Name:

1. The Society shall be called "Dublin University Players".

Objects

2. The objects of the society are to promote an interest in all aspects of the theatre, to provide an opportunity for acting and for participation in all aspects of stage work, including the direction of productions, the provision of light, sound and set for them, and involvement in stage management, to encourage members to gain a wide experience in these areas and to present productions with special reference to plays of literary merit or of an experimental nature.

Membership:

3. Membership of the Society shall be open to all capitated students of the College, to all academic staff of the College, and only in exceptional circumstances to anyone else.

4. Membership shall be of three kinds: ordinary, honorary and associate membership. Ordinary membership shall be granted to capitated students and the academic staff of the college in return for a subscription of €1, or other such figure as shall be decided by the committee within the limits set by the CSC or the board. Honorary membership may be conferred as a mark of thanks for services to or patronage of the society. This shall be a lifetime membership, and shall be mandatory for all ex-chairpersons. Associate members may be elected by the committee for the purpose of allowing people who are not eligible for ordinary membership to participate in the activities of the society, but only in exceptional circumstances. This category of membership is for the purpose of obtaining specialised services for a particular show, and those elected will, therefore, cease to be members at the conclusion of such a show. The appearance of any associate member in performances subsequent to the initial run which may represent the society, shall be at the discretion of the committee. The subscription for associate members shall be as for ordinary members. However, only ordinary members of the Society are entitled to vote at general meetings or to stand for election to the committee.

President and Vice-Presidents:

5. The President shall be a member of the academic staff of the College and shall be a permanent officer of the Society until (s)he shall resign or die. On such a resignation or death, the new President shall be nominated by the committee and the nomination shall be confirmed at the next Annual General Meeting (hereafter referred to as AGM).

6. The President shall chair the AGM of the Society, (s)he may at other times intercede in case of serious problems within the Society or between the Society and the College authorities or otherwise; in particular the freedom of expression and control of the premises by the society shall be maintained with the help of the President.

7. Vice-Presidents or patrons may from time to time be nominated by the committee as a mark of thanks for services to or patronage of the society. Their nominations shall be conferred at the next AGM.

8. The schedule of this constitution shall contain the names of the President and the Vice-presidents.

The Committee

9. The committee shall consist of the chairperson, the secretary, the treasurer, the technical manager, and six ordinary members, the executive consisting of the chairperson, secretary, treasurer and the technical manager. One of the committee is required to take on the role of ISDA representative. The committee shall have power to co-opt temporary members for specific purposes; such persons are to vote only on such matters connected with that purpose and serve on the committee only as long as is justified by the reason for their co-option. The quorum of the committee shall be six.

10. The committee shall meet at least once a week during each college term, and as necessary during the vacation.

11. The number constituting a quorum of the committee during vacations shall be decided by the committee at the last meeting of the term. All such meetings shall be attended by the chairperson, or his/her personal representative if (s)he is unable to attend, such representative being appointed in writing before the commencement of the meeting.

12. The committee shall be responsible for the policy of the society. In particular it shall decide what productions shall take place on the premises and how they shall otherwise be used. Any substantial change in policy shall only be decided after consultation with society members at a general meeting (hereafter referred to as GM).

13. The Committee shall be responsible for the routine management of the society. It shall ensure that the theatre and its contents, props, costumes, and other items belonging to the society are kept in good order.

14. The committee may delegate to sub-committees the power to manage specific matters appertaining to the society. No decision of such a sub-committee shall be ratified except by the committee.

15. The committee, on a vote of not less than six members of the committee present at a meeting of which three days notice has been given, may suspend a member of the society either temporarily or permanently. An EGM of the society may be called at the instigation of the member who has been suspended, or by any other member of the society. Such a meeting shall be held not less than four and not more than seven days from the suspension, or in the first week of the following lecture term should the suspension take place out of lecture term. Any such EGM may terminate the suspension on a majority vote, or, on a two-thirds majority may expel the member from the society. A member who has been suspended or expelled shall take no part in the society and shall not have access to the societys premises, except on the occasion of the EGM considering his/her expulsion.

