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Stony
Hill Players By-Laws
Section
I:
Legislative
B.
Order of Business for all meetings shall be as follows:
1.
Call to order
2.
Confirmation of Quorum
3.
Minutes
4.
Treasurer’s report
5.
Reports of other officers
6.
Reports of committees
7.
Elections (Bylaws Article
II.Section II:
):
a)
November General Meetings shall include the election of the Nominating
Committee (Bylaws Article
V.Section I: B. 1.
) and Play Reading Committee (Bylaws Article
V.Section II: B. 1.
).
b)
April General Meetings shall include the election of the Executive Board
immediately after the report of the Nominating Committee (Bylaws
Article II.Section II: A.
).
8.
Old business
9.
New business
10.
Adjournment
Section
II:
Executive
A.
Executive power shall be vested in the Executive Board, which
shall consist of the duly elected Officers and the Immediate Past President.
B.
Responsibilities of the Executive Board
1.
Uphold the execution of the provisions of the Constitution and
Bylaws.
2.
Contract for the use of facilities for Stony Hill Players
productions and for other services (Bylaws Article
III.Section IV:
).
3.
Be responsible for the proper and efficient use of contracted
facilities including the scheduling of all activities.
4.
Select an auditor to examine the Treasurer’s books.
This report shall be submitted at the first Executive Board meeting in
September.
5.
Authorize the annual schedule of productions (Bylaws Article
VI.Section I:
).
6.
Be responsible for maintaining artistic quality consistent with
Stony Hill standards.
7.
Determine dues, ticket prices, and Subscriber and Patron fees
(Bylaws Article
III.Section II:
).
8.
Approve annual and production budgets and authorize expenditures
consistent therewith (Bylaws Article
III.Section III:
).
9.
Conduct such other business as shall be required.
2.
Review the report and select productions for the coming season.
3.
Announce the selections for the coming season at a General Meeting
in June (if so scheduled) and in the following Stony Hill Players newsletter.
4.
Select and engage Director(s) for each production, notify
Director(s) of any constraints (e.g., pre-casting), and approve their
remuneration, as appropriate.
5.
As necessary or as requested by the Stage Director, select and
engage an Assistant Director for a production.
6.
Develop other plans for the coming season.
E.
Duties of the Officers
1.
The President shall:
a.
Preside at all regular Stony Hill Players meetings and any special
meetings called by the Executive Board.
b.
Serve as Producer for major productions (Bylaws Article
VI.Section II: A. 1.
). S/he may delegate this
authority with the concurrence of the Executive Board, but retains ultimate
responsibility.
c.
Be
kept informed of and attend, if possible, all committee meetings relating to any
business or theatrical endeavors attendant to Stony Hill Players.
d.
Execute contracts on behalf of Stony Hill Players (Bylaws Article III.Section IV: B.
).
e.
Be responsible for the periodic issuance of the Stony Hill Players
newsletter to all Active Members and Patrons.
The newsletter shall include key decisions of the Executive Board.
2.
The First Vice President shall:
a.
Serve as Business Manager for all productions: Oversee the
functions of :
ii)
Programs
committee
iii)
Refreshments
committee
b.
Preside at all meetings in the absence of the President.
c.
Act as the President’s deputy in all matters pertaining to the
administration of Stony Hill Players.
d.
Be responsible for scheduling facilities use for all Stony Hill
Players activities.
e.
Serve as the House Manager for each performance. S/he may delegate
this authority with the concurrence of the Executive Board, but retains ultimate
responsibility.
3.
The Second Vice President shall:
a.
Preside at all meetings in the absence of the President and First
Vice President.
b.
Be responsible for greeting new and prospective Active Members,
introducing them to Stony Hill Players, and briefing them on their
responsibilities and privileges (Bylaws Article
IV.Section I:
).
c.
Be responsible for maintaining and distributing current and
accurate contact information for all Active Members, Subscribers and Patrons.
S/he may delegate this authority with the concurrence of the Executive
Board, but retains ultimate responsibility.
d.
Be responsible for all publicity activities.
S/he may delegate this authority with the concurrence of the Executive
Board, but retains ultimate responsibility.
e.
