Ratified February 1993 Amended February 1995, February 2001, February 2003, October 2005, February 2010, April 2013, April 2014
Preamble The purpose of The Pennsylvania Players, established in 1936, is to provide the unique opportunity of working with professional directors with whom one can continue to expand, heighten, and fine tune theatrical skills-artistic, technical, and performance. The Pennsylvania Players strive to provide education, training, and experience in the production and promotion of theatre and the dramatic arts to the entire University of Pennsylvania community in an environment where education and collaboration are stressed as the most crucial elements of any successful production. In an ongoing effort to achieve our mission, The Pennsylvania Players of the University of Pennsylvania do hereby establish this Constitution.
Article I - Activities The activities of The Pennsylvania Players shall consist of, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Professionally directed musical, Fall Semester 2. Professionally directed drama or comedy, Spring Semester 3. Co-sponsorship of Collaborative Winter One-Acts Festival and any other TAC-e collaborations 4. Alumni Reception, at least one Alumni event on anniversary years
Article II - Membership Section 1: Full Membership All students, faculty, and staff of the University of Pennsylvania who have held a billed position in at least two productions of any Pennsylvania Players show, excluding the One-Acts Festival and all other TAC-e collaborations, shall be awarded Membership in The Pennsylvania Players. The 24 Hour Theatre Festival and any one staged reading shall each count as one half of a production. Working in run crew for all performances of a show shall also count as a full production even if the run crew member has not otherwise been a member of the production staff. Membership is also awarded to all Board members upon taking office. Members are eligible to vote throughout their affiliation with the University and will be invited to all General Body Meetings. All Members still affiliated with the University shall be listed on all programs of Pennsylvania Players productions as "Members of The Pennsylvania Players," below the listing of the current Board of Governors. All members no longer affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania shall be referred to as Alumni.
Section 2: Honorary Membership At the discretion of the board, any professional who has aided with two or more productions may be given Honorary Membership.
Section 3: Non-discrimination Policy No student, faculty, or staff member of the University shall be denied membership in Players solely on the basis of his formal status with the University. No one shall be denied membership on the basis of his or her sex, race, creed, color, religion, political beliefs, gender identity, or sexual orientation
Article III - The Board of Governors Section 1: Composition The Board of Governors shall be composed of at least seven members: Chair, Vice Chair, Business Manager, Technical Director, and at least three Members-at-Large. These Board positions may be filled by any undergraduate who is a full or annual member of Players.
Section 2: Duties of Officers
Executive Positions Chair 1. PAC Representative 2. TAC-E Representative 3. Alternate SAC Representative 4. Chairs all meetings of Board and Organization and coordinates activities 5. Chairs interviews of directors and production staff 6. Responsible for finding a producer for each production 7. Responsible for training Members-at-Large to assume leadership of Organization 8. Initiates calls for motion and votes only in the event of a tie
Vice-Chair/Membership Chair 1. Alternate PAC Representative 2. Alternate TAC-E Representative 3. Maintains official and public minutes of all meetings 4. Obtains group meeting space 5. Acting Chair if Chair is unable to execute his or her duties
Business Manager 1. SAC representative 2. Creates annual budget 3. Manages Organization's finances and maintains accurate records 4. Reports allocations to various projects and productions 5. Meets regularly and directly with producers 6. Maintains and finances all Players owned properties 7. Acting Chair if both Chair and Executive Secretary are unable to execute duties 8. Will present any and all budgets to interested Board members upon request 9. Collects social and apparel fees 10. Responsible for training Members-at-Large to assume leadership of Organization
Technical Director 1. Serves as technical director and oversees all technical staff for each production 2. Conducts interviews and staffs the technical crew 3. Represents Pennsylvania Players as a member of the TAC-e technical member community
Positions at Large Members-at-Large 1. At least three Members-at-Large must be elected each year 2. If only seven board members are elected, a Community Liaison, an Alumni/Membership Director, and a Publicity Manager should be elected 3. If an eighth board member is elected, a Social Chair should be elected. If nine are elected, a Webmaster should be elected. If ten are elected, a Historian should be elected. If more than ten must be elected, the remaining member shall be a Member at Large. 4. The board may not consist of any more than ten members unless otherwise dictated by unanimous vote of the current board
