The name of the group shall be Merrimack Community Theatre (MCT) in all instances both public and private.

Section 1: (STATEMENT OF PURPOSE)

Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, Merrimack Community Theatre is organized exclusively for the following purposes: literary, theatrical and/or educational purposes, as specified in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, and shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on by a corporation exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.

Section 2: (RESTRICTIONS)

No substantial part of the activities of Merrimack Community Theatre shall be carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided by Internal Revenue Code section 501(h)). Merrimack Community Theatre does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publication or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

It is recognized that no set of Bylaws can cover all circumstances. In the event of an issue arising which is not covered by these Bylaws or Policies and Procedures, the issue will be decided upon on the basis of fairness, the good of Merrimack Community Theatre, and common sense.

Membership is open to all interested persons, without regard to Sex, Age, Race, Color, Creed, Handicap Status or National Origin. A person must be a member to participate in any Merrimack Community Theatre (MCT) activity, including, but not limited to: actors, actresses, directors, Producer, House Manager and others. At the discretion of the Board of Directors, non-members may be utilized for other MCT activities. Members who are fourteen (14) years of age or older may vote. Members younger than 14 may not vote, but shall be accorded all other benefits of membership. A person may become a member by paying the required dues to the Treasurer. Dues may also be paid to another member of the Board, or a duly appointed representative of the Board. In this case, the Board member or representative will give the dues to the Treasurer at the earliest convenience. The Board will determine the dollar amount of dues. The amount for dues for non-voting members will be less than that for voting members. Dues are payable when a person joins Merrimack Community Theatre, and after that, yearly, by January 31^st. The Fiscal Year for Merrimack Community Theatre begins January 1^st, and ends December 31^st of the same year.

Only members holding a valid voting Membership of thirty days or more may vote, nominate, be nominated or be elected to office. Dues will be considered to have been paid when the Treasurer, a Board member, or a duly appointed representative of the Board has received them. In the event that the dues of a member, due to a mistake, are not properly given to or recorded by the Treasurer, the member shall be determined to be eligible to vote and run for office if it is found that he/she made a good faith effort to pay his/her dues on time. The Vice-President shall make the determination, in accordance with Fairness (see Article 3: FAIRNESS), the good of Merrimack Community Theatre, and common sense.

The Board of Directors shall consist of the following elected officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, two Members-at-Large and the Immediate Past President.. The Board is responsible for the conducting of all group business. A quorum of four voting Board Members is necessary for voting purposes. If for any reason the Immediate Past President cannot serve, a third Member At Large shall be elected. Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

The members of the Board have a special obligation to provide personal support and assistance with all Merrimack Community Theatre activities.

Section 1: (PRESIDENT)

The President presides over all scheduled meetings of the Membership, as well as those of the Board of Directors. The President may also call and preside over Special Meetings of the General Membership, as well as the Board of Directors, as circumstances warrant. The President is an Ex-Officio member of all Committees.

Section 2: (VICE-PRESIDENT)

The Vice-President fulfills the functions of the President when the President is unavailable, and is first in succession to the Presidency. In addition, the Vice-President will chair the Playreading Committee, when needed. The Vice-President shall supervise the election process. These duties include, but are not limited to: Taking nominations; Validating membership; Appointing tellers; and Furnishing absentee ballots and instructions for submitting these ballots.

Section 3: (TREASURER)

The Treasurer is responsible for managing all financial and fiscal requirements for Merrimack Community Theatre. These duties include, but are not limited to: Maintaining all banking accounts and bank relationships; Reconciling monthly bank account statements; Collecting and depositing all moneys generated by MCT, including performance receipts, member dues, advertising revenues, etc.; Insuring all MCT liabilities are paid in a timely manner; Maintaining all financial and fiscal records; Developing annual and individual performance budgets, and tracking actual income and expenses against said budgets; Maintaining an up-to-date membership list; Filing all required State of NH and Federal tax documents and Generating an Annual Report at the end of each fiscal year. The Board of Directors shall approve all budgets. The Board of Directors shall approve all non-budgeted expenditures in excess of $50.00. The Treasurer is second in succession to the Presidency.

Section 4: (SECRETARY)

The Secretary shall be responsible to keep and make available minutes of all General and Board Meetings. The Secretary is third in succession to the Presidency.

Section 5: (MEMBERS AT LARGE)

The Members-At-Large shall be available to chair Committees.

Section 6: (IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT)

The Immediate Past President shall be available to chair Committees for a term of one year.

Section 1: (DIRECTOR)

The Director is selected by the Board of Directors and shall be responsible for the artistic interpretation of a production, including, but not limited to: casting, lighting, set design and Stage Manager.