Represent the Executive Board on the Casting Committee (Bylaws
Article V, Section III). If
the Second Vice President is unable to participate on the Casting Committee, or
is auditioning for a role in a production, s/he shall designate another Active
Member to the Casting Committee.
4.
The Treasurer shall:
a.
Keep an accurate account of all moneys of the organization.
b.
Present at each meeting a report on the balance sheet, cash flows
and other information as required to fairly depict the current financial state
of Stony Hill Players.
c.
Issue requests for dues to individuals eligible for Active
Membership by July 15 requesting payment by September 1 (Bylaws Article
III.Section II: B. 1.
).
i)
Maintain records of dues received
from Active Members and notify the Second Vice President accordingly.
ii)
Provide a list of those Active
Members by November 1 to the Recording Secretary for determining a quorum at the
November General Meeting (Bylaws Article
I.Section II: E. 5. b.
).
d.
Maintain records of funds received from Subscribers and Patrons.
e.
Collect other moneys.
f.
Disburse moneys as authorized by the Executive Board.
g.
Handle reimbursement for actual, reasonable expenses incurred by
Officers, Active Members, and other participants associated with a Stony Hill
Players activity.
h.
Assist the Producer in developing a budget for each production
(Bylaws Article
VI.Section II: A. 1. d.
).
i.
Track production expenses versus budget and report status to the
Executive Board.
j.
Prepare the annual budget (Bylaws Article
III.Section I: A.
).
k.
Prepare financial statements for grant applications.
5.
The Recording Secretary shall:
a.
Record minutes of all regular meetings of the Executive Board and
of all General Meetings. These
minutes shall be made available to any Active Member upon request.
c.
Present minutes for approval at appropriate meetings.
d.
Maintain a permanent record of all meeting minutes, including an
accessible register of all motions passed.
e.
Be responsible for maintaining the Stony Hill Players archive.
6.
The Corresponding Secretary shall:
a.
Handle all official correspondence of Stony Hill Players with
outside organizations and all other correspondence not specified for other
Officers.
b.
Handle all personal correspondence, such as thank-you notes,
get-well and sympathy cards, on behalf of Stony Hill Players.
c.
Disseminate notices to all Active Members of the date, time, place
and particular business of General Meetings.
d.
Be responsible for mailing to all Active Members a list of
Executive Board nominees at least 14 days before the General Meeting in April.
Article II.
Election of
Officers
Section
I:
Election
A.
Nominations
1.
The Nominating Committee shall make the required nominations for
the Executive Board by the March Board Meeting (Bylaws Article
I.Section II: D.
).
2.
Additional nominations for any office may be made from the floor,
by proper motion and duly seconded, at any General Meeting where elections are
held.
1.
At the April General Meeting.
2.
As needed to fill vacancies (Bylaws
Article
II.Section III: below
, B and C).
B.
The
President shall appoint two Active Members to be balloting officers.
C.
Voting
shall be by written ballot:
1.
All Active Members are entitled to vote.
2.
Any Active Member unable to be present may submit an absentee
ballot to an Officer prior to the election.
3.
There shall be no voting by proxy.
D.
Election
for each office shall be by a majority vote of all Active Members voting.
E.
These
newly elected Officers shall immediately function in the capacity described in
Bylaws Article
I.Section II: C.
. These Officers shall be
installed either:
1.
At a General Meeting in June, if so scheduled.
2.
As the final order of business at the June Executive Board
meeting.
3.
If installation of the newly elected Officers does not occur at a
General Meeting or Executive Board meeting in June, the newly elected Executive
Board shall be considered installed as of midnight July 1.
A.
Upon
the vacancy of the office of President, the First Vice President shall become
President to complete the unexpired term.
B.
Upon
the vacancy of the office of First or Second Vice President, Secretaries or
Treasurer, a new Officer shall be elected by the Executive Board for the balance
of the term.
C.
Upon
the vacancy of the offices of both President and First Vice President the Second
Vice President shall serve as Acting President:
a.
The Nominating Committee shall select nominees for a new President
and new First Vice President for the unexpired term.
b.
The Nominating Committee shall report its selection of nominees to
the Executive Board.
c.
The Executive Board shall call an emergency General Meeting.
d.
