Carlton Operatic Society - Constitution

The Society shall be known as "Carlton Operatic Society"
The objects of the Society shall be the study and performance of Musical Comedies / Theatrical Productions.
The Society shall consist of subscription paying members and may also include as Life Members such other persons as shall have rendered special service to the Society.
1. 1. There shall be an Executive Committee comprising of the following: Business Manager, Administrator, Treasurer and two general members. who shall conduct the day to day business of the Society.
  2. Where no Business Manager can be elected, a further general member shall be elected to the Executive Committee, who shall also sit on the General Purposes Committee.
2. Subject to Rule 4(a)(ii) There shall be a General Purposes Committee comprising of the following: Business Manager, Administrator, Treasurer, Ticket Secretary, Social Secretary, Publicity Secretary, and Four general members, two from the Executive Committee plus two other general members, one of whom shall be under 25 years on the date of election In the event of office bearers who by virtue of that office are members of the GPC, being elected also to the Executive Committee the meeting will elect additional general members to the GPC so as to retain an overall membership of 10. This committee shall sit at periodic intervals, but no less than 4 times per year.
3. There shall be a Social Committee consisting of the Social Secretary, Welfare Officer and one general member. This committee shall be chaired by the Social Secretary.
4. 1. The Business Manager shall chair meetings of the Executive and General Purposes Committees.
  2. Where rule 4(a)(i) applies the General Purpose, and Executive Committees will elect, from amongst their number, a chairman.
5. Officers and Committee members shall hold office for a term of one year and shall be eligible for re-election. Casual vacancies shall be filled by the General Purposes Committee.
6. Casts for productions shall be selected by an auditioning committee. This committee shall be appointed by the General Purposes Committee, but shall exclude anyone auditioning for a principal part. Any member of the auditioning committee shall withdraw from the casting of a part where a relative or partner has auditioned for that part.
1. The President and the Vice Presidents (2) of the Society shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Society for a term of one year and shall be eligible for re-election. The President shall have a right to attend all committee meetings of the Society, but have no right to vote. In the absence of the President then a Vice-President may attend.
2. The Society in general meeting shall elect the following non committee members. Patrons Secretary, Minute Secretary, Registrar, Orchestra Secretary, Properties, Wardrobe Mistress, Welfare, Auditor, and House Manager and Programme Editor.
3. The Producer, Musical Director, Choreographer, Pianist and Stage Manager, shall be appointed for a term of one year, by the General Purposes Committee.
The election and expulsion of members (other than Life Members) shall rest solely with the General Purposes Committee.
Applications for membership shall be made to the Administrator who shall submit the name to the General Purposes Committee for its decision. This rule shall be suspended in the event of a non member being invited by the Audition Committee to play a specific part.
The Producer and Musical Director, with the aid of the Choreographer, shall recommend to the General Purposes Committee, in detail, the number of people required for each production. Those members wishing to appear in the selected production shall audition annually for this purpose. No-one is allowed to audition unless the subscription has been paid.
1. There shall be seven levels of membership, defined as:
  1. Life Member
  2. Junior Member (under 16)
  3. Student (someone who is over 16 and in full time education)
  4. Acting Member
  5. Over-65 Acting Member
  6. Non-Acting Member
  7. Post-show Member (those joining immediately after the show until the first rehearsal of the new season)
  Yearly membership is defined as from the first rehearsal of one season to the first rehearsal of the next season.
Every member shall pay an annual subscription, the amount of which will be determined by the General Purposes Committee and shall be paid on or by Company Auditions. Any member not having paid his or her fee by then shall be deemed to have resigned membership and must reapply as in Rule 7 aforementioned for membership.
In the event of inconsistent attendance, and on advice from the Production Committee, and in the absence of a satisfactory explanation any member shall be requested to withdraw from the production by the General Purposes Committee.
Life members may on the nomination of the General Purposes Committee only be elected on such terms as the Society in general meeting may decide.
The Treasurer shall present audited accounts to the General Purposes Committee for approval before submission to the Annual General Meeting.
The Annual General Meeting shall be held as near as possible 2 months after the completion of the production., when the report of the Administrator and the duly audited accounts for the past year shall be presented. The officers, committee members Production officials and an auditor shall be elected for the ensuing year and all general business shall be transacted.
1. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called at any time at the discretion of the Executive or General Purposes Committee
2. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called within I month of the receipt, by the Administrator, of a requisition in writing to that effect signed by at least eight members . Every such requisition shall specify the business for which the meeting is to be convened and no other business shall be transacted at that meeting.
Any member may bring any item to General Meetings provided that notice, signed by three members, is given to the Administrator at least 14 days before the Meeting.
1. No business other than the formal adjournment of the Meeting shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum be present and such quorum shall consist of not less than 20 persons present and entitled to vote. At a meeting following an adjourned meeting the quorum shall reduce to twelve.
2. No business other than the formal adjournment of the Meeting shall be transacted at any General Purposes Committee Meeting unless a quorum be present and such quorum shall consist of not less than 6 persons
Any resolutions brought forward at a General Meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of the votes properly recorded at such meeting. In the case of an equality of votes the chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
The Executive and General Purposes Committees shall each have the power to appoint sub - committees and to delegate to such sub- committees any or all of its powers. Sub Committees shall continue to hold office for such time as shall be determined by the respective committee, but for no longer than the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting following its election. Members of such sub - committees are eligible for re-election.
