Bylaws of the Fairview Community Theater

Article I – Name and Purpose

Section 1. Name

The name of the organization shall be The Fairview Community Theater, herein referred to as “FCT”.

Section 2. Purpose

  1. To promote the dramatic performing arts in the Fairview, TN community through the presentation of live theater.
  2. To promote community involvement in the performing arts.
  3. No part of the net earnings of the Corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, the members, trustees, directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the Corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of Section 501(c)(3) purposes.  No substantial part of the activities of the Corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.  Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the Corporation shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from Federal income tax Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section of any further Federal tax code) or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section of any future Federal tax code).


Article II – Membership and Dues

Section 1.  Membership Types

Membership shall be open to all persons regardless of race, creed, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation.

  1. Anyone that is at least 18 years of age on the first day of membership will be referred to as a “Member” and will be eligible to vote in matters concerning the FCT.
  2. Anyone that is under 18 years of age on the first day of membership will be referred to as a “Junior Member”, and must have written consent of their parent/guardian.  Written consent must be renewed at the same meeting when the dues are paid.  Junior members may participate in meetings, but may not vote.
  3. A “Family Membership” shall consist of no more than 2 Members and 2 Junior members as defined above, within the same family.
  4. Annual membership dues are to be paid on or before June 30th for the fiscal year beginning July 1st.  If a new member joins midyear, dues will not be prorated, and will entitle the member to all member benefits until June 30th.

Section 2.  Dues

  1. Dues shall be payable at or before the first business meeting of the season.  If the dues are not paid for by the end of that meeting, the treasurer shall contact the members in arrears to arrange for collection of dues before the next business meeting.  If the dues are not paid by then, that member will be dropped from the rolls of active members.
  2. Anyone who pays dues after the first meeting, who has not been a member before, shall be accepted as a member after the end of the next business meeting as the last item of business before adjournment.
  3. Dues shall be set by the membership at the Annual Meeting.


Article III – Officers and Duties

Section 1. Elected officers


President:


  1. Shall preside at all meetings of the FCT.
  2. At the meetings, shall conduct all business as outlined in these bylaws and Robert’s Rules.
  3. Serve as the Chair of the Executive Board
  4. Will be authorized to act on behalf of the FCT as directed by the Executive Board.
  5. Cosign all checks issued in the name of the organization.


Vice President:


  1. Shall perform the duties of the President in their absence or inability.
  2. Shall be the President-Elect.
  3. Shall be the Chairman of the Play Reading Committee.


Secretary:


  1. Will record the minutes for all meetings of the FCT.
  2. Produce and distribute minutes of the previous meeting to all members at the beginning of the next meeting.
  3. Maintain all official records and correspondence.
  4. Maintain updated membership and attendance records.
  5. Notify members of meetings within a reasonable amount of time before the intended meeting.
  6. Shall be the Chairman of the Historical Committee.


Treasurer:


  1. Oversee the maintenance of the financial records of the FCT.
  2. Monitor monthly financial statements provided by the bank chosen by the FCT.
  3. Oversee the books of the FCT.
  4. Keep detailed financial transactions of the organization.
  5. Submit an updated report at every meeting and an annual report at the end of the fiscal year (June 30).
  6. Prepare and sign all checks issued in the name of the FCT.
  7. Serve as the Chairman of the Box Office Committee.
  8. Shall work with the Finance Committee to develop a budget for the fiscal year (July 1 to June 30).
  9. Shall keep all hard copies of financial statements and financial records at Totty Realty for all executive members to have access.
  10. Will keep a record of all yearly financial, business, and federal and state tax requirements and due dates in case of absence. These will be posted to the executive committee facebook page and a hard copy will be kept at Totty Realty.


Public Relations Head:


  1. Responsible for all advertisements regarding the FCT.
  2. Responsible for all public relations.
  3. Responsible for social media upkeep. If any member or officer would like to post to any FCT social media site, those posts will have to first be approved by the public relations head.
  4. Anything else related to the public image or appearance of the FCT.
  5. If this position is not filled, duties will be performed by the President and Vice President.