The Corresponding Secretary shall notify all Active Members of the
vacancies, and of the new election, including nominees, date, time and meeting
location.
f.
Installation of the newly elected Officers shall take place
immediately after the election.
Article III.
Funds
Section
I:
Annual Budget
1.
Expected revenues
2.
Production Expenses for each planned production
3.
General Expenses not assigned to a production
A.
Subscribers and Patrons
1.
A
Subscriber is one who receives a ticket to each of Stony Hill Players major
productions per season in consideration of an annual subscription fee.
2.
A
Patron is one who provides annual financial support to Stony Hill Players
activities in excess of the annual subscription fee as determined by the
Executive Board. The Executive
Board may designate various classes of Patrons according to the level of
financial support (Bylaws Article
III.Section II: B. 3.
).
B.
At
its July meeting, the Executive Board shall determine for the following season:
2.
Ticket prices
C.
Stony
Hill Players may receive revenue from other sources.
A.
Production
Expenses
2.
After approval, expenditures in excess of 10% of the total expense
approved for a production requires approval of the Executive Board.
B.
General
Expenses
1.
Unbudgeted General Expenses in excess of $200 require approval of
the Executive Board.
C.
Consideration for production facilities and other services shall
be included in the annual budget.
Article IV.
Membership
1.
Pay dues each fiscal year:
a.
For new Active Members, if accepted after the second production of
the fiscal year, dues shall be prorated at the discretion of the Second Vice
President.
b.
Absent extenuating circumstances, prorated dues shall not be
accepted two years in a row unless approved by the Executive Board.
2.
Do one or more of the following in the current or previous fiscal
year:
a.
Participate,
either onstage or backstage, in a minimum of one major production.
b.
Serve
on the Executive Board.
c.
Serve
on either the Nominating or Play Reading Committees.
d.
Make
other significant work contributions as recognized by the Executive Board.
B.
Privileges
– Privileges of Active Members shall include:
1.
One adult admission to each major production.
2.
Participation in all theatrical and social events.
3.
Right
to vote.
A.
Composition
1.
The Nominating Committee shall consist of two elected Active
Members in good standing and a Chair.
a.
The
Chair shall be the Immediate Past President.
In the event that s/he is unavailable, the Chair shall be elected by the
Executive Board.
b.
Each
elected member shall have been an Active Member for at least two years.
B.
Nominations
and Election
2.
Election for the Nominating Committee shall be at the November
General Meeting. The result of the
voting shall be announced at the meeting and in the next issue of the Stony Hill
Players newsletter.
3.
In the event of a vacancy of an elected member of this committee,
the Executive Board shall appoint a replacement.
C.
Duties
1.
The Nominating Committee shall select nominees for the offices of
the Executive Board.
2.
The Chair of this committee shall submit its slate of candidates
to the Corresponding Secretary by the March Executive Board meeting.
3.
This slate shall be presented at the April General Meeting under
the report of the Nominating Committee.
A.
Composition
2.
Members of the Executive Board are ineligible for this committee.
B.
Nominations
and Election
2.
Election of the Play Reading Committee shall be at the November
General Meeting. The result of the
voting shall be announced at the meeting and in the next issue of the Stony Hill
Players newsletter.
3.
In the event of a vacancy of an elected member of this committee,
the Executive Board shall appoint a replacement.
C.
Duties
1.
The Play Reading Committee shall first select a Chair. The result shall be reported to the President.
a.
The Committee should consider theatrical works among various
theatrical genres consistent with Stony Hill Players' mission (Constitution
Article II).
b.
Any Active Member may submit suggestions for plays to any member
of the Play Reading Committee. Such
suggestions shall be in writing, signed, dated and include either a copy of the
work or the information needed to obtain a copy of the suggested work (i.e.,
title, author, publisher and publisher contact information).
c.
The Play Reading Committee, as a whole, shall review and consider
such suggestions.
3.
The Chair of the Play Reading Committee shall issue a status
report on the theatrical works reviewed to date at the February Executive Board
meeting.
b.
For each recommendation, the Committee shall prepare appropriate
rationale for, and mitigating/aggravating factors related to, its production.
c.
The Committee may also make conditional recommendations that
specify any element of how a work is to be produced.
d.
