The C0nstitution//By Laws

 Thespian Troupe 88928 Constitution 

Adopted: ____________________

Article I: Name, Purpose, and Governance

Section 1. Name: This organization shall be called The Spotlight Kids JR Thespians Troupe 88928.  The troupe has been chartered by Millhopper Montessori School (school name). The charter affiliates it with the International Thespian Society (ITS).

Section 2. Purpose: The troupe is the honors component of the school’s theatre program. Its purpose shall be the advancement of standards of excellence in theatre. More specifically, the troupe will encourage students to attain a better mastery of the theatre arts and will reward those who achieve it with induction into the troupe. Thespians achieving honor ranks and scholar distinctions shall receive recognition of their exemplary accomplishments.

Section 3. Governance: This troupe constitution and its bylaws are two components of a hierarchy of documents that govern members of the International Thespian Society and its parent organization, the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA). The documents affecting troupes, in order of authority, are: the EdTA Code of Regulations, the membership policy, the troupe handbooks, the troupe constitution, and troupe bylaws. This constitution may not be altered in any way that conflicts with a superseding document or school policies and procedures.

Article II: Organization and Officers

Section 1. Membership: Membership is achieved by complying with all induction criteria as defined in the troupe handbook. The Thespian point system is the official guideline for awarding induction points. Any changes to induction criteria, including the Thespian point system, must be adopted as a troupe bylaw.

Section 2. Officers: The Thespian troupe shall have the following officers: president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. Duties shall be defined in the troupe’s bylaws.

Section 3. Elections: The troupe shall elect officers for the next school year in the last full month of the current school term.  

Article III: Meetings and Participation

Section 1. Meetings: Thespian troupe meetings shall be held monthly throughout the school year. Special meetings may be called by the troupe director, any officer, or by a quorum of Thespians.

Section 2. Quorum: A quorum shall be a majority of the troupe’s active membership.

Section 3. Denial of participation: Any Thespian who causes deliberate dissension or disruption of any production or business meeting may be denied participation in troupe activities by a vote of two-thirds of the troupe’s membership and the consent of the troupe director. Any member requesting reinstatement of participation rights may have them restored with the consent of the troupe director and two-thirds of the troupe’s membership. In extreme cases a Thespian’s status as a member in good standing of the local troupe may be suspended or withdrawn by the troupe director for just cause. Such decisions are subject to oversight by the school administration. This may affect any or all participation rights and benefits that require the troupe director’s authorization but will not affect membership and benefits that come directly from the ITS national office.

Article IV: Dues and Fees

Section 1. Dues: There shall be no mandatory dues for Thespian induction except as provided by the EdTA Board of Directors.

Section 2. Fees: Troupes may approve additional fees for local Thespian troupe participation. This requires consent of the troupe director, and a two-thirds vote of the active troupe members at a regular troupe meeting. The school and its troupe director may also assess user fees in accordance with school policy.

Article V: Bylaws

Section 1. Purpose: Bylaws provide additional guidance for the governance and operations of the troupe.  No bylaw may be in conflict with the EdTA Code of Regulations, membership policy, troupe handbook, troupe constitution, or school policy or procedures.

Section 2. Adoptions and amendments: The troupe director may adopt or amend bylaws as deemed appropriate. Bylaws may also be added or amended by approval of a simple majority of the troupe’s active membership and the consent of the troupe director.

Article VI: Amendments

Section 1. Exclusions: Article I may not be amended.

Section 2. Procedure: Articles other than Article I may be amended by approval of two-thirds of the troupe’s active membership with the consent of the troupe director. This constitution and its amendments shall be subject to change according to any or all requirements of the International Thespian Society. 

Adopted___________________________________

Troupe Director_____________________________        
Troupe President______________________________  

Signature__________________________________           Signature____________________________________

Troupe 88928 BYLAWS 2024

Thespian Troupe 88928 Bylaws

Adopted: ________________________________

Article I: Attendance

Section 1. A student arriving late to or leaving early from meetings or rehearsals without a valid reason by the troupe director will lose a point. Three such offenses will be counted as an absence from a meeting without excuse.

Section 2. Regular after-school meetings will begin at 4 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m. Changes will be posted by the week before unless there is an emergency shift, in which case they will be posted the day before.

Section 3. Irregular attendance indicates a lack of interest; therefore, any member absent more than (4) total, (2) of which must be placed on the conflict calendar upon sign-up for auditions.  (2) may be unplanned, the unplanned absences must be reported to the director via written notification a week in advance, emergency/illness absences are understandable - but will be managed on a case-by-case basis.   A team member will be automatically suspended from troupe activities if these guidelines are not followed or contested. The troupe director has sole authority to reverse the suspension. 

