The Crowborough Players

(Constituted 21 March 1933)

Constitution

(The 1979 Constitution, as subsequently amended by General Meetings)

1. Title

The title of the Society shall be The Crowborough Players (the Society).

2. Aims

The aims of the Society shall be:

1. To stimulate the study of drama and to provide activities for members in the form of stage productions, lectures, play-readings and social activities; and

2. To undertake the presentation of plays and other dramatic activities in Crowborough or elsewhere at the discretion of the Committee.

3. Membership

3. Adult Membership – shall be open to persons aged 18 years or over at the date of applying to join the Society who, on payment of the appropriate subscription fixed by virtue of Clause 7 of the 1979 Constitution, shall be known as Adult Members. Application for adult membership shall be made to the Membership Secretary and shall be subject to the approval of the Committee;

4. Junior Membership – shall be open to persons aged under 18 years at the date of applying to join the Society who, on payment of the appropriate subscription fixed by virtue of Clause 7 of the 1979 Constitution, shall be known as Junior Members. Application for junior membership shall be made to the Membership Secretary and shall be subject to the approval of the Committee. Junior Members shall not be entitled to vote at general meetings;

5. Honorary Membership – shall be granted to Adult Members who have rendered to the Society outstanding service and who are so elected by the Committee. Such Adult Members shall be known as Honorary Members;

6. Supporters Membership – shall be open to persons who are willing to support the Society by patronising productions and other activities of the Society on payment of an annual subscription and on conditions fixed by the Committee; and

7. Auxiliary Membership – shall be open to those who are willing to assist the Society for some of its activities. Auxiliary membership is subject to the approval of the Committee, and auxiliary members shall not be entitled to vote at general meetings.

4. Chair

8. The current Chair will preside at all general meetings of the Society at which he will have a casting vote and in their absence the Vice-Chair of the Society.

5. Management

9. The Society shall be governed by a general committee (the Committee) consisting of the officers and a minimum of three and a maximum of five members of the Society who shall all be Adult Members or Honorary Members, provided always that the total number of members constituting the Committee shall not exceed eight. The Committee will nominate its Chair (the Chair) and its vice chair (the Vice-Chair).

10. The officers of the Society shall consist of the Chair, the Vice-Chair, a secretary (the Secretary), a treasurer (the Treasurer) and a membership secretary (the Membership Secretary) (the Officers).

In cases of emergency the Chair or, in their absence, the Vice-Chair shall have power to take such decisions as they deem necessary or expedient and any such decision shall be fully binding both jointly and severally on all members of the Society, provided only that any such decision which in any way involves the disposition of any of the Society's funds must be taken only subject to the joint consent of the Chair or Vice-Chair as the case may be and two members of the Committee.

11. A quorum at meetings of the Committee shall be at least four members.

12. All members of the Committee shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting as members of the Committee. They shall retire annually, but shall be eligible for re-election. The Officers save for the Chair and Vice-Chair shall also be elected at an Annual General Meeting and shall retire annually, but shall be eligible for re-election. The Committee shall meet as soon as practicable after the close of the Annual General Meeting at which the Committee is elected and shall then appoint its Chair and Vice-Chair who will become Chair and Vice-Chair of the Society. The retiring Chair and Vice-Chair shall remain Officers of the Society until the new Chair and Vice-Chair have been so elected.

13. The Committee shall have the power to appoint sub-committees at its discretion with such terms of reference and duties and subject to such rules as the Committee shall provide. All such sub-committees shall include at least one member of the Committee who shall be responsible to and obtain the approval of the Committee for financial expenditure of any amount whatsoever and for any activity which may possibly involve the Society or all or any of its members in legal or financial liabilities of any kind.

14. The Committee may, at its discretion, co-opt additional members notwithstanding the provisions of Clause 5 (a) of the 1979 Constitution. Unless such co-option is for the purpose of filling a casual vacancy, a co-opted member of the Committee may serve only in an advisory capacity for the purpose for which he is co-opted and shall not have a vote on the Committee.

15. The Committee shall have the power to terminate the membership of the Society of any member whose conduct in its view brings discredit on the Society and of any member of the Society whose subscription is still unpaid on 1st October in any year and who has been sent an intimation in writing to this effect from the Membership Secretary at least 21 days earlier.

16. The Committee shall have the power to interpret all clauses of the 1979 Constitution if there shall be ambiguity or difference of opinion concerning the meaning of any clause and also to provide for any matter not referred to in the 1979 Constitution and its decision shall be final.

6. Finance

17. The financial year of the Society shall extend from 1st April to 31st March in the following year (the Financial Year).