Scripts and other materials that form the basis of the Committee's
recommendations shall accompany this set of recommendations for reference by the
Executive Board.
e.
Ultimate responsibility for selection of theatrical works for
production is vested with the Executive Board.
Section III:
Casting Committee
A.
Composition
1.
The Casting Committee shall consist of:
a.
The Stage Director of the production being cast
b.
The Musical Director (if the production is an opera or musical)
c.
The Producer
d.
The Second Vice President, or designated Active Member
2.
The Second Vice President shall be the Chair.
3.
Other Active Members,
except for members of the Play Reading Committee, may participate.
B.
Duties
1.
The Committee shall advertise and conduct at least two audition
sessions for all major productions.
2.
The Committee shall prepare and distribute an audition sheet to be
completed by each auditioner. The audition sheet should include a brief
synopsis of the play and each character.
3.
After the completion of auditions, the Committee shall meet with
the Stage Director and Musical Director to select each cast member. The
Director shall have the ultimate decision regarding casting.
4.
No later than 48 hours after the final tryout, the Committee shall
offer each roles to each selected auditioner.
5.
The Committee shall notify all other auditioners of their
nonselection and thank them for their interest in Stony Hill Players.
6.
The Committee shall dissolve upon completion of its duties.
Section IV:
Ad Hoc Committees
A.
Ad hoc
committees may be authorized by:
1.
Two-thirds vote of the Executive Board
2.
The Active Members at any General Meeting by proper motion, duly
seconded and a two-thirds affirmative vote per Constitution Article V, 3 (i.e.,
to the nearest-high whole number of voting Active Members).
B.
The dissolution of ad hoc committees shall be:
1.
By the committee itself upon fulfillment of its mandate
2. By
two-thirds vote of the body that originally authorized the committee
Article VI.
Productions
A.
The
Stony Hill Players fiscal year ends on June 30.
B.
It
is expected that Stony Hill Players present three major productions per fiscal
year: one each in the fall, late winter, and late spring.
The Executive Board shall approve any increase or decrease in the number
of productions presented annually.
C.
Stony
Hill Players may also conduct other activities consistent with its mission.
1.
Youth-oriented productions
2.
Community events (e.g., First Night)
3.
Workshops. At the
discretion of the Executive Board:
a.
These may be open to the public.
b.
A nominal admission fee may be charged for all attendees other
than Active Members, Subscribers and Patrons.
A.
All
Stony Hill Players productions shall have a Producer and Stage Director.
a.
Seeing
that all productions are technically prepared for public performance.
b.
Appointing
the chair of, coordinating and supervising the activities of all Production
Committees:
i)
Costumes
ii)
Scenery
iii)
Properties
iv)
Lighting
c.
Be responsible for: determining the need for, appointing the chair
of, coordinating and supervising the activities of any optional Production
Committees, including:
i)
Master of Arms.
When appointed, the Master of Arms shall be responsible for the safe
storage and use of Inherently Dangerous Weapons (any swords or knives), Starters
Pistols, or any other weapon-like Properties used on- or off stage for effect or
appearance. There should be no
"live-firing" weapons used in Stony Hill Players productions!
ii)
Makeup
iii)
Painting
iv)
Seating
v)
Set Dressing
vi)
Special Effects (F/X)
vii)
Sound
viii)
Transportation
e.
The Producer should refrain from acting or directing while serving
as Producer.
a.
Have
the ultimate responsibility for casting all roles not identified as
“pre-cast” by the Executive Board.
b.
Be
responsible for the artistic direction of the production in accordance with:
i)
The instructions and copyrights of
Author and Publisher.
ii)
Constraints or guidelines issued by
the Executive Board.
c.
Select
a Stage Manager with the approval of the Executive Board
Article VII.
Amendments
At a General Meeting, these Bylaws may
be amended by a two-thirds vote, to the nearest-high whole number, of all Active
Members voting.
A.
A written notice of the proposed amendment(s) must be sent by U,
S. mail to all Active Members at least 14 days prior to the meeting.
B.
There shall be no proxy voting.
C.
All
Active Members unable to be present may submit absentee ballots to an Officer
prior to the meeting.