CONSTITUTION OF THE MIT MUSICAL THEATRE GUILD

amended May 24, 2015

orginally written November 30, 1987

PURPOSE AND NAME

1.1

The name of this organization shall be the MIT Musical Theatre Guild.

1.2

The purposes of this organization shall be to produce and present musical theatre productions, to engage in related activities, and to promote fellowship among the membership.





MIT AFFILIATION

2.1

A full awareness of the Musical Theatre Guild's affiliation with MIT will be maintained. In filling cast and production positions, priority will be given to members of the MIT community, and in particular to MIT students.

2.2

The Musical Theatre Guild agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association of Student Activities (ASA), its Executive Committee, and the Undergraduate Association Finance Board.

2.3

In the constitution, `MIT student' will mean any student officially registered at MIT.

2.4

In the constitution, `MIT community' will comprise MIT students, faculty, alumni, former students, full-time staff and employees, registered part-time students, the immediate family of MIT students and faculty, and full-time Wellesley students.

2.5

Each segment of a production will include a significant portion of MIT participants, in particular MIT students. Production and casting decisions will not result in the rejection of a disproportionate number of MIT students in favor of other participants.


CASTING REVIEW BOARD

2.6.1

There will be a Casting Review Board for each production. The purpose of the Casting Review Board shall be to represent, in all casting decisions, the interests of the Musical Theatre Guild, particularly those itemized in Section 2.1. Before notification of any casting decision is made, the decision must be approved by the Casting Review Board.

2.6.2

The Casting Review Board shall be a 5-member committee, composed of as many members of the Managing Board as possible. The producer and the directors of the production may not sit on the Casting Review Board, nor may anyone who auditions for, or is otherwise under consideration for, a cast position. The membership of the Casting Review Board must be approved by the Managing Board prior to the first meeting of the Casting Review Board, If any member of the Casting Review Board subsequently becomes the producer, one of the directors, or comes under consideration for a cast position, his position on the Casting Review Board shall remain unfilled. A Chair of the Casting Review Board will be chosen by the producer or, in the absence of a producer, by the Managing Board. The Chair will be responsible for choosing one Representative and two other Casting Review Board members.

2.6.3

Two Casting Review Baord Representatives will be chosen. One will be chosen by the Chair of the Casting Review Board. The other will be chosen by the directors. Both will be subject to the conditions on section 2.6.2. The Casting Review Board Representatives and Chair shall meet with the producer and the directors prior to the holding of any auditions. At that time they shall discuss the requirements of each cast part, taking into account as many aspects as possible. They shall also discuss the costs of not meeting those requirements, and to what extent the production would be willing or able to meet those costs. The Casting Review Board will also indicate any additional criteria it deems relevant to the casting process.

2.6.4

Both Casting Review Board Representatives will attend both auditions and callbacks. No other members of the Casting Review Board may attend.

2.6.5

Following the holding of scheduled auditions, the Casting Review Board Representative will meet with the producer and the directors to discuss the auditionees. At no time will any audition information be withheld from the Casting Review Board.

2.6.6

Callbacks may be held at the discretion of the director; additional auditions may be held at the discretion of the Casting Review Board.

2.6.7

The directors shall cast the production in accordance with sections 2.1 and 2.5. Following casting, the Casting Review Board, the producer, and the directors will meet to review the proposed cast, keeping in mind the requirements previously established as per section 2.6.3. No names shall be used in discussing the proposed cast. An actor's anonymity will be conserved until he/she is offered a role.

2.6.8

The Casting Review Board may choose to approve alternate castings of a role, to be offered in the event of a candidate's inability or refusal to accept and complete that role. If no approved alternate exists, the Casting Review Board must reconvene to approve recasting. If an actor rejects a role, the subsequent recasting will preserve anonymity as detailed by section 2.6.7.

2.7

Before selecting the directorial staff, the Managing Board will make certain that each candidate understands fully the provisions of section 2 of this constitution.

2.8

The text of paragraph 2.1 will be included on all audition forms.




MEMBERSHIP

3.1

The membership of the Musical Theatre Guild will consist of all people who have participated in a Musical Theatre Guild production within the preceding twelve months.

