Constitution

1.0 Introduction

1.1: This constitution supercedes all previous constitutions. Any retyping of the constitution and standing orders must be passed by a General Meeting of the company, where the President and Secretary shall sign it as a true and fair record of the current constitution and standing orders.
1.2: The constitution and standing orders shall be available at all times to any member of the Company. Any motion passed without access to this document is invalid.

2.0 The Company

2.1 The Company shall be known as the Edinburgh University Theatre Company, hereinafter referred to as the EUTC. Edinburgh University Students Association shall be referred to as EUSA. All references to academic dates pertain to those of the University of Edinburgh.
2.2 The aims of the company shall be:
2.2.1 To maintain and encourage interest in all aspects of dramatic Art within and around the University and otherwise as shall be decided on by the Company’s members.
2.2.2 To maintain and encourage new writing and the performance of productions written by members of EUTC.
2.2.3 Dissemination of theatrical knowledge through workshops and on hand learning.
2.2.4 To foster links with the community through a children’s project and hire of the venue.
2.2.5 To where financially and practically possible take theatre beyond the confines of the Bedlam Theatre and into the community.
2.2.6 To perform varied and regular productions in a variety of theatrical genres, to be decided on by the company.
2.2.7 To operate and run the Bedlam Theatre.

3.0 Membership

3.1 Anyone may become a member of the company, provided at least 75% of all members are currently matriculated students within the University of Edinburgh.
3.2 An Honorary President, as many Honorary Vice Presidents and up to 10 Life Members per year may be elected at a General meeting by simple majority.
3.3 Retiring presidents of the society shall become life members.
3.4 Membership shall be open to all matriculated students of Edinburgh University.
3.5 All members who are not matriculated students of Edinburgh University shall pay at least twice the annual subscription paid.

4.0 Committee

4.1 The EUTC shall be administered by a permanent committee of thirteen members: President (who shall also act as Friends of Bedlam & Alumni liason officer), Secretary and the Business, Productions, Venue Hire, Fringe Venue, Theatre, Wardrobe, Entertainments, Technical, Marketing & Front of House Managers as well as the Archivist. The company may designate any additional members of the committee and positions may be created as seen fit by the company at a general meeting. The president shall hold the casting vote in all balloted decisions.
4.2 Additionally, the Previous President, until the end of the academic year for which they were elected, shall act as a non-voting committee member.
4.3 The term of office for all committee members shall be from April 1st- 31st March inclusive. In the absence of a committee member, all other committee members will fulfil the task until a person to fulfil the role is found.
4.4 If a committee member is absent from 3 committee meetings in succession, or fails to attend more than half of the committee meetings in a term, the chair of the committee meeting may declare (at no fault) that the position is vacant and may hold an election for a new committee member at any meeting of the company. Any committee member who fails a vote of confidence is considered to have forfeited their post.
4.5 The President, Secretary and Business Manager of the society shall all be matriculated students of Edinburgh University.

5.0 Fringe Committee

6.1 A Fringe Venue Manager, Fringe Technical Manager, Fringe Theatre Manager and Fringe Marketing Officer shall be ratified at a meeting of the EUTC. They shall form a Fringe committee responsible for appointing additional Fringe staff as required and running the EUTC’s presence at the Fringe in the best long-term interests of the EUTC. From 1st June to no later than Freshers’ Week, they shall have operational control of the EUTC and such building(s) as it occupies.

6.0 Finances

7.1 EUSA shall operate a bank account specifically on behalf of the EUTC. The signatories on this account will be the Business Manager, and EUSA’s Vice-President (Services), with the EUTC President and EUSA’s permanent secretary as alternative signatories. The EUTC’s Fringe Venue Manager shall be competent to act as signatory on cheques from 1st June of each year they are appointed.
7.2 The Business Manager and President of the EUTC shall be responsible for the direct administration of any approved spending, reporting to meetings as appropriate. They shall at all times behave in an open, fair and transparent manner in this regard. They shall receive all monies and have the authority to make any expenditure decisions necessary in the long-term interests of the EUTC.
7.3 Any expenditure not approved by the Business Manager, Fringe Venue Manager (cf.5.1 and 6.1) or President in advance shall be the liability of the person(s) making it. The President or Business Manager may waive this rule if the expenditure is adjudged (by them) to be in the long-term interests of the company.
7.4 The Business Manager shall be responsible for presenting a set of accounts audited by EUSA’s current auditor, together with a draft budget for the financial year, which shall then be subject to approval by the Committee.
7.5 The Alumni Liaison Officer is responsible for planning Alumni fundraising and the allocation of these funds, in conjunction with Friends of Bedlam (FOB), through the University of Edinburgh Alumni and Development Fund. Any application to the University of Edinburgh Alumni and Development Fund to access these funds must first receive the consent of the FOB committee.
7.6 Only the president, or their nominated representative shall make any application to the Development and Alumni fund on behalf of the EUTC. No application shall be made without the approval of the EUTC and FOB organisations.

7.0 Meetings

8.1 There shall be three kinds of meeting: Committee, Company and General. The quorum for Committee and Company meetings shall be three members of the Committee and two additional members, five in all. The quorum for General meetings shall be 10% of the current membership or 30 members; whichever is lower. There shall be weekly meetings of the company and committee during the duration of the semester. There shall be at least one general meeting per semester. There shall be one General Meeting between weeks 7 and 11 of semester two; which shall be the Annual General Meeting. Additional general meetings can be called by the committee, or by a petition of members equal to the quorum of a General meeting. All meetings shall be non-smoking.
8.2 Committee and Company meetings shall occur at as consistent a time and place as circumstances will allow. The Secretary and President shall use reasonable endeavours to publicise the meetings to the membership. In the case of a General Meeting this shall take place no later than two weeks before the scheduled meeting.
8.3 Decisions of meetings are proposed in the form of motions. These motions shall be within the law, only General Meetings shall be deemed competent to contradict or alter the constitution or standing orders, and committee members may only be elected at a general meeting. If a committee post has been offered at a general meeting and remains or becomes unfilled, an election motion may be proposed at a subsequent meeting of the company.
8.4 Voting rights are as follows: Committee Meetings: All committee members present. Company Meetings: All members present not in debt to the company General Meetings and a meeting of the company where shows are selected: all members who are not in debt to the company.
8.5 Proxy Votes: those members absent with unavoidable reason and not in debt to the company may appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf on the notice of no less than one week to a meeting of the company. A proxy vote may be requested by electronic or other remote means. All proxy votes must be recorded separately as such when they are exercised. Any member may raise an objection to a proxy vote, if so a motion in favour of granting the proxy vote must be proposed and put to a vote. These may only be exercised at a general meeting of the company.
8.6 All members must receive at least 14 days written notification of the Annual General Meeting and elections not held at the Annual General Meeting

8.0 Ethical/ Legal Status of the EUTC

9.1 The EUTC’s activities must, at all times, remain on an amateur & legal basis.
9.2 The EUTC shall pursue its goals regardless of gender, sexuality, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, marital status, disability, socio-economic background, age or religious belief. In short the EUTC shall provide equal opportunities to every member to take part in its activities, to the best of its abilities.
9.3 Intellectual Property, when created by members of the company, has copyright vested with that member, and not the company. Its creator must approve all changes to this material. In the case of new writing, the producer and director of such productions must be approved by the writer, as must any later changes to these two positions.
9.4 Anybody conducting activity prohibited under this constitution shall be held responsible for their actions without fault on the part of the company.

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DISCLAIMER: This version of the Constituion has not been viewed or authorised by the President or Secretary, as such they cannot be taken for accurate or current.