Section 2: (PRODUCER)

The Producer shall be selected by the Board of Directors, in consultation with the Director or, alternatively, appointed by the Board of Directors. The Producer is responsible for all business and operational aspects of the production, including, but not limited to: Production Budget, Publicity, Advertising, Donations, Playbill, Support Staffing, Ticket Sales and Production Logistics.

Section 3: (HOUSE MANAGER)

A specific member of the Board of Directors or designee will be assigned by the Board of Directors to be the House Manager. The House Manager will be in charge of selling tickets and receiving funds for each Merrimack Community Theatre performance. The House Manager will be responsible for all money taken in at a production, will keep records, and give them to the Treasurer for deposit. The House Manager is responsible for all activities that take place in the outer lobby and is responsible for providing the best service to the audience.

There shall be Permanent Committees, as established hereunder. Special Committees may be established and terminated by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors must appoint a Chair to each Special Committee. Committees shall be open to all members, voting and non-voting.

Section 1: (PLAYREADING)

The Vice-President chairs the Playreading Committee. The Vice-President, along with the Playreading Committee, is responsible for finding directors and scripts and submitting them to the Board of Directors for approval.

Section 2: (ESTABLISHMENT OF PERMANENT COMMITTEES)

The voting membership may establish Permanent Committees, other than the above, by passing an amendment to the Bylaws, as described in Article 12.

Section 3: (ESTABLISHMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES)

The Board at its discretion may establish special Committees. If a voting member wishes to initiate the creation of a Special Committee, he or she must submit a proposal to the Board of Directors for its due consideration. The Board of Directors shall notify members of the establishment of any Special Committees at the next General Meeting.

Section 1: (GENERAL MEETINGS)

All General Meetings shall be open to the public. The Board will schedule a minimum of one meeting annually for the purpose of electing officers. Any voting member may request a Special Meeting by submitting a letter to the Board. The Board of Directors will have the final decision as to whether a Special Meeting will be called. Membership will be notified no less than fifteen days prior to a General Meeting. Conduct of general meetings shall be in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 2: (BOARD MEETINGS)

Board Meetings will be open to all members and will be held at least quarterly. Conduct of board meetings shall be in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 3: (EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS)

The President has the right to call Executive Board Meetings, which will only be attended by the Board of Directors. Conduct of Executive Board Meetings shall be in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order.

Section 1: (REGULAR ELECTIONS)

Nominations for members of the Board of Directors will be accepted during the month of October, up until November 1^st. The Vice-President will prepare a slate of nominees and the membership will be notified no less than 15 days prior to the election in December. The procedure on how to cast an absentee ballot will be included in this notification. Newly elected Board members shall assume their duties January 1^st and shall serve for one (1) year, or until their successor is elected.

Section 2: (SPECIAL ELECTIONS)

In the event of a vacancy on the Board, the remaining members of the Board will select a member to fill the unexpired term of the vacated position.

Section 3: (RUNOFF ELECTIONS)

If no candidate receives a majority vote, there will be a Runoff Election between the two candidates that receive the most votes. Absentee ballots will not be counted in the Runoff Election.

The Vice-President shall appoint two tellers at the December election meeting. The tellers’ names can not appear on the ballot. Their duty is to count votes.

A member may be removed from the Board of Directors or from membership in the organization, or both, for actions deemed harmful to Merrimack Community Theater including, but not limited to, acting in the name of Merrimack Community Theater without authority from the Board of Directors. The removal process will be in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order.

These Bylaws may be amended at any General Meeting of the Merrimack Community Theatre. Amendments may be proposed by any voting member in good standing, and the membership shall be notified of the proposed amendment(s) in writing at least 15 days prior to calling a vote. Amendment(s) must be passed by a vote of eighty (80) percent of the paid, voting members present. Such amendments(s) shall be considered operative upon adoption.

Section 1: (RESTRICTIONS)

No part of the net earnings of Merrimack Community Theatre shall inure to the benefit of any member, trustee, director, officer of the corporation, or any private individual (except that reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to or for the corporation), and no member, trustee, officer of the corporation or any private individual shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any of the corporate assets on dissolution of the corporation.

Section 2: (DISSOLUTION)

In the event of dissolution, all of the remaining assets and property of Merrimack Community Theatre shall after payment of necessary expenses thereof be distributed to such organizations as shall qualify under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or to another organization, to be used in such manner as, in the judgment of a Justice of a court of the State of New Hampshire with appropriate jurisdiction, will best accomplish the general purpose for which this corporation was formed.

The Board of Directors may from time to time establish, terminate, or modify Policies and Procedures, which are to serve as detailed guidelines for Merrimack Community Theatre. In order to establish, terminate, or modify any policies and procedures, the same must be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, to be reflected in the minutes. However, any policy or procedure may be terminated by a two-thirds vote of voting members present at any General Meeting.