Rules

CONSTITUTION

1.     NAME:

The association will be known as The We Are What We Are Musical Theatre       Company hereinafter referred to as the Company.

2.     AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:    

We aim to build confidences and social skills within our members through the medium of the arts - live performance or otherwise.

We are committed to nurturing the talents of individuals until such time that they feel confident enough to become the teacher and not the taught.

We commit to the group support by way of passing on vital experience within the arts and performances from the core team to the members.

Any member , playing or technical, will be expected to pass on their knowledge to other members of the organisation to enable that member to better themselves and get an all round further understanding of the performance as a whole.

The objectives of the company shall be to promote all aspects of the performing arts, without discrimination, to peoples of all religions colour sexual orientation or disability.  

We welcome all, we are prepared for all levels of disabilities and will not turn anyone away.  The rehearsal hall and performance venue have full disability facilities for cast and audience alike.

            All members will be expected to believe in our common philosophy that we are all part of the human race put together for the common good. Further to this we shall undertake to teach to those interested all aspects of the theatre and to take the theatre, where possible to those who cannot attend the theatre.

We will endeavour to encourage and develop members talents to their full potential.

We will take part in charitable events to raise money for good causes, this we will do when time permits. 

3.     POWERS:

In furtherance of the above aims the Company may:

i)                   Promote and organise co-operation in achievement of the above locally.

ii)                 Produce, print, issue, sell or circulate any material that will further the association’s aims.

iii)              Accept gifts or borrow or raise money for the purpose of the association on such terms and on such security as may be thought fit by the committee.

iv)               Procure contributions to the organisation by personal appeals, public meetings, benefit concerts and otherwise.  

4.     MEMBERSHIP:

Individual membership of the organisation shall be open to all who wish to support the aims and objectives of the company, and who agree to obey it's rules, to act only within the constitution to and subscribe an annual fee as prescribed from time to time by the Company.

5.     FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:  

i)                   No member shall receive payment directly or indirectly for services to the Company, or for anything other than legitimate expenses incurred.

ii)                 No member shall be held personally liable for debts incurred, or damage caused, as a result of the Companies activities, unless breach of trust or fraudulent behaviour can be shown to have occurred. The directors excepting those directors who are employed, shall be deemed responsible for any debt incurred by the company

6.     MANAGEMENT:

The general management of the Company’s concerns shall be vested in a management committee (hereinafter referred to as the committee) membership of which shall be made up as follows:

i)                   Up to five members drawn from among the individual members, to be elected at each annual general meeting.

ii)                 The committee shall have the power to co-opt not more than four other members to serve until the end of the AGM following their co-option.

The management committee at its first meeting in each year after their AGM appointment a Chair, a Secretary and a Treasurer. In the absence of the Chair at any subsequent meeting, the Secretary or (by previous arrangement) another member of the committee shall preside.

 The management committee shall carry out the policy of the company and, subject to any conditions imposed or directions given by the directors of the company, provide for the day-to-day contact, administration, management and control of the affairs of the association.  

 The management committee shall have the power to:

i)                  Appoint sub-committees which may include members other than the committee.

ii)              Make rules for the transaction of their business excepting in the case of shows, content of shows casting and direction of shows which will be the sole prerogative of the Directors

iii)              To delegate any of its functions to such subcommittees, which must then report their activities and proceedings fully and promptly to the management committee.

iv)               To dissolve such subcommittee as appropriate.

7.     ANNUAL EXTRAORDINARY MEETINGS:

There shall be an Annual General Meeting of the Company not less than ten months and not more than fourteen months since the last meeting. The secretary of the association shall give all members not less than 21 days’ notice of the date, place and time of this meeting through the post.  

Extraordinary General Meetings of the association can be called at any time if requested in writing by not less five of the members of the association. In such case, the secretary of the management committee shall notify all members of the meeting following the procedure laid down in paragraph above. 

8.     VOTING:

At all meetings of the association, its management committee at any subcommittee, if in their Chair’s opinion unanimity cannot be reached in the time available, every question shall be determined by show of hands, unless at least a third of the adult members present demand a ballot, in which case a ballot shall be taken immediately. In the event of a tied vote, the Chair or Acting Chair will cast the decisive vote.  

9.     FINANCIAL PROVISIONS:

The association’s financial year shall run from the 1^st January each year to the 31^st December. During that period:

i)                   The management committee shall administer all the association’s funds for the furtherance of aims and objectives.

ii)                 A bank account, determined by the management committee, shall be maintained in the name of the association.  All cheques drawn upon the account shall require the signature of at least two members of that committee, one of which should always be the treasurer.

iii)            The management committee shall present to each Annual Meeting  a statement of account for the previous year.

10.    ALTERATION AND DISSOLUTION:

 The constitution may be altered, except in the case of 9(ii), by a resolution supported by not less than two thirds of those present and voting at an annual or extraordinary meeting of the committee. 

In the event of dissolution, the meeting may also give instructions for the disposal of any assets held by or in the byname of the association, once all debts and liabilities are cleared. 

Such assets shall not be given to or distributed among the members, but must be passed on to another or other charitable institutions of the company's choice.