Community Liaison 1. Represent Players Board on One-Acts Board and any other TAC-e collaborations 2. Report to Players Board for approval of One-Acts Board and any other TAC-e collaborative board decisions 3. Write congratulatory opening night letters to other TAC-E groups 4. Organizes the Players presence in FPAN, FamPAN, and any other PAC showcases 5. Builds a relationship with local theatre companies 6. Performs the duties of the Social Chair if one is not elected
Publicity Manager 1. Publicizes auditions and technical interviews 2. Heads marketing team for each production 3. Maintains record of businesses that have bought ad space during recent productions 4. Solicits advertisements from businesses and personal ads 5. Designs the programs (unless a separate Program Designer is appointed for a specific show) 6. Responsible for the printing and dispersing of posters and quarter-sheets 7. Performs the duties of the Webmaster if one is not elected
Alumni 1. Fall Newsletter 2. Spring Newsletter 3. Responsible for at least one Alumni event on anniversary years (every fifth anniversary) 4. Maintains relationship with Penn Alumni Office 5. Maintains current membership lists and posts publicly each semester 6. Publicizes all non-production related Organizational events 7. Organizes Membership events and General Body Meetings 8. Holds a position on the board of the Alumni Club and reports to the undergraduate Board of Governors on Alumni Club activities 9. Performs the duties of the Historian if one is not elected
Social Chair 1. Organizes social events including cast parties 2. Purchases recreational substances
Webmaster 1. Maintains Pennsylvania Players Website 2. Manages board and production listserves 3. Updates the Pennsylvania Players social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, etc.)
Historian 1. Maintains the Players Office in Annenberg 2. Maintains an inventory of the contents of the Office, including the props and costumes contained therein 3. Maintains historical documents 4. Takes photographs at social events 5. Procures and supervises photographers and videographers for performances
Section 3: Duties and Obligations of the Board of Governors 1. To represent The Pennsylvania Players to the University and Performing Arts communities. 2. To establish a common mission for the year to guide Players activities and choices of scripts and staffs. 3.To allocate Pennsylvania Players funds and oversee all activities including, but not limited to, the selection of shows, directors, performance space, and production staff. 4. To solicit and select directors, scripts, and production staffs for all professionally directed productions. The Board shall be empowered to create and fill such positions as it may deem necessary. 5. To interview any and all persons in consideration for any and all production and staff positions. Staff selection will be done by the Board in conjunction with the director, if deemed necessary. 6. Any board member applying for a staff position may not be present at interviews for same position, and shall not vote in regards to that position. 7. All Board members are obligated to earn two Players show credits (fall musical and spring drama) during each term in office. Failure to do so shall revoke said officer's automatic Full Membership (II,1) and limit said officer to Member-at-Large activity on the Board of Governors for the coming year. 8. In the event a staff position for a production remains unfilled within two weeks of a production's read-thru, the Board is obligated to fill the position from among its own ranks. 9. To establish such rules for its own proceedings as it may deem necessary. 10. In the event of resignation of a Board member an election shall be held to fill the seat. 11. Upon request, this Constitution may be presented to all Directors and explained in full the nature of the Organization, the roles of all production staff positions, and the proper persons to contact for various production and professional needs. 12. The Board has final artistic and executive authority in, and sole responsibility for, all group matters.
Article IV - Meetings Section 1: Board Meetings The Board shall meet not less than twice a month and as often as necessary as determined by the Chair throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. Quorum shall consist of the Chair and four current voting members of the Board.
Section 2: General Meetings The full voting body of Players shall meet at least once each year for the performance of business and/or the election of officers. A meeting shall be called when the Board so rules or when 1/3 of the voting body presents a petition to the Board specifying the agenda for the next meeting. The Board shall then call a meeting within two weeks of receiving such a petition or before the end of the semester, whichever comes first. At least 48 hours’ notice must be given to the body of such a meeting. All meetings shall be conducted as deemed proper by the Chair.