The chairman of any meeting of the Society or its committees shall have the opportunity of exercising a casting vote.
A meeting of the Executive Committee or the General Purposes Committee or of any sub committee shall be convened on the requisition of the Business Manager, Administrator or any two members of committee or sub - committee.
The President of the Society shall chair General Meetings. If at any meeting as aforesaid the President be not present within five minutes of the time appointed for holding a meeting then the Vice President shall assume the Chair. If the Vice President is also absent then the members present shall elect a chairman until the arrival of the President or Vice President.
Any committee shall cause proper minutes to be made of the proceedings of all meetings and all business transacted at such meetings and any such minute of any meeting if purporting to be signed by the chairman of such meeting or by the chairman of the next succeeding meeting shall be conclusive evidence without any further proof of the facts therein stated.
1. At all meetings a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided upon a show of hands by a majority of the persons present and entitled to vote unless before or upon the declaration of the result of the show of hands a poll be demanded by the chairman or by at least three members present and entitled to vote. Unless a poll be so demanded, a declaration that a resolution has been carried or has been carried by a particular majority or has been lost or not carried by a particular majority shall be conclusive and an entry to that effect in the minute book of the society shall be conclusive evidence without proof of the number or proportion of the votes in favour or against such a resolution.
2. The demand of a poll shall not prevent the continuance of a meeting for the transaction of any business other than the question on which a poll has been demanded.
3. Save as hereinafter provided no person other than a member who shall have paid every subscription and / or other sum ( if any ) which shall be due and payable to the Society in respect of membership shall be entitled to be present or to vote on any question.
The Societies banking account shall be kept with such Banker or Bankers as the General Purpose Committee shall from time to time determine. Cheques on the Society's General banking account unless otherwise resolved by the General Purpose Committee shall be signed by any two of the Business Manager, Administrator or the Treasurer.
Productions of the Society shall be selected by the General Purposes Committee.
The General Purposes Committee shall have the power to revise the cast from time to time if any member to whom a character has been assigned shall in that committees opinion prove unsuitable.
Members shall, to the best of their ability, play the parts assigned to them whether principal or chorus and shall obey the directions of the Producer and Musical Director at all rehearsals and performances. Disputes shall be referred immediately to the Administrator and shall be decided by the General Purposes Committee.
If there shall be brought to the notice of the General Purposes Committee a) any neglect or default on the part of a member which discloses a prima facie case of conduct which is improper and likely to injure the Society or b) any breach of the Constitution by a member, the offending member shall be summoned to appear by representative or in person before the General Purposes Committee to explain such behaviour. In the event of the explanation offered not being deemed satisfactory, the General Purposes Committee shall have the power to expel the offending member from the Society, but any resolution for such expulsion shall not be effective unless carried by a simple majority of the votes recorded thereon.
1. Subject to these rules providing to the contrary on a show of hands every member present in person shall have one vote, and on a ballot every member shall have one vote.
2. No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered, and every vote not disallowed at such meeting shall be valid for all purposes. Any such objection made in due time shall be referred to the chairman of the meeting whose decision shall be final and conclusive.
The interpretation of this constitution and decisions on any question arising shall rest solely with the General Purposes Committee and all disputes and differences between members shall be referred to the General Purposes Committee whose decision shall be final and binding upon members concerned.
The Society shall be dissolved by a resolution passed by a majority of at least two thirds of the members present and voting at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose of considering such dissolution. In the event of dissolution any balance of cash remaining in hand after the realisation of assets and payment of debts shall be donated to such legally recognised charitable objects as may be decided by the General Purposes Committee.
No alteration to this constitution shall be made except at a General Meeting or unless twenty one days prior to such meeting a written notice of proposed alteration shall have been given to the Administrator who shall give fourteen days notice thereof to the members and the resolution embodying a proposed alteration shall be carried by a majority of at least two thirds of the votes recorded thereon at the meeting.

Accepted July 2000
Revision (1) September 2001
Revision (2) June 2003
Revision (3) June 2004 Rule 4(d)ii - delete 'for each meeting'; Choreographer reinstated to 5(a).
Revision (4) July 2006 Rule 5(a) delete Choreographer, Stage Manager and Pianist; Rule 5(b) add Choreographer, Stage Manager and Pianist.
Revision (5) June 2007 Rule 8 delete 'Those selected to perform in the show shall pay a supplementary subscription.'
Revision (6) June 2008 Rule 4(e) delete 'The President / Vice President shall be entitled to attend meetings of the Executive and General Purposes Committees but shall not be entitled to vote at such meetings.'; Rule 5(a) amend to '... Vice Presidents (2) ...', add 'The President shall have a right to attend all committee meetings of the Society, but have no right to vote. In the absence of the President then a Vice-President may attend.'; Renumber 'The Society in general meeting shall elect the following non committee members. Patrons Secretary, Minute Secretary, Registrar, Orchestra Secretary, Properties, Wardrobe Mistress, Welfare, Auditor, and House Manager and Programme Editor.' as 5(b); Renumber 5(b) to 5(c); Rule 8 delete 'There shall be one level of membership.' and 'There shall also be a Junior membership for those under 16 and a student membership (defined as a 'person in full time education')'. Insert rule 8(a).