after which the Executive Board will hear general members’ petitions for voting membership.
o The shows shall be presented by category (Play and Musical), and voting for each given category shall occur after all the shows for that category have been presented. The order of these categories shall be determined by the Executive Board.
o In alphabetical order, by show title, each show’s representative(s) shall a present a synopsis of, the nomination form for, and/or any other information about the show. The presentation shall last no more than ten minutes.
o After each presentation, there shall follow a question-and-answer period that must be focused only on gathering information about the show. It is the responsibility of the Chairperson to assure this focus, refusing to floor opinions and other biased comments. Persons who wish to speak must raise their hand and wait to be recognized by the Chairperson. The Chair shall recognize them in order of who raised their hand first. The Secretary shall keep a written list of this order.
· The Chairperson may cut a speaker off if that person's question has already been asked.
· The question and answer period will last fifteen minutes and will be terminated by the Treasurer. After the question-and-answer period is terminated, anyone who is still on the list will not be allowed to speak.
o A discussion shall follow the question-and-answer period for each show. Anyone is allowed to state opinions and points of information about the show. Persons who wish to speak must raise their hand and wait to be recognized by the Chairperson. The Chair shall recognize them in order of who raised their hand first. The Secretary shall keep a written list of this order.
· Comments must be no more than one minute long and end when the Treasurer calls time.
· The Chairperson may cut a speaker off if that person's comment has already been made.
· There shall be permitted no comments that present any comparison between the show currently under discussion and any other show that is being presented to the membership for voting.
· The discussion period for each show will last ten minutes and will be terminated by the Treasurer. After the discussion period is terminated, anyone who is still on the list will not be allowed to speak.
o A Pro/Con debate shall follow the discussion period for each show.
· The first person to be recognized by raising his/her hand has thirty seconds to comment on a Pro of the given show.
· The next person to be recognized has thirty seconds to comment on a Con of the given show.
· The Pro/Con debate procedure shall repeat until the show has three Pros and three Cons
o A summary Pro/Con debate shall occur after all nominated shows in a given category have been presented.
· The summary begins when the Chairperson announces the first show in alphabetical order by title.
Ø The first person to be recognized by raising his/her hand has thirty seconds to comment on a Pro of the given show.
Ø The next person to be recognized has thirty seconds to comment on a Con of the given show.
Ø The Pro/Con debate procedure shall repeat until the show has three Pros and three Cons
Ø After the Pro/Con summary for the each show, the Chairperson will announce the show as closed and repeat the Pro/Con procedure for the next nominated show until each show been summarized.
o When the summary is complete, ballots will be given to voting members.
· If more than three shows are presented for the final vote, the voting membership will vote on which show it DOES NOT want to see UMTG produce.
Ø This vote must pass by a majority.
Ø The show that is chosen as the least liked show is removed from the final list of shows.
Ø This process repeats until there are only three finalists shows.
· When there are three finalist shows, the group votes on which show it DOES want to produce. The final show is decided by which show receives the most votes.
· In the event of a tie between the two shows with the highest number of votes, the show with the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated, and a revote between the two remaining shows shall follow.
o After determining the show for the next semester, the voting membership must choose an alternate show, which shall be produced if, for any reason, the first show chosen cannot be produced.
· The voting membership shall vote among the two remaining shows. The show that receives the most votes shall be the alternate.
ARTICLE VIII: REMOVAL AND AMENDMENTS
Section 1: Removal
Any Executive Board member who does not act in the best interest of the UMTG may be removed from his/her office by a majority vote of the voting membership.
In the event of an Executive Board member’s removal, the remaining Executive Board officers must step in to fill the role until a new officer can be elected from the UMTG membership. The removed officer must be replaced within two academic weeks.
Section 2: Amendments
Any member of UMTG may present a complaint, issue or procedural change in the form of a petition, with the signatures of at least ten UMTG members, to any member of the Executive Board. The petition shall be presented to the general membership within two academic weeks of its submission.
Amendments to the UMTG Constitution may be proposed by the above process.
The Executive Board may propose amendments to the constitution at any time without obtaining signatures.
Proposed amendments passed by a majority of the voting membership shall become part of the UMTG Constitution.
Section 3: Executive Authority
The Executive Board, by unanimous vote, may overturn decisions made by the voting membership if that decision is not within the guidelines of the Constitution and/or is not in the best interest of the UMTG according to the Constitution.
