{"id":44,"date":"2014-09-10T18:04:26","date_gmt":"2014-09-10T18:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mhcprojecttheatre.org\/?page_id=11"},"modified":"2014-09-10T18:04:26","modified_gmt":"2014-09-10T18:04:26","slug":"by-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/projecttheatre\/paperwork\/by-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"By Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article IV: PRODUCTIONS AND EVENTS<\/span><\/p>\n

Contents:<\/span><\/p>\n

I. Show Proposals<\/span><\/p>\n

II. Proposal Schedule<\/span><\/p>\n

III. General Event Proposals<\/span><\/p>\n

IV. Production and Event Guidelines and Deadlines<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I. SHOW PROPOSALS<\/span><\/p>\n

Any Project: Theatre member may propose a production by filling out a Show Proposal form. This form is<\/span><\/p>\n

all-encompassing, and should be used for any production proposal regardless of its anticipated size or scope.<\/span><\/p>\n

Project: Theatre will put on up to four shows per semester, with budgets on a sliding scale from $0-$1000.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to propose a production, a member must:<\/span><\/p>\n

a. Attend a preliminary \u201cHow to Put on a P:T Show\u201d guidelines workshop at our general meeting, to be<\/span><\/p>\n

held at least one week before proposals are due. Any members interested in proposing a show are required<\/span><\/p>\n

to attend this guidelines meeting. In addition, the attendance of at least three members of the \u201cBig Four\u201d of<\/span><\/p>\n

each potential production team is required .<\/span><\/p>\n

b. Complete and submit a show proposal form by the given deadline. The form will include a section to<\/span><\/p>\n

select preferences for desired dates and locations for the show, based on a number of dates preselected by the<\/span><\/p>\n

PT board.. The Board will work with these requests and choose the most appropriate assignments for each<\/span><\/p>\n

potential production. Each production team must also provide a detailed preliminary budget breakdown on<\/span><\/p>\n

this form, as well as the names of any crew members signed on to the production. The \u201cBig Four\u201d positions<\/span><\/p>\n

must be filled at this point, and must commit to working on the show in that capacity if it is voted into<\/span><\/p>\n

production.<\/span><\/p>\n

c. Attend a private interview with the Project: Theatre board. Attendance of three out of the \u201cBig Four\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

is required. During this time, each production team will pitch their show proposal to the P:T board in order<\/span><\/p>\n

to provide a better idea of its visions, level of preparation, and general expectations for its production.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the interview process, the Project: Theatre board members will meet to discuss each presentation<\/span><\/p>\n

seen and to determine the feasibility of its production. The Board will then decide whether or not to approve<\/span><\/p>\n

the show for voting. This decision is based on a three-level scale known as the \u201cStoplight System.\u201d A<\/span><\/p>\n

proposal will either be green-lighted (approved for voting), yellow-lighted (asked for resubmission<\/span><\/p>\n

following greater development\/reworking), or red-lighted (denied voting status, but encouraged for<\/span><\/p>\n

resubmission for the following semester). If yellow-lighted, the production team must rework their pitch,<\/span><\/p>\n

completing any additional alterations with regard to the show proposal, prior to the predetermined date for<\/span><\/p>\n

resubmission. During this period of time, the team is encouraged to seek assistance and suggestions from the<\/span><\/p>\n

Project: Theatre board with regard to potential changes to their show proposal.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no limit to the number of proposals that the Board can green-light per semester. Proposals approved<\/span><\/p>\n

for voting will be chosen based on their levels of readiness, including factors such as budget breakdown<\/span><\/p>\n

and coherent vision for production. Location and date will not be used as criteria to determine whether a<\/span><\/p>\n

show should move forward to voting. Approvals are granted objectively and will not be based on favoritism,<\/span><\/p>\n

partiality, class year, or any other outside factor.<\/span><\/p>\n

d. Voting occurs. Following the show proposal process, all of the green-lighted proposals will be submitted<\/span><\/p>\n

to a vote by the general membership of Project: Theatre. The ballot is anonymous and will include detailed<\/span><\/p>\n

descriptions of each proposed show. To complete the ballot, each member will be asked to select her top<\/span><\/p>\n

three choices in order of preference. The scoring of the ranking system will be as follows: first choice receives<\/span><\/p>\n