Section 2. Election of Officers

  1. At the April business meeting, a nominating committee shall be appointed by the President, and approved by the membership. Their express purpose is to solicit candidates for officers of the upcoming year from the current membership list.
  2. At the Annual Meeting, the committee shall submit its report. Then the floor will be opened for nominations of other members to an office. That member so nominated will have to give their consent. If there are multiple members for any/all positions, the election will be made by secret ballot. The winner will be the member with a majority (half plus one) of the votes cast for that office. If there is no majority, a run-off between the two members who received the highest vote totals will be held by secret ballot.
  3. If there is only one candidate for each office, then the entire slate may be selected by acclamation of the membership.
  4. The newly elected officers shall assume their position immediately after the election.


Section 3. Officers and Chairmen shall hold their position for one (1) term with a duration for one (1) year.


Section 4. Those who assume an office cannot be reelected more than three (3) consecutive terms for that particular office.


Section 5. In the event it becomes necessary to remove an officer or chairman from his/her position due to misconduct, a special meeting must be called for in accordance with RONR 11th edition rule 62. Two thirds (2/3) vote shall determine the outcome.


Section 6. In the event of a vacancy in an office, a special meeting shall be called no later than two (2) weeks from the point of vacancy for the sole purpose of electing a new officer. At that meeting, all nominations shall be from the floor. The nominee(s) must be present and give their consent to serve.

Article IV – Executive Board

Section 1. The Executive Board shall consist of the officers and chairmen of the standing committees.

Section 2. Meetings of the Executive Board shall be held quarterly at a time determined by the board.

Article V – Meetings

Section 1. All meetings shall be conducted according to the parliamentary procedure as outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised 11th edition and these bylaws. When there is a conflict between these bylaws and Robert’s Rules, the bylaws shall take precedence.

Section 2. A quorum is required to conduct any meeting of the organization.

  1. A quorum shall consist of at least 2 officers and 3 members for business and special meetings.
  2. A quorum of the Executive Board shall consist of a majority of the officers and chairmen.
  3. A quorum of the annual meeting shall consist of at least 3 officers and 11 members.

Section 3. There are 4 types of meetings: Annual, Business, Executive Board, and Special.

  1. The Annual meeting will be held in lieu of the June Business meeting on a date, time, and place to be determined at the May Business meeting.This meeting will be held for the election of officers, approval of the major business of the year, and selection of each chairman of each standing committee.
  2. The Business meeting shall be held on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm. If that day falls on a holiday, the meeting shall be postponed for one (1) week, unless there is a motion to cancel the meeting.
  3. The Executive Board meetings shall be held quarterly at a time determined by the board.
  4. Special meetings may be called when there is emergency or pressing business that cannot wait until the next business meeting or business that requires full consideration. A Special meeting shall be called by the President upon the direction of the board, or if at least seven (7) members call for one. If called, the meeting shall be held within two (2) weeks. Written notification shall be made within ten (10) days of the meeting to all qualified members of the FCT.

Section 4. A member must be present to vote. No proxy voting is permitted.


Article VI – Standing Committees and Duties

Section 1. The Standing committees and their duties are:

The Play Reading Committee:

  1. Peruse, review, and select plays and musicals for the upcoming season each year to be submitted to the Executive Board for their approval by January
  2. Discussion with the Board of Directors of the season shall take place before the beginning of each season.
  3. The Executive Board shall present the recommended season at the March Business meeting.
  4. Directors for the season shall also be announced at the Annual Meeting.


The Historical Committee:

  1. Shall maintain the archives of the FCT performances.
  2. Collects all posters, mailers, programs, photographs, reviews, and publicity pertaining to the FCT.


The Facilities Committee:

  1. Shall Address all issues pertaining to the management of the facilities, including liaison between the FCT and the facility owner.
  2. Shall assure that each performance is satisfactorily staffed with volunteers in the front of house for the run of production. House management, ushers, concessions, and traffic managers.