3.2

Members of the Musical Theatre Guild may vote at meetings of the membership, may attend any meeting of the Managing Board and have access to the minutes of Board meetings under the provisions of section 6.5.

3.3

The majority of Musical Theatre Guild members will be MIT students.




MANAGING BOARD

4.1

There will be a Managing Board comprised of four executive officers and three members-at-large. The executive officers will be a President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a Publicity Director.

4.2

Members of the Managing Board will be elected at each regular meeting of the membership,in the fall and the spring of each year. Executive officers will be elected by a simple majority of the members present. Members-at-large will be elected by preferential balloting. Terms of office will end at the close of the subsequent regular meeting of the membership.

4.3

The Managing Board will be responsible for making major decisions regarding the Musical Theatre Guild's activities.

4.3.1

The Managing Board will choose the shows to be produced during its term of office.

4.3.2

The Managing Board will choose the dates and locations for these shows.

4.3.3

The Managing Board will choose the producer for each of these shows, and will participate in interviews for major direction, design, and production positions.

4.3.4

The Managing Board will serve on the Casting Review Board for each show under the provisions of section 2.6.

4.3.5

The Managing Board will, in the event of a controversy, interpret the constitution. A written statement describing the controversy and the interpretation will be included in the minutes of the next general meeting.

4.3.6

The Managing Board will appoint the officers of the Musical Theatre Guild under the provisions of section 5.2.

4.3.7

The Managing Board is responsible for the recruitment of new members.

4.3.8

The Managing Board can, at its discretion, appoint an MIT faculty member as an advisor to the Guild for a renewable one year term. He or she shall function as a liaison between the Guild and the Institute. He or she can be removed by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at a membership meeting. The advisor shall have the privilege of attending all Managing Board meetings, open or closed, but shall have no vote.

DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

PRESIDENT

4.4.1.1

The President will be a full-time MIT student.

4.4.1.2

The President will preside at meetings of the members.

4.4.1.3

The President will chair the Managing Board.

4.4.1.4

The President will submit any necessary paperwork to the Association of Student Activities and the Undergraduate Association.

4.4.1.5

The President will serve as the Musical Theatre Guild's representative to the Association of Student Activities, Theater Arts, and MIT in general.

TREASURER

4.4.2.1

The Treasurer will be a full-time MIT student.

4.4.2.2

The Treasurer will be responsible for the funds of the Musical Theatre Guild.

4.4.2.3

The Treasurer will submit funding requests to the Undergraduate Association Finance Board.

4.4.2.4

At all regular meetings of the members, the Treasurer will present a report of the Musical Theatre Guild's financial position.

4.4.2.5

In the absence of the President, the Treasurer will assume the President's responsibilities.

4.4.2.6

The Treasurer will be the main contact for all contracts.

SECRETARY

4.4.3.1

The Secretary will be a member of the MIT community.

4.4.3.2

The Secretary will maintain a list of active members of the Musical Theatre Guild.

4.4.3.3

The Secretary will maintain all Guild mailing lists.

4.4.3.4

The Secretary will keep minutes of meetings of the Managing Board and will keep them in a chronologically organized file.

4.4.3.5

The Secretary will keep typed minutes of meetings of the membership and will place them in the agenda for the next meeting of the membership.

4.4.3.6

The Secretary will notify all Guild members of upcoming meetings, as specified in section 6.3.

4.4.3.7

In the absence of the President and the Treasurer, the Secretary will assume the President's responsibilities.

4.4.3.8

The Secretary will maintain a list of all MTG members eligible for membership on Interview and Casting Review Boards.

PUBLICITY DIRECTOR

4.4.4.1

The Publicity Director will be a member of the MIT community.

4.4.4.2

The Publicity Director will be responsible for membership recruitment publicity and for all other non-show related publicity. The Publicity Director will coordinate with the current Producer and the Producer's appointed Publicity Manager all show-related publicity to the extent defined by the Managing Board.

4.4.4.3

In the absence of the President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary, the Publicity Director will assume the President's responsibilities.

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

4.5.1

At least one of the members-at-large must be a member of the MIT community.

