The Vicarious Theater Company Cast Code This code is constantly under construction. I. Responsibilities and Definitions A) Memberships: 1) Board members (maximum of thirteen, minimum of three): a) Must be at least eighteen years of age. b) Must adhere to and uphold all portions of these bylaws. c) Have all the privileges outlined in section V. d) Will be elected by secret ballot, requiring a super-majority of the board. e) May be removed at any time with a consensus of the remaining members of the board. 2) Members: Board, Provisionals, Trannies and Tech (to be defined in greater depth before 11/05) a) Shall be defined as anyone who has held a performance role in at least 4/6 of the performances for the last six months. b) Must have a current copy of waiver and application on file. c) Must be at least 16 years old. d) May attend general meetings. e) Must adhere to and uphold sections I, II, III, and VI of these bylaws, and do not have the privileges outlined in section V. f) May volunteer to take on duties which are approved cast functions. g) May be removed by a majority vote of the member group if there has been a violation of the cast code or by a majority vote of the board at any time. This loss of status shall last six months. B) Props: 1) Each member is responsible for procuring the props and costuming appropriate to any role(s) they own or play on a regular basis. Should they be unwilling or unable to procure the role’s basic costuming within eight weeks, as presented to the board by the Stage Manager, the part will be temporarily or permanently recast. A temporary recast will be enforced for one show or until the costumes or props are procured, whichever is longer. Current members must maintain the costuming/props on their character’s checklist in good condition. If for any reason their costuming lapses, they have four weeks to replace it. C) The Treasury 1) The purpose of the treasury is to keep and record the use of VTC funds. It is to be used for: a) The production, maintenance, or procurement of cast owned equipment, props, costuming, etc. b) Seed money for fund raising events, which must be returned to the treasury by the show following the end of the event. Proceeds from fund raisers must be used for VTC improvements; however, the specific allocation of the funds will be determined only by the members who take an active part in the fund raiser. c) Member approved promotions. 2) Any expenditure from the treasury requires a majority vote of the member group, with any expenditure over $100.00 also requiring approval by a super-majority of the board. II. Theater conduct / etiquette A) Impaired or intoxicated members at the show or any other Vicarious Theater Company function will be replaced for that show or function. A second incident may result in loss of member status. B) Only one person may play a given acting role in any show. C) Members must adhere to and enforce all theater rules and policies. D) Only board members shall have contact with theatre / venue officials regarding VTC events. Contact with the theatre staff should be kept to a minimum. III. Attendance A) All performers are expected to be at the theatre in mostly complete makeup by 11:30pm. (Exempt from makeup requirements are performers whose roles begin 30 minutes into the film or later.) Any performer participating in a preshow must be at the theatre by 11:15pm. If a performer is not present by the designated time (without prior arrangement) a replacement will be prepared. Any performer arriving at the theatre after 11:30pm (without prior arrangement) will be replaced for the next show. If a performer has not arrived at the theatre by 12:10, they may be replaced for that performance. B) Notify the appropriate board member(s) ASAP if anticipating lateness or an absence. Failure to do so will result in loss of a performance role for the following show. C) More than three absences from any circumstances (without a leave of absence) within one year may result in loss of member or board status. D) Each leave of absence must be approved by a majority board decision, and shall not exceed three months. E) Two absences without notice within one year will result in loss of member or board status. IV. Policy Making A) All decisions shall be made as either a majority vote of the board or member group, or as a super-majority of the board or member group. Any member group vote may be vetoed by the board, requiring a super-majority of the board to overrule a majority decision, or a unanimous vote by the board for a super-majority. B) If a board member cannot attend a scheduled vote, they may vote by proxy. If a vote is called when a board member is not present, they may file a vote within 2 weeks of the vote being called. Otherwise they forfeit their voting privilege for that issue. All votes filed are final. C) Two board meetings shall be required per year, one during the first two weeks of October, the second during the first two weeks of April. Whenever feasible, the board shall also hold meetings an additional two times during the year. A board meeting is not valid if there are more than two board members missing or less than three board members in attendance. V. Board Privileges All board members may: A) Vote on any and all decisions. B) Participate in the casting of the next performance. Should a performance role become available, the criteria for choosing an actor to fill the role shall be: 1) Member status. 2) Demonstrated appearance. 3) Perceived ability. 4) Dedication level. C) May be the Primary Performer for an acting role, or multiple roles when feasible, giving them the right of first refusal for that role. D) Present a temporary replacement for their role for any single show to the board. Replacements presented shall be approved, unless extenuating circumstances exist. Longer term replacements require board approval. Please give notice of changes to the appropriate person(s) ASAP. VI. Performance Roles A) Acting roles (in order of appearance) 1) Master of Ceremonies, responsible for: a) Audience warm-up. b) Curtain call. c) Pre- and post-show announcements d) Coordinates all preshow activities. 2) Trixie, the Usherette a) Must be at least eighteen years of age. b) Is encouraged to assist in the sales of Trannie packs before the show. 3) Brad 4) Janet 5) The Criminologist 6) Riff Raff 7) Magenta 8) Columbia 9) Frank 10) Rocky 11) Eddie 12) Dr. Scott B) Trannies (5+) C) Technical roles 1) Lighting & sound (2+) 2) Security 3) Stage manager 4) Prop ninjas VII. Board duties A) All duties, unless noted otherwise: 1) Are appointed by majority vote of the board. 2) Must have a second member of the board selected as an alternate to perform said duties in the absence of the appointee. 3) May be replaced by appointing a new member of the board at any time. B) Duty list: 1) Stage Manager a) Requires a super-majority of the board to appoint. b) Duties: c) Facilitates meetings. d) Acts as a neutral third party for disputes between members. e) Takes performance notes and reviews them with the appropriate individuals every 3 months. f) Must keep updated phone lists. g) Finds or confirms temporary replacements when necessary. h) Official contact in case of confusion or changes in cast lineup. i) Initiates and oversees the enforcement of VTC costume standards. j) Coordinates technical roles during the performance. 2) Secretary a) Records member and audience attendance. b) Takes post-show meeting minutes. c) Must have records on hand at any show upon request. d) Must keep personnel information on file. e) Responsible for distributing these bylaws to all members within 10 days after revisions are approved. f) Must have a current copy of these bylaws at any VTC function. 3) Treasurer a) Does not require an alternate. Should the treasurer be absent, the secretary shall hold any receipts submitted until their return. b) Requires a super-majority of the board to appoint. c) Duties: d) Must keep complete transaction records and receipts. e) Collects funds, distributes payments, and holds in trust any and all financial wealth belonging to the Vicarious Theatre Company. 4) Head Transylvanian a) Elected by majority vote of the board and Trannie members. b) Alternate may be selected from either board or Trannie members. c) Duties: d) Grants and revokes Trannie status. e) Casts Trannie performances on a monthly basis. f) Choreographs Trannie performances. g) Official contact and liaison between Trannie and non-Trannie VTC members and board. 5) Production Coordinator a) Must keep updated phone lists. b) Finds or confirms temporary replacements when necessary. c) Official contact person in case of confusion or changes in the cast lineup. 6) Webmaster a)Responsible for the maintenance and development of any official VTC website. b) Keeps track of past cast lists and member statusus. These bylaws may be altered, temporarily or permanently, by a super-majority of the Board of Directors of the Vicarious Theatre Company at any time.