The Annual General Meeting and General Meetings

16. The AGM of the society shall be held in the last or second last week of Hilary Term. A notice shall be posted on the societys notice board or otherwise publicised to the members not less than seven days before the meeting, giving the date and time of the meeting and the fact that elections to the committee will take place thereat. The quorum for the AGM shall be forty members or one quarter of the societys members, whichever is the lesser.

17. The meeting shall be open to all members of the society, but only ordinary members shall be entitled to vote.

18. If the President is unable to attend and chair the meeting, the chairperson shall chair the meeting.

19. At the meeting, the chairperson and treasurer shall read their reports of the societys activities and financial position in the previous year, and the election of a new committee shall take place.

20. A GM of the society shall be called by the committee each term, or an EGM may be called by not less than ten members of the society who give seven days notice in writing to the committee. Seven days notice as provided for in the case of the AGM shall be given unless the committee shall otherwise direct. The quorum shall be the same as that for the AGM.

Elections

21. An extraordinary GM of the society shall be called to replace a member of the executive who has resigned, been suspended, or expelled from the society (as provided for in 23 below). Voting shall be as provided for in 22 below. The quorum shall be the same as that for the AGM. Seven days notice shall be given unless the committee otherwise direct. Elections to the committee shall otherwise be held at the AGM.

22. The ten committee positions shall be elected in separate ballots by means of a single transferable vote and according to the following order: Chairperson; Secretary; Treasurer; Technical Manager; Fire, Security and Storage Officer; House manager; Entertainment Officer; Publicity and Archives Manager; Costume and Props Manager; Front of House and Office Manager.

23. Candidates must be members of the society and capitated students of the College, and each candidate must be proposed and seconded by a member of the society. The candidates, proposers, and seconders must be present at the meeting. Candidates may be proposed in their absence where the AGM shall decide by a simple majority vote. Should a candidate, once elected, cease to be a capitated student of the College during his/her term of office, (s)he shall automatically relinquish her/his place on the committee, having completed all pending responsibilities.

24. The newly elected committee shall take office on the first day of Trinity Term, and both the outgoing and incoming committees shall be present.

25. The committee shall have the power to co-opt members to replace those who have resigned, been suspended/expelled from the society, or who leave the College permanently or die, except in the case of the executive (see 21 above). The co-opted members shall be taken from the previous AGMs list of election results, the candidate with the most votes being co-opted. In the event of a tie, the co-option shall be at the discretion of the candidates themselves and the committee. In the event of nobody from the AGM list being interested in the position, the appointment may be made at the committees discretion.

26. No one shall be admitted to membership less than 24 hours before the AGM, except where the committee otherwise direct.

The Chairperson

27. The Chairperson shall take the chair at all GMs other than the AGM, and all meetings of the committee. Where (s)he is unavailable, the committee shall appoint one of their number as pro-chairperson.

28. (S)he shall countersign all cheques and withdrawal forms drawn on the societys bank account or accounts, except as provided by Article 33. (S)he shall also be entitled to issue receipts.

29. (S)he shall have an ordinary vote at committee meetings and in the case of an equality of votes on any matter, (s)he shall have a casting vote. (S)he shall not have a casting vote at GMs.

30. (S)he shall countersign all correspondence from the secretary to the College authorities having consulted the committee, and if they deem necessary, the President.

31. In addition, the Chairperson shall have sat on a previous DU Players Committee.

The Treasurer

32. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all the financial transactions of the society, for the collection of subscriptions and the maintenance of accounts.

33. All cheques and withdrawal forms from the societys bank account shall be signed by the treasurer. Arrangements for the issue of cheques during the vacations or where the chairperson or treasurer are otherwise unavailable for any short period may include provision for the appointment of a pro-chairperson or pro-treasurer from the members of the committee for that period. Such pro-chairperson or pro-treasurer shall be empowered to issue cheques only when countersigned by the treasurer or chairperson. Provided always that there are two signatures on all such instruments, one of which must be either the chairpersons or the treasurers. The treasurer shall also be empowered to issue receipts.