The Box Office Committee:

  1. Handles oversight of all ticket sales/exchanges, including season ticket holders. Retrieves all phone messages from answering machines. Schedules trained box office personnel for each performance.
  2. Maintains a database of all season ticket holders, past and present.
  3. Manages all mailings and communications to all season ticket holders.
  4. Actively solicits new season ticket holders.


The Membership Committee:

  1. Maintain a data base of all FCT members, past and present, with sufficient information to allow accurate tracking.
  2. Actively solicits new FCT members.


The Technical Committee:

  1. Develop and maintain the handling and operating procedures for all technical theater (lighting, sound, and electrical) equipment and systems.
  2. Track all theater equipment (props, lighting, sound, set pieces).
  3. Maintain all theater equipment in operating condition and make recommendations to the Executive Board for purchases and repairs.
  4. Responsible for the maintenance and construction of the set pieces and contents for each production.
  5. Responsible to make sure there are sufficient stage crew for each production.
  6. The Chairman of this committee will be referred to as the Technical Director.


The Fundraising Committee

  1. Work with the Executive Board to establish fundraising strategies to meet the FCT’s financial goals.
  2. Work with the Executive Board to implement fundraising programs including, but not limited to, soliciting individual and corporate donations and all forms of grants.


The Program Committee

  1. To devise and implement a plan to collect enough ads to pay for materials and the printing of the programs for each season.
  2. To create an annual budget for purchase of advertising space in local media and to present to the Executive Board for approval.
  3. To identify and seek sponsors for each show of the season.


The Make Up Committee

  1. Responsible for budgeting, purchasing, and maintaining sufficient make up supplies for each season, with prior consent of the Executive Board.
  2. Responsible for training and supplying sufficient make up personnel for each show.


The Costume Committee

  1. Responsible for the acquisition, construction, and maintenance of all costumes.
  2. Track all costumes that may have been loaned out.


The Finance Committee

  1. Shall work with the Treasurer to develop the budget for the year.
  2. Shall perform an audit before each annual meeting.

Section 2. All committees shall obtain a chairman that shall be appointed by the President and approved by the membership at the Annual Meeting.

Section 3. In the event of a vacancy in the chairman of a committee, the President shall appoint a new chairman as soon as possible.

Section 4. The members of the various committees shall be volunteers of that committee. Only the Chairman is appointed to that committee. However, no member shall serve on more than three (3) committees at a time.


Article VII – Amendments

Section 1. These bylaws may be amended, altered, or repealed by a vote of two thirds (2/3) of all qualified voting members present at an Annual Meeting or at a special meeting that may be called for said purpose. Except for the Annual meeting, written notification stating the purpose of the meeting shall be made to all qualified voting members at least 10 days prior to said meeting.

Section 2. Any changes that are to be made shall be printed and presented to all members.


Article VIII – Dissolution

It is the intent of the FCT that it be perpetual. However, if a dissolution is desired, the FCT shall exist until a Special Meeting is called with the intent of dissolution. A unanimous vote is required to dissolve the FCT.

In the event of its dissolution, all monies and properties of the FCT shall be donated to any local organization which has the production of live theater as its sole purpose. No officer, member, donor, patron, or other person shall be entitled to any property or monies, or any share thereof, under any circumstances.


Article IX – Miscellaneous Requirements

Any item considered property of the FCT shall be kept at Totty Realty or the storage facility located at 2681 Fairview Blvd, Fairview, TN 37062, unless a previously determined location has been approved by the President and/or Vice President.


Convening Authority:

These bylaws were approved by the Fairview Community Theater Organizing Committee at a meeting on July 22, 2016.

These bylaws were amended at the June 10, 2017 Annual meeting by the membership. The changes took effect on July 1, 2017.

These bylaws were amended at the June 23, 2018 Annual meeting by the membership. The changes took effect on July 1, 2018.