18. All matters concerning finance shall be under the control of the Committee.

19. The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping accurate and up-to-date books of account of all the Society's funds, for preparing annual income and expenditure accounts and balance sheets, for arranging for the independent annual audit of the income and expenditure account and balance sheet prior to the Annual General Meeting in any Financial Year and for presenting such an account and balance sheet to each Annual General Meeting. The Treasurer shall be responsible also for the day-to-day control of the Society's funds, subject however to the overriding discretion of the Committee as referred to in Clause 6 (b) of the 1979 Constitution.

7. Subscriptions

20. The membership year (the Membership Year) of the Society shall run from the 1st June to 31st May in the following year.

21. Rates of subscription for all categories of membership of the Society for the forthcoming Membership Year shall be fixed by the Committee at the close of each Financial Year subject to the confirmation of the next following Annual General Meeting.

22. An Adult or Junior Member or supporter as defined in Clause 3 (d) of the 1979 Constitution joining the Society after 1st December shall pay one half of the appropriate subscription for the remainder of that Membership Year.

8. Annual General Meetings

23. An Annual General Meeting (the AGM), of which Adult, Junior and Honorary Members shall receive from the Secretary at least 14 days’ notice in writing, shall be held no later than 31st May each year.

24. The purpose of the AGM shall be:

1. to receive the report of the Committee given by its Chair.

2. To receive the report of the Treasurer and pass and accept the audited accounts referred to in Clause 6 (c) of the 1979 Constitution for the immediately previous Financial Year.

3. To elect the Officers (save for the Chair and Vice-Chair who shall be nominated by virtue of the provisions of Clause 5 (d) of the 1979 Constitution) and all other members of the Committee. All nominations for membership of the Committee must be proposed and seconded by Adult and/or Honorary Members with the consent of the nominee. Such nominations must reach the Secretary not later than seven days before the date of the AGM. In the event of insufficient nominations being received the Chair may call for nominations at the AGM, and if necessary, proceed to a ballot for those so nominated.

4. To confirm the rates of subscription fixed by the Committee for the forthcoming Membership Year; and

5. To appoint the Society's Honorary Auditor for the current Financial Year.

25. A quorum at any general meeting of the Society shall be at least 10 Adult or Honorary Members.

26. Only members who have paid their subscription may vote at any general meeting of the Society.

27. The Chair shall preside at all Annual General Meetings and Special General Meetings of the Society and in their absence, the Vice-Chair of the Committee.

28. Any subject that any member may wish to have discussed at Annual General Meeting may be added to the agenda at such Annual General Meeting by leave of the Chair, notwithstanding the provisions of Clause 9 of the 1979 Constitution.

9. Special General Meetings

29. A special general meeting (a Special General Meeting) shall be called at any time to consider any resolution concerning any matter other than those matters raised at an AGM (save for the matter referred to in Clause 8 (b) (v) of the 1979 Constitution) as defined in Clause 8 (a) and (b) of the 1979 Constitution. A Special General Meeting may be called:

6. By the Committee; or

7. On receipt by the Secretary of a request for a Special General Meeting signed by at least eight Adult or Honorary Members whose subscriptions are fully paid on the date of receipt by the Secretary of the request for the Special General Meeting. The request must set out in full the resolution to be put to the Special General Meeting and the names and addresses of the proposer and seconder of the resolution who must both sign the request.

30. Within 14 days of the receipt by the Secretary of such request whether made by virtue of Clause 9 (a) (i) or (ii) of the 1979 Constitution the Secretary must give to all Adult, Honorary and Junior Members not less than 14 days’ notice of the time and place of the Special General Meeting which shall be fixed to take place not less than 28 days nor more than 56 days from the date of receipt by the Secretary of the request for the Special General Meeting. Such notice shall set out in full the resolution(s) to be proposed at the Special General Meeting.

10. Dissolution of Society

If the Committee decides that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Society it shall call a meeting of all Adult, Honorary, and Junior members of the Society, of which not less than 21 days' notice (stating the terms of the resolution to be proposed) shall be given. If the proposal is confirmed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting the Committee shall have the power to realise any assets held by or on behalf of the Society. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other institution or institutions having objects similar to the Society as the members of the Society may determine.

11. Circulation of the 1979 Constitution

A copy of the 1979 Constitution and of any revisions thereof shall be sent or given to all Adult, Honorary or Junior Members of the Society and to any new Adult, Honorary or Junior Member of the Society on payment of the subscription appropriate to his class of membership.

12. Interpretation

31. This Constitution shall be known as The 1979 Constitution of the Society.

32. In the 1979 Constitution of the Society, unless the contrary intention is made clear, ‘he’, or ‘she’, or ‘they’, or ‘man’, or ‘woman’, or ‘person’  represent any gender.  Words in the singular shall include the plural, and words in the plural shall include the singular.

Updated 16.05.09.

Updated 28.Apr.2024. (Made nouns and pronouns gender neutral as agreed at the year’s AGM.)