3 points, second choice receives 2 points, and third choice receives 1 point. Once the voting period has<\/span><\/p>\n

closed, the four productions with the highest total point values will be selected for production the following<\/span><\/p>\n

semester.<\/span><\/p>\n

Results are tallied by the PT Secretary and monitored by the PT Ombudsperson to ensure impartiality and<\/span><\/p>\n

fairness.<\/span><\/p>\n

d. Following the voting, locations and dates will be negotiated. The PT board will use productions\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

preferences, in conjunction with their descriptions of their artistic vision and perceived interest in the project<\/span><\/p>\n

by the membership, to assign productions dates and locations. For this reason, it is extremely important that<\/span><\/p>\n

when proposing, shows are as accurate as possible in listing their preferred dates and locations.<\/span><\/p>\n

e. Once approved, production teams are free to proceed with any next steps for their shows!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II. PROPOSAL SCHEDULE<\/span><\/p>\n

An approximation of the following schedule will take place each semester. The proposal process will include:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. \u201cHow to Put on a P:T Show\u201d guidelines meeting, which at least three out of four members of the<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBig Four\u201d must attend.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Show proposals due on a rolling basis, with a final deadline one to two weeks after the general<\/span><\/p>\n

meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Interviews conducted at PT board meetings following the submission of proposal forms. Applicants<\/span><\/p>\n

will find out their stoplight system status within three days.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Resubmissions and re-interviews for for yellow-lighted productions will take place. Applicants will be<\/span><\/p>\n

notified of their stoplight system status within three days.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Voting is open to the general membership for at least three days.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Shows are notified within three days, and results are then released to the general public.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

III. GENERAL EVENT PROPOSALS<\/span><\/p>\n

Any Project: Theatre member may propose a general event to be hosted by the organization by filling out<\/span><\/p>\n

a General Event Proposal form. General events cover everything but show productions, and require only a<\/span><\/p>\n

single \u201cresponsible party\u201d in order to be proposed. Examples include staged readings or workshops of plays,<\/span><\/p>\n

acting or technical workshops, invited guest lecturers, and group trips to see productions off-campus. Any<\/span><\/p>\n

member wishing to propose a general event will also be expected to provide an estimated budget of between<\/span><\/p>\n

$0-$500 on the proposal form. There is no deadline for general event proposals; proposals are accepted on a<\/span><\/p>\n

rolling basis and will be called for interviews accordingly. The Project: Theatre board will make its decisions<\/span><\/p>\n

about individual general event proposals based on the state of the organization\u2019s budget as evaluated by the<\/span><\/p>\n

treasurer as well as the level of readiness or feasibility of the proposal as descibed above. All decisions are<\/span><\/p>\n

objective. The Board also reserves the right to \u201croll\u201d a proposed event over to the following semester, with<\/span><\/p>\n

the consent of the proposer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

IV. PRODUCTION AND EVENT GUIDELINES AND DEADLINES<\/span><\/p>\n

a. Production and Event Guidelines<\/span><\/p>\n

The following expectations apply to all Project: Theatre productions and general events:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. P:T Board Responsibilities include: being available for reasonable help,<\/span><\/p>\n

answering any questions that may arise, providing financial support, liaising for<\/span><\/p>\n

campus contacts, and any other responsibilities determined on a case by case<\/span><\/p>\n

basis by the Board.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Production Responsibilities to the P:T Board include: participating in production<\/span><\/p>\n

check-ins during board meetings, following college policy, staying within budget,<\/span><\/p>\n

using budget appropriately and transparently, keeping set deadlines, putting PT\u2019s<\/span><\/p>\n

name and logo on all publicity, collecting PT donations, remaining within copyright<\/span><\/p>\n

law, and following all PT policies as stipulated on production contracts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consequences of breaking contract are detailed in Article V.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. The Strike System WILL be applied to preliminary (show proposal) contracts.<\/span><\/p>\n

b. Production and Event Deadlines<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Show proposal deadlines are defined within the constitution (see Article IV, Section<\/span><\/p>\n