All individuals who have worked on any Players show may attend said meetings and constitute the voting body. The Chair must publicize these meetings to the voting body in a timely and effective manner.
Section 3: "Post Mortem" Evaluations The "Post Mortem" Evaluation shall be a forum to formally discuss and evaluate the processes and experiences of each production. It shall be conducted in a manner deemed proper by the Board and shall be moderated by the Chair. The Evaluation shall be held within three weeks of the strike of each Pennsylvania Players production. The Board shall notify all members of the production staff, crew, and cast of the time and place of the Evaluation.
Article V – Elections Section 1: Timing and Governing of Elections Elections shall be held annually before Spring Break. Elections shall be governed by the Chair. In the event the Chair is running for re-election, the elections shall be governed by the next senior officer. If all board member are running for re-election, the Chair will appoint a full member to run elections in his or her place. If no full member is available, the Board will appoint an individual to run elections.
Section 2: Length of Terms The term length of all Board members shall be one year, commencing with the strike of the Spring Drama. The Board positions must be elected each year by and from the voting body. Any person who is abroad while serving on board cannot have a vote. If two people want to run as a pair, they can split the term while serving only as Members at Large.
Section 3: Election Procedure 1. All voting members must be notified of the election procedure prior to elections. Any person who has participated in a Pennsylvania Players production within the last academic year as well as full members of Pennsylvania Players are eligible to run for Board positions. 2. Nominations shall be taken from the floor. They must be seconded from the floor and the nominee shall be given the opportunity to accept or decline the nomination. 3. Minimum number of nominees to continue election proceedings must be seven. 4. When all nominations have been made, the candidates will be allowed to speak on their own behalf, if they so choose. 5. Each candidate shall field questions from the floor. After all candidate have given a speech and fielded questions, the candidates will leave the room separately to allow further discussion of the candidate's credentials to take place. The person running elections will be in charge of taking notes during the candidates’ speeches and question and answer sessions. Anyone who self-nominates should be prepared to supply a prepared statement to the individual running elections. 6. Pro/Con of each candidate shall be discussed by floor and Points of Information shall be answered by the Chair or the next senior executive officer. 7. Voting may begin. Voting will be by secret ballot. Each present voting member may vote for as many nominees as they like. Any voting member who is not present at elections is not allowed a vote; however, any person running in absentia shall be allowed a vote in his or her own favor if explicitly stated. 8. When all votes have been collected, they shall be tallied by the Chair and verified by the Executive Secretary. If these officers are on the ballot, the votes shall be tallied by the individual running elections and verified by the Chair. Any nominees with a majority of the votes cast in the election shall be declared elected to the Board of Governors. 9. The newly elected Board shall meet in joint session with the existing Board within two weeks of elections. The existing Chair shall mediate the division of Board positions among the new Board members. If the Chair is a member of the incoming Board, the individual appointed to run elections shall mediate the division of responsibilities. 10. Any and all rules pertaining to election procedures may be suspended by a 3/4 vote of the assembled voting body.
Article VI - Removal from Office Members of the Board of Governors may be removed from office only by a 3/4 vote of the assembled body at a general meeting, provided the assembled body represents a minimum of 1/2 of the present voting body.
Article VII - Amending the Constitution Any full member of the Pennsylvania Players may propose an amendment to the Constitution. In order to pass this amendment, one of the following must occur: A 2/3 vote of the Board and a 2/3 vote of the assembled body at the next scheduled general meeting OR A 3/4 vote of the assembled body at any meeting provided that copies of the proposed changes have been given to the Board at least 48 hours in advance OR The Constitution may be temporarily amended by a unanimous vote of the Board subject to approval by a 2/3 vote of the assembled body at the next general meeting, that meeting being held within one month or by the end of the current semester, whichever is earlier.
Article VIII - Ratification The ratification of this Constitution by 2/3 of the assembled body upon unanimous approval by the Board of Governors shall be sufficient to void and invalidate all previous Constitutions of The Pennsylvania Players and establish this Constitution as representing The Pennsylvania Players from this time forward.