Section 4. Attendance shall be considered in the Thespian point award system.

Section 5. Absences shall accumulate for only one school year at a time.

Article II: Thespian Points 

Section 1. Induction points must be earned in more than one more than one production. 

Section 2. Induction points will be awarded for theatre-related work done outside the school’s theatre program. To qualify for hours, a copy of the program or other verification must be provided, a paragraph of the show must be turned in with a paragraph detailing the show,

Section 3. One-half of an induction point may be earned for attending non-school productions. To qualify, a ticket stub or a program must be provided as proof of attendance. A critique of the show (two-page minimum) must be submitted within one week of production.

Section 4. Thespians must earn 50 hours to be inducted. Thespians must maintain 50 hours, after induction, and earn additional hours.

Section 5: Keeping up with communication, wearing your Spotlight Kids t-shirt, and conducting yourself with grace, courtesy and consideration of your team members and the directors will be considered in earning or losing thespian points.

Article III: Induction

Section 1. An induction ceremony shall be held at least once each year. Additional ceremonies may be held as often as deemed necessary by the troupe director.

Section 2. The troupe will pay for additional honor items included in its officially adopted recognition system. 

Section 3. The troupe director determines the time, place, schedule, and format of induction ceremonies with the assistance of the vice president.

Section 4. The troupe director president, and vice president conduct inductions with the Board members. The principal, superintendent, and/or like officials will be offered a role in the ceremony whenever possible. The vice president is responsible for training induction ceremony speakers, scheduling and rehearsing said speakers, and preparing the stage and induction properties as directed by the troupe director.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1. Duties: Troupe officer duties are defined below. The troupe director may assign other duties.

A. The president presides at all meetings, appoints all standing and special committees, and directs and supervises troupe activities.

B. The vice president presides in the absence of the president and is responsible for preparing new members to take their Jr. Thespian oath and assisting with the planning of the ceremony.

C. The secretary keeps the records of meetings and attends to troupe correspondence.

D. The treasurer keeps the troupe’s fundraising and may act as business manager of Thespian Productions. They also are in charge of community service projects.

E.  The Officers will work as a team to create the required items, to be named as HONORARY TROUPE,

     Due at the end of November each year, (items/information used from previous year).

Section 2. Requirements for all elected officers are as follows: each student must be an active member of the troupe for at least one school year, and at the time of election must be enrolled in grades 10 or 11 for high school Thespian troupes, 7 or 8 for Junior Thespian troupes.

Section 3. Nominations for officers are to be made by a committee that includes the troupe director, with additional nominations being permitted from the floor. Students may self-nominate from the floor. Officers will be elected by a majority vote. Millhopper Montessori School’s Middle School Teachers, and Administration have a vote in the the final results of the election.

Section 4. Elections will be conducted at the last troupe meeting for the school year.

Section 5. Voting will be done by secret written ballot at an official troupe meeting.

Section 6. Three members, including one officer, may request a recall election of all or any elected officers. This request must be submitted to the troupe director in writing and state the need for such an election. A special meeting will be scheduled within five school days upon receipt of the request for the purpose of voting on whether or not a recall election is necessary. Two-thirds of the membership is required to mandate a recall election. If a recall election is necessary, election of officers will follow the procedure set in Sections 2 through 4 above. 

Section 7. Officers shall be installed at the last social or program meeting of the school term.

Article V: Troupe Activities

Section 1. The troupe is not a secret organization. All interested faculty, students, parents, Honorary Thespians, troupe alumni, and administrators are welcome at troupe meetings.  

Section 2. At least one meeting or special event of Troupe 88928  shall include an open invitation to all students for the purpose of playing theatre games and creating improvisations.

Section 3. The troupe shall sponsor at least one good neighbor program a year for the purpose of establishing good relationships with nearby Thespian and Junior Thespian troupes and other dramatic groups.  

Section 4. The troupe shall cooperate with all other departments and clubs in the school in helping them with their programs in any way it can.

Article V: Conflict Resolution

Section 1. In the event issues or conflicts arise between a Thespian and the troupe director that cannot be solved through communication between the two parties, the issue should be resolved by the school administration as indicated in the troupe handbook.

Adopted___________________________________

Troupe Director_____________________________          Troupe President______________________________  

Signature__________________________________           Signature____________________________________

 Constitution Google Doc