II). Actual dates and times for these deadlines will vary based on the calendar year,<\/span><\/p>\n

but the basic structure outlined therein will be followed.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Show-specific deadlines such as PR review and college forms (space request and<\/span><\/p>\n

ERF) will be discussed and agreed upon in P:T board meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. There is no deadline for general events proposals.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Any other deadlines that may arise will be made available to the membership at least<\/span><\/p>\n

one month in advance.<\/span><\/p>\n

b. Election Procedure: Board elections will take place in April, and the new board will take<\/span><\/p>\n

office in June. Voting will be done by anonymous survey over a period of at least one day<\/span><\/p>\n

(24 hours). The membership will receive the ballot via email. As it is impossible to count our<\/span><\/p>\n

membership accurately, given whatever number of people who have voted by the end of the<\/span><\/p>\n

voting period, the election will be valid (i.e., if the membership constitutes 200 people, and<\/span><\/p>\n

only 50 vote, the election is still valid). In the event of a tie, the board will vote by simple<\/span><\/p>\n

majority to break the tie. Voting will be run by the current secretary and the votes will be<\/span><\/p>\n

tallied by the current secretary and ombudsperson to ensure impartiality and fairness.<\/span><\/p>\n

c. Transition: The newly elected board will take office after the school year has ended, and<\/span><\/p>\n

hold office until the end of the next school year. Prior to that, the new board and the old<\/span><\/p>\n

board should meet and discuss responsibilities, sign contracts, and review the constitution.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

TIEBREAKERS for voting<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Proposals: Any PT member may propose a production by filling out a Project Proposal form or<\/span><\/p>\n

a Production Proposal form for either an independent or a mainstage production, respectively. In<\/span><\/p>\n

order to propose a mainstage production, the member must also attend a mandatory “How to Put<\/span><\/p>\n

On a PT Show” workshop, held each semester, and there must be at least five production positions<\/span><\/p>\n

filled on the proposal form, three of which must be stage manager, technical director and director,<\/span><\/p>\n

and all of which must be filled by five separate individuals. These proposal requirements do not<\/span><\/p>\n

apply to independent projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Mainstage Productions and Voting: A mainstage production will have a budget of up to $1000<\/span><\/p>\n

to be used for rights, props, costume, sets, advertising, etc. The musical designated in the budget,<\/span><\/p>\n

which will count as a mainstage show, may receive up to $3000. Mainstage proposals will have a<\/span><\/p>\n

deadline set by the PT Board in the semester preceding their production date. Following mainstage<\/span><\/p>\n

proposals, the membership will vote for the season’s mainstage productions by anonymous ballot,<\/span><\/p>\n

which will include the contents of the artistic questions on the proposal forms. On the ballot, each<\/span><\/p>\n

member will be asked to select their top three choices in order, the first choice receiving three<\/span><\/p>\n

points, second place two points and third place one point. The three productions with the highest<\/span><\/p>\n

total points from all ballots are selected for production each semester. All components of the<\/span><\/p>\n

voting system must be made transparent to the PT membership, including how the votes will be<\/span><\/p>\n

counted. Voting will be run by the current secretary and votes will be tallied by the secretary and the<\/span><\/p>\n

ombudsperson to ensure impartiality and fairness.<\/span><\/p>\n

a. PT board responsibilities to productions include being available for reasonable help,<\/span><\/p>\n

answering any questions that may arise over the course of rehearsal and performance,<\/span><\/p>\n

providing financial support, liaising for campus contacts, and any other responsibilities<\/span><\/p>\n

determined necessary on a case by case basis by the board.<\/span><\/p>\n

b. Production responsibilities to the PT board include sending the director or some other<\/span><\/p>\n

qualified and knowledgeable production crew member to board meetings each week to<\/span><\/p>\n

give a weekly check-in report, following college policy, staying within budget, using budget<\/span><\/p>\n

appropriately and transparently, keeping set deadlines, putting PT’s name and logo on all<\/span><\/p>\n

publicity, collecting donations for PT at performances, remaining within copyright law, and<\/span><\/p>\n

following all PT policies as stipulated on production contracts. Consequences of breaking<\/span><\/p>\n

