OUR CONSTITUTION

Name
The name of the Society is Cobham Players.

Aims of the Society
To facilitate the staging of theatrical productions in Cobham.
To stage, in a normal year, a minimum of, but not restricted to, three productions in Cobham Village Hall in the spring, autumn and a Christmas production. However, there may be exceptional circumstances that may change the timing or venue.

Membership
Membership is open to anyone interested in supporting the activities of Cobham Players.
There is a minimum of, but not limited to, two types of membership to allow persons to take an active role in the Society: Adult and Child.
Members may also choose to become Patrons, which is a membership class for people who wish to give a greater level of support to the Society but may or may not be active members.
Any further categories of membership may be proposed by the Committee and agreed upon by the Society at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The Adult and Patron members have the right to vote at the AGM.

Subscriptions
The subscription costs of membership are set and reviewed annually at the AGM.
The subscriptions are due every year immediately after the AGM.

Membership Secretary
A member of the Committee is allocated the role of Membership Secretary by the Committee.
The Membership Secretary will maintain the up-to-date list of membership. Members are responsible for ensuring that their personal details are up to date.
The Membership Secretary will also collect subscriptions, as appropriate, throughout the year.

Structure of the Society – Committee
A Committee is convened to oversee and co-ordinate the activities of the Society.
The Officers of the Society, who are also Committee members, are:
Chairman
Treasurer
Secretary
These officers are supported by up to, but not exceeding, 7 Committee members. There is a maximum Committee size of 10.


Eligibility and Election of Officers and Committee members
A person shall not be eligible for election to the Committee if he or she is a member of the Committee or its equivalent of another dramatic or performing society.
The officers and the other members of the Committee shall be elected at the AGM.  At the end of their term of office they shall be eligible for re-election, as prescribed hereunder and as set out in Length of Service below.
The Chairman and Treasurer are voted in separately and renewed as appropriate.
If there is the required number of Committee members (being members whose term of office has not expired) standing for election then they can be voted in as one group. Any member may request a vote to review the Committee position of an individual.
If the number of persons standing for election exceeds the numbers of places, a vote shall be held with the existing members (being members whose term of office has not expired) voted in first, then the new members voted in by name, the person with the highest number of votes being elected. In the event of a tie, the Chairman will have the casting vote.
If, after the election of members of the Committee in accordance with the above, there remain vacancies on the Committee, members who have retired on the expiry of their term of office as provided in Length of Service below shall be eligible for re-election.
The Chairman or, if none has been appointed, the person carrying out the role of Chairman for the time being may co-opt a member of the Society on to the Committee for a period of time, either to fill a gap until the next AGM, or to support a specific project.

Length of Service
The person holding the office of Chairman may hold the position for a maximum period of 3 years, upon the expiry of which he or she shall stand down and cannot be elected back to serve on the Committee for a minimum period of 2 years.
The Treasurer, Secretary and other Committee members may serve on the Committee for a period of up to 6 years. At the end of that period they shall retire but shall be eligible for immediate re-election as prescribed and set out in Eligibility and Election of Officers and Committee members above.

Quorum
5 members of the Committee are required to be present to hold a formal Committee meeting.

Minutes
The Secretary takes minutes at each Committee meeting. The Committee agrees that they are accurate at the next meeting, and they are signed as accurate by the Chairman.

Scope of the Committee
The Committee guides the activities of the group. It appoints producers/directors for each production and plans in advance to ensure there is a balance of entertainment and interest over the year, to suit the wider membership. The interests of the wider membership are always the priority consideration of the Committee.
The Committee makes decisions on general expenditure. The membership will be asked for comment, prior to any extraordinary expenditure being made.
The Committee cannot set membership fees or permanently change the entrance fees. They may vote to change them for appropriate reasons for an individual show.
Sub-committees may be appointed by the Committee as required. Sub-committees shall conduct only such business as is connected directly with the functions for which they are appointed.

Annual General Meeting
The AGM is held annually in June.
The AGM is chaired by the Chairman. In circumstances where there is no Chairman in office at the date of the AGM, it shall be chaired by such person as the Committee shall nominate.
A quorum for an AGM is 15 members or a quarter of the membership, whichever is the lower.
In advance of the meeting the membership will be sent the agenda and nomination papers for Committee members.
The report of the Committee and the accounts for the past year are presented. Committee members are elected.
All resolutions brought forward to the AGM are decided by a simple majority of votes properly recorded at such a meeting. The Chairman of the meeting does not vote, but in the event of a tie, has a casting vote.
The Chairman of the meeting has the power to rule out of order any matter raised at the meeting which in his/her opinion is of sufficiently major importance that notice of it should have been given to all members of the Society.
An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called at any time by the Committee.
The Committee is bound to call an Extraordinary General Meeting at the written request of 12 or one sixth of the members of the Society, whichever is the lower.
No business other than that notified at the convening of the meeting shall be transacted at an Extraordinary General Meeting.
Fifteen days’ notice must be given of any General Meeting and the business to be transacted at the meeting must be published with such notice.

Finance
The Society is not to be conducted for the financial profit of its members.
The financial year is from 1st June to 31st May. Accounts are reviewed at the AGM and submitted to the AGM for approval. The detail is available if requested by the membership.
Proposals regarding the annual subscription and the charging structure for shows are made at the AGM by the Committee; they are fixed by a motion passed at the AGM.
Withdrawal of funds from the Society’s bank account may be made by one authorised signatory.
The Committee controls the finances of the Society.  

Dissolution
In the event of the dissolution of the society all properties of the Society shall be disposed of in a manner decided at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for that purpose. The funds of the Society, including the proceeds of any sale of properties, shall, after payment of all debts and liabilities of the Society, be given to a charity approved at the Extraordinary General Meeting.


Changes to the Constitution
Proposals for amendments to the Constitution must be forwarded to the Secretary at least 3 weeks prior to the AGM in the form of a written requisition signed by at least 15 members.
The proposal for changing the Constitution shall be included as an agenda item to be discussed and a vote taken at the AGM. A clear majority of at least 75% is required to change the Constitution.

Last updated June 2023.