4.5.2

The duties of the members-at-large will be assigned by the Managing Board.

VACANCIES

4.6.1

In the event of a vacancy in an elected position other than that of President, the President will appoint, with the Managing Board's approval, someone to fill the vacancy whose term of office will expire at the next regular meeting of the Musical Theatre Guild.

4.6.2

If a vacancy occurs in an elected position within four weeks of a regular meeting, that position will be left vacant.

4.6.3

In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Treasurer will assume the President's duties until a special election meeting can be held.

4.6.4

Vacancies occurring during the Summer term will be filled in the first full week of the next term.




APPOINTED OFFICERS

5.1

There will be eleven appointed officers of the Musical Theatre Guild: Archivist, Business Manager, Corresponding Secretary, Costume Shop Manager, Documentarian, Hair and Makeup Manager, Light and Sound Manager, Procurement Card Manager, Properties Manager, Set Shop Manager, and Webmaster.

5.2

Each officer will be appointed by the Managing Board within two weeks of each elections meeting. Any vacancies will be filled by the Managing Board within two weeks.

5.3

Each officer will hold their position from appointment until the close of the subsequent regular meeting of the membership, with the exception of Procurement Card Manager, which will hold their position from appointment until the close of the second subsequent regular meeting of the membership.

DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

ARCHIVIST

5.4.1.1

The Archivist will keep a history of the Musical Theatre Guild.

5.4.1.2

The Archivist, in conjunction with the producer of the current show, will be responsible for documenting the show for the Musical Theatre Guild archives.

5.4.1.3

The Archivist will be responsible for the preservation of materials of the Musical Theatre Guild.

BUSINESS MANAGER

5.4.2.1

The Business Manager will assist the Treasurer with the financial matters of the Musical Theatre Guild.

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

5.4.3.1

The Corresponding Secretary will assist the Secretary of the Musical Theatre Guild.

COSTUME SHOP MANAGER

5.4.4.1

The Costume Shop Manager will be responsible for the inventory and upkeep of the costume shop and the costumes held by the Musical Theatre Guild.

5.4.4.2

The Costume Shop Manager will oversee the lending and return of all costumes owned by the Musical Theatre Guild.

DOCUMENTARIAN

5.4.5.1

The Documentarian will be responsible for documenting all guild performances for archival purposes.

5.4.5.2

The Documentarian will be responsible for maintaining the recording equipment owned by the Musical Theatre Guild.

HAIR AND MAKEUP MANAGER

5.4.6.1

The Hair and Makeup manager will be responsible for the inventory and upkeep of the Guild's hair and makeup supplies between shows.

5.4.6.2

The Hair and Makeup Manger will oversee the lending and return of all hair and makeup supplies owned by the Musical Theatre Guild.

LIGHT AND SOUND MANAGER

5.4.7.1

The Light and Sound Manager will be responsible for the inventory and upkeep of all light and sound equipment owned by the Musical Theatre Guild.

5.4.7.2

The Light and Sound Manager will oversee the lending and return of all light and sound equipment owned by the Musical Theatre Guild.

PROCUREMENT CARD MANAGER

5.4.8.1

The Procurement Card Manager will be responsible for holding the Musical Theatre Guild's procurement card in their name.

5.4.8.2

The Procurement Card Manager will oversee the use of the procurement card for purchases by the managing board, production staff of the current show, or other members of the Musical Theatre Guild with approval from the managing board.

PROPERTIES MANAGER

5.4.9.1

The Properties Manager will be responsible for the inventory and upkeep of the prop shop and all properties of the Musical Theatre Guild.

5.4.9.2

The Properties Manager will oversee the lending and return of all props owned by the Musical Theatre Guild.

SET SHOP MANAGER

5.4.10.1

The set shop manager shall work with the current technical director to keep the MTG shop orderly, safe, and usable.

5.4.10.2

The set shop manager shall work with the Managing Board to keep MTG's tools in safe working order and to purchase new and replacement tools when necessary.

WEBMASTER

5.4.11.1

The Webmaster will be responsible for maintaining the website of the Musical Theatre Guild.