contract are detailed in Article V.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Independent projects have a maximum budget of $500. The number of independent projects<\/span><\/p>\n

selected for production is based on the state of the budget as evaluated by the treasurer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Independent projects are selected for production based on the board’s evaluation of their proposals<\/span><\/p>\n

under the policy of unanimous consent. The PT board reserves the right to roll independent projects<\/span><\/p>\n

over to the next semester, with the consent of the proposer. Independent project proposals are<\/span><\/p>\n

accepted on a rolling basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

a. PT board responsibilities to productions (see Article IV, section 2a)<\/span><\/p>\n

b. Production responsibilities to the PT board (see Article IV, section 2b)<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Guidelines and Deadlines: Proposal, voting and workshop deadlines vary each year but will always<\/span><\/p>\n

be available to the membership at least a month in advance. Show specific deadlines such as PR<\/span><\/p>\n

review and college forms (space request and ERF) will be discussed and agreed upon in PT board<\/span><\/p>\n

meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Events are anything sponsored by PT that are not shows. They can be proposed by the PT board or<\/span><\/p>\n

the membership via the Event Proposal Form on a rolling deadline, budget to be determined by the<\/span><\/p>\n

treasurer at the time of the proposal. Events include but are not limited to trips, lectures, fundraisers,<\/span><\/p>\n

and workshops.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Umbrella groups can be formed through any proposal with the intention of continuing to exist.<\/span><\/p>\n

They must continually apply for funding from PT. While these groups may have their own names<\/span><\/p>\n

and exist for more than a single semester or year, for PT’s purposes, they function in the same way<\/span><\/p>\n

as productions. These potential groups will have to meet with the PT board to discuss why they<\/span><\/p>\n

should become umbrella groups. Umbrella groups shall have a trial period before they become<\/span><\/p>\n

regularly entered into PT\u2019s yearly budget, at which time they must become organized and make<\/span><\/p>\n

significant progress as a group before they are eligible to be under the umbrella, as determined<\/span><\/p>\n

by the board on a case-by-case basis. The trial period should end before the next year’s budget is<\/span><\/p>\n

created, but may continue or be extended for as long as the PT board and the umbrella group deems<\/span><\/p>\n

necessary and appropriate.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Every year, PT will sponsor at least one fundraiser in the form of a theatrical production. This<\/span><\/p>\n

fundraiser show will charge admission, but none of the funds raised from that admission will be<\/span><\/p>\n

kept by PT, so as not to violate our mission. Any money raised at this fundraiser must be donated<\/span><\/p>\n

to a cause deemed appropriate and relevant by the current PT board. The show performed for this<\/span><\/p>\n

fundraiser is not voted on by the membership, but instead is appointed by the PT board each year,<\/span><\/p>\n

and will not be counted as a mainstage production. Accordingly, the director for this fundraiser<\/span><\/p>\n

must either volunteer or be appointed by the PT board each year. The director will then choose<\/span><\/p>\n

their production team according to the guidelines for an Independent Project, and proceed with all<\/span><\/p>\n

production guidelines as laid out in Article IV, including the signing of contracts and attendance<\/span><\/p>\n

at check-ins during PT board meetings. Traditionally, this fundraiser show has been The Vagina<\/span><\/p>\n

Monologues by Eve Ensler, performed in February in accordance with the V-Day Campaign, and<\/span><\/p>\n

the funds raised are donated to the V-Day Campaign. This tradition, while encouraged, is not a<\/span><\/p>\n

requirement for the PT board to continue. Should they feel that another show and related cause<\/span><\/p>\n

have become more relevant, that there is a significant lack of public interest in The Vagina Monologues,<\/span><\/p>\n

or that there is another appropriate reason to change, the board may choose another production to<\/span><\/p>\n

put on and cause to raise funds for.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Article IV: PRODUCTIONS AND EVENTS Contents: I. Show Proposals II. Proposal Schedule III. General Event Proposals IV. Production and Event Guidelines and Deadlines \u00a0 I. SHOW PROPOSALS Any Project: Theatre member may propose a production by filling out a Show Proposal form. This form is all-encompassing, and should be used for any production proposal regardless … <\/p>\n

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