All College Theatre Constitution

Ratified Fall 1996
Amended Spring 2002 and Spring 2004

PREAMBLE
The purpose of this constitution is to enable All College Theatre to function smoothly in order to present to the college community theatre productions of the highest quality.
This constitution sets down a series of guidelines, which will ensure the capacity of All College Theatre to provide an optimal educational experience for the students, and quality entertainment for the college community.
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this group shall be All College Theatre, referred to as such, or by the acronym, A.C.T.
ARTICLE II: MEETING
All College Theatre shall meet on Wednesdays in Kendall Hall; rooms and times will be announced.
ARTICLE III: ADDRESS
All College Theatre's mailing address is:
All College Theatre
Office of Student Life, 2nd Floor
Brower Student Center The College of New Jersey, PO Box 7718
Ewing, NJ 08628-0718
ARTICLE IV: PURPOSES
The purpose of the group shall be:
  1. To promote the performing arts in the college community by staging and/or sponsoring theatre productions of the highest quality.
  2. To provide and optimal educational experience in theatre through workshop and seminars.
ARTICLE V: MEMBERSHIP
There is a progressive membership in ACT:
  1. MEMBER is anyone who has an interest in promoting and becoming involved in theatrical productions.
  2. VOTING MEMBER is that person who:
    1. Attends a majority of weekly meetings up to the meeting at which the membership will vote on the issue at hand and/or
    2. Participates substantially in a production, including the following areas: performance, lighting, sound, set design/construction (load-in, strike), running crew, props, costumes, house management, programs, and publicity.
* At the discretion of the executive board, the "voting member" requirements may be suspended for a member of the organization (i.e. members who are temporarily student teaching).
ARTICLE VI: VOTING
Voting will be handled in the following way:
  1. By a secret ballot unless otherwise directed in this document or decreed by the executive board for circumstances to be named at the time of the vote. Votes will be counted and recorded by the secretary.
  2. At the beginning of each semester, before the first ACT production, voting will be restricted to those members who held voting rights at the close of the previous semester. After the first production, only those members who meet the requirements to be a voting member will be eligible to vote.
  3. A vote will pass by a simple majority of those voting unless otherwise noted in this constitution.
  4. Absentee ballots may be attained only if the voting members cannot attend the meeting during which the voting will take place. The executive board is to provide a standardized form for absentee ballots.
ARTICLE VII: ADMINISTRATION AND CHAIN
OF COMMAND IN THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
The chain of command shall be as follows:
  1. President
  2. Vice President
  3. Publicity Manager
  4. Treasurer
  5. Secretary
ARTICLE VIII: DESCRIPTION OF OFFICERS
  1. PRESIDENT will be responsible for all official communication outside of the organization. S/he will conduct weekly meetings of ACT, using Robert's Rules, with a set agenda, which s/he is responsible for setting. S/he will represent ACT at any College and Department functions. S/he will work with the faculty advisor concerning ACT affairs with outside interests.
  2. VICE PRESIDENT will fill the position and duties of the president her/his absence. S/he will conduct meetings when a possible voting issue may in any way involve the president. As well, s/he will be in charge of all ACT activities and events outside of the weekly meetings, including, but not limited to, trips to shows, T-shirts, game nights, competitions, duties of the historian, etc. Ultimately, the Vice President will act as a liaison between the executive board and the college community, students, faculty, and administration.
  3. PUBLICITY MANAGER will fill positions and duties of President and Vice President in their absence. S/he will complete and present the following areas: press releases, high school mailers, advertisements, chalking, posters and programs. All these duties must be completed, though not necessarily solely by the Publicity Manager. S/he should work in cooperation with the Vice President concerning faculty mailers.
  4. TREASURER will oversee the ACT budget. At each ACT meeting, the treasurer will give a detailed report of ACT's financial situation. In addition to the report, it is the treasurer's responsibility to produce the account book at each meeting as well as any other time they are requested. S/he will represent ACT solely, or with the President, in any matters concerning the College of New Jersey Student Finance Board. The Treasurer must also promptly submit vouchers or bills so persons, firms, or organizations can be quickly settled.
  5. SECRETARY will take minutes and attendance at each ACT meeting. Minutes will be typed and made available for all members. S/he will handle ACT mail and correspondence. S/he will maintain a patron database. Will maintain a current membership list specifying voting status.
ARTICLE IX: STAFF POSITIONS
  1. The position of PRODUCTION MANAGER will be held by a board member for each production of the season. The production manager serves as liaison between the board and the production staff. Her/his responsibilities include reserving royalties and scripts, finding a production staff, and holding weekly production meetings to ensure full communication among all members of the staff. To promote learning for other members of the organization, the production manager will take an ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER who will help with the process. The assistant should be present at all production meetings, should help the production manager with various duties, and will help out with the decision making processes.
  2. STAGE MANAGERS for full length shows must have had prior experience as Assistant Stage Managers for a full length or Stage Managers for an individual One Act. Experience in Opera Theatre, community theatre, and semi-professional theatre will also be considered.
  3. TECHNICAL POSITIONS including technical director, light designer, sound designer, and set designer must be offered to the college community. Those interested in any of these positions must apply for them, listing any previous experience they have. The board will then choose staff based on qualifications. The board will attempt to encourage underclassmen interested in designing to shadow designers in order to gain experience. No designer will hold the same position for two consecutive shows unless no other qualified applicants can be found within the college community.
ARTICLE X: ELECTIONS
The election process for ACT officers will be:
  1. NOMINATIONS will take place by the end of the spring semester, no later than three weeks prior to the last day of final exams. Nominations will be heard at this time. Each nomination must be passed by a second to the motion. Those nominated reserve the right to refuse. A nominee may only accept TWO nominations. IF the person nominated is not present at the meeting, the nomination is also passed by a second to the motion. The absentee-nominated person may decline the nomination by informing the secretary of their decision at any time before the next meeting. It is the secretary's responsibility to contact all absentee-nominees.
  2. VOTING will occur one week after nominations. Each nominee will give a brief speech, followed by a Q and A session from the membership and former board. This is followed by the voting procedure, which is to be done by a secret ballot tabulated by two board members who are not running for re-election. If four or all board members are running for re-election, a senior member (the oldest member with no rank) or senior members, depending on the case, will tabulate the vote.
  3. PROCEDURES. If more than two candidates are nominated for a position, the membership must narrow down the candidates to two by a preliminary vote for that position. Then a second vote can take place. Voting should occur one position at a time, beginning with the President and following the chain of command. Should there be a tie for any office, there will be a second vote to resolve the tie. All voting members of ACT are eligible to run for any office.
ARTICLE XI: REMOVAL OF OFFICERS
  1. RESIGNATION. An officer may resign at any time for whatever reason, not to be officially questioned by ACT, but must give two weeks notice to the executive board.
  2. IMPEACHMENT. Members may question the competency of any officer. Members should strive to come to an equitable solution to the problem by and reasonable means necessary. Should there be a call to dismiss and officer, the vote must be two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members. The officer in question will not have a vote in this situation, but may appeal any decision, forcing a second vote. Second vote will be final.
  3. REPLACING OFFICERS. In the event that the president should resign from his/her office, the position of president is then open to the board members only. The vacant position on the board will be open to the general membership.
ARTICLE XII: ACQUISTION OF MATERIALS
Any purchase of materials for use by ACT and its productions with ACT funds immediately becomes the property of ACT.
ARTICLE XIII: USAGE OF ACT MATERIALS
Any production funded by ACT has the freedom to use any ACT materials within the limitations of accessibility. One-acts must consider that they must share materials with the current Black Box production as defined in Article XIV, Section A.
ARTICLE XIV: PRODUCTIONS
  1. BLACK BOX PRODUCTIONS

