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NAME, AIMS, OBJECTIVES

1. The full title of the Society shall be the Chorlton Players

2. The principle objective of the society will be to mount theatrical productions in accord with the educational, cultural and social interests of members. The ancillary aims of the society will be to organise workshops, theatre visits and any other events that permit members to explore their interest in the performing arts.

3. The society shall encourage excellence in acting, directing, playwriting, producing, stage management, set design, properties, costume, make-up, lighting and sound, and any other areas of theatrical activity of interest to members.

 

COMMITTEE AND OFFICERS

4. The society shall be governed by a committee, which shall consist of a Chair, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Social Secretary, a Stage Manager, a Front of House Manager, a Publicity Officer, a Membership Officer and additional officers as appropriate up to a maximum of ten. All of these officers shall be elected by and from the membership of the Society.

5. The Chair shall: Oversee all aspects of the running of the Society; Chair committee meetings and the AGM; Call for submissions for plays in a timely manner.

6. The Secretary shall: Deal with any correspondence received by post or through the website; Arrange all meetings of the society, keep minutes of those meetings, and publish and distribute them to all members as appropriate; Book all production dates with St Werburgh’s Hall and post these to the members calendar, and to the committee by email; Co-ordinate the booking and cancellation of any hall dates; Take over the role of chair in the interim if the chair resigns.

7. The Treasurer shall: Manage the Society’s accounts, ensuring all Society expenses are reimbursed and external services paid for within a timely manner; Control expenditure within the Society, with the authority to approve budgeted purchases and delegate authority to other members within limits pre-approved by the Committee; Alert the Committee of any financial risks to the Society as they arise; Ensure sufficient insurance policies are in place to safeguard the Society, its members and its assets; Keep proper records of the Society’s financial transactions in accordance with current accepted accounting rules and practices; Make all records, procedures and accounts available on request to the Committee; Will, in collaboration with the Membership Secretary, ensure members’ subscriptions are valid and up to date.

8. The Social Secretary shall: Keep the Society informed of any activities connected to the arts in the local area; Arrange any trips or parties in which the Society may be interested; Book the venue and organise the theme of the annual Christmas Party in December.

9.  The Stage Manager shall: Provide advice to the committee and to members regarding the theatrical aspects of productions; Liaise with the secretary to book in advance 2/3 hall clearout dates per year and advertise these as appropriate; Liaise with the stage manager for each production to ensure stage and room are left tidy and refer them to the stage management handbook; Liaise with the Technical Manager for any relevant repairs and ensure these are carried out and stage areas are safe; Keep stage supplies stocked.

10. The Front of House Manager shall: Take general control of the front of house area, including the toilet facilities and the seating and refreshments areas; To ensure that a society member with a Designated Premises Licence is in place in order to enable bar sales; ,  Ensure that the rules and regulations regarding sales of alcoholic beverages are adhered to; To seek and appoint assistants for each show to help with the laying out of the seating and serving refreshments for each show; To provide a box office service on show nights.

11. The Publicity Officer shall: Ensure timely publicity of plays, current and upcoming; Liaise with local press and websites to publicise upcoming productions; Create Facebook events for auditions and plays; Work with directors and producers to create play posters for distribution by the production team; Advise on the various deadlines for submissions of posters and articles; To provide Front of House with correct details of advance tickets sold.

12. The Membership Secretary shall: Answer all new membership queries via email, organise welcome evenings for new members and be in attendance at these; To liaise with website administrators and collate all new member personal information into a register of the members of the Society, which shall be available for inspection by the Committee on request; To work with the treasurer and ensure that those cast in shows and taking primary roles in a production are subscribed members, and that all subscriptions are collected promptly, particularly with regard to new members.

13. The Technical Manager shall: Oversee the technical equipment installed in the performance venue (lighting, sound, CCTV and pyrotechnics); Liaise with producers and directors in the appointment of sound and light operators; Be responsible for signing off, and locking in, all programmed lighting, sound and effects following technical rehearsal; Liaise with the website administrator.

14. The Costume/Makeup Manager shall: carry out an annual wardrobe review and clear out; stock makeup and cleaning materials for each show; assist and advise on specialist costume and makeup for shows where necessary.

15. The committee shall be elected at the annual general meeting of the Society by its members. All current members with three or more months tenure within the Society are eligible to to vote at the AGM, and to stand for election. Officers will serve for up to a period of twelve months before requiring re-election. The AGM or ballot for the election of Officers for the following year shall be held in the summer months following the final production of the season.

16. To make any decision relating to the society the committee must be quorate. A quorum shall consist of half of the committee membership plus 1.

17. The decision of the committee shall be subject to question by a quorum of 75% of the membership.

18. The Officers will seek to ensure that the society is conducted in accordance with the society Constitution and Policy.

 

MEMBERSHIP, GENERAL MEETINGS

19. Membership is open to all persons sharing the Society’s objectives regardless of race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin or disability. There is no geographical or residence-based restriction on membership. In order to ensure the safety and comfort of all Society members, the Society actively enforces an inclusivity policy. Racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, *heterosexism, **ableism, and any other form of discrimination or bigotry is unacceptable, and anyone who persists in it will be fully investigated by the Committee and may be asked to leave the Society.  The Committee will have the right to refuse the membership of any who, in their opinion, is unsuitable for membership and may cancel the membership of unsuitable persons.

[*Heterosexism: discrimination or prejudice against homosexuals on the assumption that heterosexuality is the normal sexual orientation.]

[**ablism: discrimination in favour of able-bodied people]

20. All committee members shall be current members of the society with more than three months tenure within the Society.

21. The AGM shall be the sovereign body of the society subject to the Constitution.

22. The Society’s “season” shall run from 1st June to 31st May each year. Minimum membership fees shall be agreed at the Annual General Meeting. Membership fees run for twelve months from the date of subscription, and are managed online via a web-based subscription system. Lapsed members, and new members whose tenure is less than three months,  shall not be entitled to vote in Annual General Meetings.

23. A General Meeting may be called by the committee or upon a petition of 25% of the membership of the Society in order to consult the membership upon any matter of concern to them. Decisions of the General Meeting shall be binding. Any member may call an Extraordinary General Meeting by presenting to the Committee at least 50% of the signatures of the total membership and the purpose of the meeting is presented in writing to the Committee and all members.

24. Proposals from members to mount theatrical productions shall be made in a form prescribed by the committee. The committee shall have regard to the following criteria, amongst others, in determining the acceptability of the proposal: its accordance with the society’s objectives; its financial viability including likely popularity in terms of audience; its likely interest to members of the society and the extent to which it maximises opportunities for involvement by society members.

 

CONSTITUTION

25. Amendments to this constitution shall require the approval of a General Meeting or a quorate agreement of the Society membership. Amendments shall be of immediate effect unless otherwise specified.

26. This constitution shall be effective from 7 July 2022. All previous constitutions of the Society are hereby expressly revoked.