5.4.11.2

The Webmaster will coordinate with the Managing Board, the Archivist, the current show's Producer, and the current show's Publicity Manager to keep all website information up-to-date and to maintain any on-line archive materials.




MEETINGS

FREQUENCY

6.1.1

A regular meeting of the membership will be held toward the end of each academic term.

6.1.2

In addition to the regular meeting, special meetings may be held within two weeks after either a request is made by a majority of the Managing Board, or after a petition signed by at least twenty members is submitted to a member of the Managing Board.

6.1.3

In the event of a vacancy in the office of President that occurs more than four weeks prior to a general meeting, a special election meeting will be called as soon as possible.

QUORUM

6.2.1

At all meetings of the membership, twenty members will constitute a quorum. At all regular meetings, the twenty members will included three members of the Managing Board, one of whom must be an executive officer.


NOTIFICATION

6.3.1

Announcements of each meeting of the members will be sent at least ten days before the meeting to the most recent address of each member.

6.3.2

Announcements will include the minutes from the preceding meeting of the membership, an agenda for this meeting, and a copy of all amendments to be voted on at that meeting.

6.4

Meetings of the Managing Board may be moved to executive session by a majority vote of the Managing Board present.

6.5

Any decision made by the Managing Board must be reported in the minutes.




REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

MANAGING BOARD

7.1.1

A motion for removal of a member of the Managing Board may be made by either a majority of the Managing Board or a written petition signed by at least twenty members.

7.1.2

The vote for removal from office must be taken at either a regular meeting of the membership or at a special meeting called under the provisions of section 6.1.2.

7.1.3

To maintain fairness prior to the meeting, the name(s) of the member(s) of the Managing Board, the names of the petitioners, and the specific charges will not be announced formally before the meeting.

7.1.4

At the meeting, the petitioners will present their position and the candidate(s) involved will then be allowed to respond. The membership may then engage in a discussion of the motion.

7.1.5

A three-quarters vote of the members present is required to remove the candidate from office. The vote shall be made by secret ballot.

7.1.6

In the event that the presiding officer is either a candidate or a petitioner, a majority of the members at the meeting will elect a temporary presiding officer to oversee the disposition of the motion.

7.1.7

In the event that the motion for removal passes, the vacated position cannot be filled at that meeting.

7.2

The Managing Board may, for good reason, remove an appointed officer from office by a majority vote.




AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION

8.1

An amendment to the constitution may be proposed by a member at a meeting, at which time the proposal may be discussed. If the proposed amendment is seconded by at least four other members, then the amendment will be voted on at the next regular meeting of the membership.

8.2

A written proposal for an amendment signed by at least five members may be submitted at any time. If the proposed amendment is submitted sufficiently in advance of a regular meeting of the membership to comply with section 6.3.1, then the amendment will be voted on at that meeting.

8.3

In all cases, the text of a proposed amendment will be included in the mailed announcement of a meeting at which it is to be voted upon.

8.4

An amendment may be adopted by two-thirds of those members voting but not by less than twenty members.




BY-LAWS

9.1

The Managing Board may enact a by-law, remove an existing by-law, or change an existing by-law by a two-thirds majority.

9.2

By-laws may not contradict or change anything in the Constitution of the Musical Theatre Guild, nor may it contradict any of the rules of the Association of Student Activities.

9.3

All current by-laws will be listed at the end of the Constitution, and will be numbered according to the date the by-law is passed.

9.4

A by-law may only be voted upon after the text of the proposed by-law has been posted for a minimum of seven days in a prominent place, to be defined as a publicly accessible board or posting area designated for official MTG notices.




By-Laws of the MIT Musical Theatre Guild

2004-04-22-1 The document entitled ``Musical Theater Guild Casting and Interview Policy'' written by Jennifer Braun, Welkin Pope, and the MTG Managing Board, and voted into policy on Thursday, April 22, 2004 will herein be a by-law of the MIT Musical Theatre Guild.

2006-03-07-1 The document entitled ``Musical Theater Guild Archivist Expectations'' written by the MTG Managing Board, and voted into policy on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 will herein be a by-law of the MIT Musical Theatre Guild.

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