    Black Box productions are productions directed by non-students, and are designed to further the artistic skills of participants, but also to provide aneducational experience for all involved in a large-scale theatrical environment. These productions are designed to provide a cultural force in the college community and attempt to develop and expand the potential theatre audience. These productions are selected and publicized as the basis of the ACT season. Generally, one production of this magnitude is scheduled each semester. Each scheduled production occupies a "slot" in the season. Proposal Procedure:
    1. Prior to requesting proposals from potential directors, the membership will be asked for suggestions regarding the upcoming season (genre or type of shows, character breakdown, potential directors, etc.). The board will then invite potential directors to propose shows according to the membership's paramaters.
    2. Interested directors will present to the groups a list of 1-3 shows that they are personally interested in directing in the following academic year. This presentation will take place before the end of the second semester of the current academic year.
    3. Copies of the proposed plays should be made available to ACT's board. It is then the responsibility of the board to inform the membership of the directors' proposals and request feedback from the membership.
    4. The board will then choose several combinations of the proposed plays to create possible seasons for the following academic year.
    5. At least three weeks before the end of the semester, a final vote will be taken to determine the season, which will fill the vacant slots in the following year.
    6. It is suggested that if the scope of possible directors is considered large enough by the board, a term limit for certain directors may be enacted. This will enable a wide variety of directors to work with the students.
  2. STUDENT-DIRECTED PLAYS

    1. Proposal Procedure
      1. Students who wish to direct may submit up to three scripts by a date no later than two weeks before the membership is to vote on the proposals, determined by the board.
      2. Prospective directors must submit a written proposal to the board at the time the script is submitted, and must give an oral proposal to the membership before the vote. If a director can not attend the meeting, a board member will present the proposal on his/her behalf.
      3. Following the presentations, short scenes from the proposed scripts will be read by the membership.
      4. In the case of the One Acts, the board will arrange the proposed plays into several combinattions to be voted on by the membership.
      5. The membership will vote on the proposed shows, winner to be determined by majority.
      6. Directors must attend APO's directors' workshop if one is offered.
    2. AN EVENING OF SHORTS (One Acts)

      These productions enable students to enhance their directorial skills on a smaller scale. Generally, on Evening of Shorts is scheduled each year. SFB allots money to ACT to produce feature shows, directed by students.
    3. MURDER MYSTERY DINNER THEATRE

      This production is meant to bring theatre to a wide audience by making use of non-traditional theatre spaces on campus which are feasible locations for such a production. It is to be directed by a student or students who wish to expand their skills in theatre. If no students propose to direct, the membership may seek volunteers from outside the student body.
ARTICLE XV: AUDITIONS
Casting is accomplished through open auditions within the college community. However, a marked sequence of preference is delineated. Priority goes in this order, from decided priority to no priority:
  1. TCNJ Students
  2. TCNJ Alumni
  3. TCNJ Faculty
  4. Others
ARTICLE XVI: AMENDMENTS
This constitution is amenable in any way deemed necessary by ACT. Standard amending process follows in this order:
  1. A written proposal must be submitted to the President.
  2. At the nest week's meeting, the President will read the proposed amendment and discussion on the same will be heard.
  3. At the following meeting, the proposed amendment will be read again. Any points not discussed the previous week may be brought up.
  4. Upon the completion of all discussion, a vote will be taken of all voting members. The amendment must pass by a 2/3 vote.
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