34. The treasurer shall maintain a full list of the members in conjunction with the secretary.

35. The treasurer shall close the accounts on 1st April each year, and thereafter as soon as may be possible, shall arrange the accounts for presentation to an auditor being a member of college staff or otherwise as provided by the rules of the CSC. Such accounts having been audited and signed, a copy shall be furnished to the CSC and to the succeeding treasurer. The succeeding treasurer shall lay the accounts before the new committee for their approval and that committee may if necessary call upon the outgoing treasurer to explain any matters arising.

Secretary

36. The secretary shall conduct all the correspondence of the society and shall keep a record of it.The secretary shall present to the chairperson all correspondence with college officers for submission to the committee and signature as above.

37. It shall further be the responsibility of the secretary to obtain performing rights, where necessary, in advance of every DU Players production. Failure to obtain performing rights is a serious offence, and shall result in the impeachment of the secretary as per Article 44.

38. Shall maintain records and minutes of all meetings of the society and committee, and all photos of productions, that were paid for by the society.

39. Shall maintain a list of members of the society in conjunction with the treasurer.

The Technical Manager

40. The Technical Manager shall be responsible for the maintenance of the lighting and sound systems in the theatre, the security and order of the lighting box and the technical storage area.

41. (S)he shall act in a supervisory role with regard to the technical requirements of all Players productions.

42. (S)he shall prepare an inventory of equipment and a report on its condition at the end of his/her term of office.

43. (S)he shall be responsible for the instruction and approval of prospective technical crews.

The General Committee

44. The committee shall have collective responsibility for all matters relating to the running of the theatre. The members of the general committee have their own individual functions to perform. Any member of the committee who fails to fulfil her/his duties to the satisfaction of the society may be impeached by a majority vote of the committee. Each show shall be appointed a committee member as their committee representative, who shall act as a liaison with the committee, and shall advise the production.

45. HOUSE MANAGER shall act in a general supervisory capacity in the theatre. (S)he shall be responsible for the rehearsal rooms, the stage and scenery storage area. In addition (s)he shall also have the responsibility for bookings of Players theatre by outside companies.

46. FRONT OF HOUSE AND OFFICE MANAGER shall be responsible for the catering for each event. (S)he is further responsible for the general upkeep and order of the office and FOH, in conjunction with the directors. Furthermore (s)he will be responsible for managing the box office; including ticketing for performances and maintaining a suitable float in the cash box.

47. FIRE, SECURITY AND STORAGE OFFICER shall ensure that all fire escapes throughout the theatre are kept clear at all times, and enforce all security regulations in liaison with the relevant college authorities. (S)he shall further ensure the maintenance of all fire equipment and the presence of fire signs in the theatre. Furthermore (s)he will be responsible for maintaining a fully stocked first aid kit.

48. PUBLICITY AND ARCHIVE MANAGER shall be responsible for the publicity and promotion of the society in general and all its events, both inside and outside college.  (S)he shall be in charge of the society notice boards ensuring they arre tidy and up to date,  (S)he should work towards securing outside sponsorship for the society and its events.  (S)he shall bein charge of the upkeep of the Players' archive in conjunction with the college archivist.  (S)he shall ensure that a poster, programme and script of every show is archived and that the agenda and minutes of every committee meeting and all directors' submissions and contracts are also archived.  In addition, (s)he shall maintain the society website and e-mail account.

49. COSTUMES AND PROPS MANAGER shall be responsible for the inventory, upkeep and return of all the props and costumes in the theatre.

52. This constitution may be amended by a vote of a majority of those present at the AGM or other general meeting provided that such majority shall be two-thirds of those present.

53. Notice of such amendments shall be given to the committee three days before the time set for the (A)GM and to the President or other chairperson of the meeting before (s)he takes the chair.

54. Ex-Players members now graduated may have a Year's Grace in Players' Theatre, ie, they would be entitled to membership and to work in Players for a full academic year after Graduating, via application and at the Committee's discretion.

4th April 2008