Policies and Procedures should be reviewed by the board every January and presented to the general membership with any changes. Also a review of the town contract and school rules should be done.

The offices will be voted upon individually, by written ballot, in the following order: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Members at Large, Alternate Board Members. If a nominee is running for more than one office, and is elected to an office, their name is struck from any subsequent ballot. After the election of the new President, and before the election of Members at Large, the current President, if not reelected, must immediately declare whether or not they intend to serve on the Board as Immediate Past President.

The numbers of votes per person will not be revealed.

"Friends of Merrimack Community Theatre" will be listed in the program by those who donate a minimum of $10.00. A donation of $10.00-$25.00 will qualify as Friend; $25.01-$50.00 will qualify as Patron and $50.01 or more qualify as a Sponsor.

Complimentary Tickets will be distributed by the President. Two (2) tickets will be given to the following, per main stage production, at the discretion of the President.

Any other complimentary tickets need board approval.

Any Board Member who misses three (3) consecutive board meetings without just cause will be asked to resign.

All ads should be paid for prior to printing of the program.

A copy of the current bank statement will be attached to the Treasurer’s Report. The Treasurer will not write any check over the bottom line budget without the consent of the board.

Audit of the books will take place during the month of January, after the close of the prior fiscal year. Two MCT members will conduct the audit, not including the Treasurer. The Treasurer will also assist in conducting the audit, as requested by the two MCT members chosen to conduct the audit. A non-board member should be included in this audit.

There will be no consuming of alcoholic beverages or use of illegal drugs during rehearsals or performances by anyone involved with an MCT production. Everyone involved with a performance will be notified of this policy.

Membership is $10.00 per person. Non-voting membership is $5.00 per person. (No family membership.) The information in Article 4 of the Bylaws: Membership, Voting, Eligibility, Running for Office should be on the audition form. Dues should be paid within 2 weeks after the start of rehearsals. Dues may be mailed to:

Dues may also be given to the Treasurer or Board member as per Article 4 of the bylaws.

All new members submitting dues are requested to provide a name, address, phone number, Email and FAX, as requested on the Membership Form, in order to be eligible to receive the Merrimack Community Theatre newsletter.

Ticket prices are $9.00 for adults, $7.00 for Seniors and Students for main stage productions. Discounted early bird sales and reservations are $7.00 for Adults and $5.00 for Students and Seniors. Ticket prices for non-main stage productions will be set by the Board of Directors. Early bird specials may be offered at the discretion of the Board. Musicals may be more costly and may require higher ticket prices.

If more than one change in the Bylaws is needed a Special Committee consisting of 5 members, of which no more than 2 shall be board members, shall be appointed (Article 7, Section 3 of the Bylaws).

The Treasurer will provide a current listing of paid, voting members to the Vice-President 30 days prior to the established nomination cut-off of November 1^st. This list will serve as the final valid listing of members eligible to vote, nominate, be nominated or be elected to the Board of Directors at the December election. Upon closing of the nominations for the Board on November 1^st, the Vice-President will direct the Editor of the Newsletter to include an Absentee Ballot in a special edition of the Newsletter. This Newsletter will be mailed to the membership prior to the December election date, in time to allow for absentee ballots to be returned.

This Absentee Ballot will include:

At the December election meeting, all absentee ballots received will be validated by the Vice-President against the "official" valid voter list, as provided above. The validated absentee ballots will be included in the voting counts by the Tellers.

BOARD MEETINGS

The President of the Board, or their designee, will notify all Board Members of meetings using reasonable lead-time. Those General Members that have been requested to be notified will also be contacted. Only Board members will be notified of Executive Board Meetings.

GENERAL MEETINGS

The members of the Merrimack Community Theatre will be notified by Newsletter of the General Meetings.

Prior to the show, the Producer will distribute tickets for pre-show ticket sales. Best effort should be made to collect unsold tickets and money received for sold tickets.

On the opening night of a theater performance, the Treasurer will supply the House Manager with $100.00 in cash box "seed money" for the purposes of having change available when the Box Office opens. The House Manager will also be supplied with several blank bank deposit slips.

As ticket receipts are collected, all money will be kept in the cash box.

The House Manager will also collect all money from the sale of refreshments. This money will be kept separate from the ticket receipts.

A Total Sheet (see attached) will be filled out for each performance. The Total Sheet will include:

At the end of the evening, the money from tickets will be counted, the totals posted to the Total Sheet and the Total Sheet signed by the House Manager. Refreshment money will similarly be counted, logged onto the Total Sheet and verified. The totals will be verified by a second MCT member, either a Board Member or a designee of the Board, who will initial the Total Sheets.

The $100.00 "seed money" will NOT be included in these totals, but will remain in the cash box for subsequent performances. This money will be returned to the Treasurer at the conclusion of the entire performance run.

Once the totals are verified, the House Manager will fill out a deposit slip. The House Manager will deposit the money on the next banking day OR give it to the Treasurer as soon as possible. The deposit receipt and/or the actual money will be given to the Treasurer, along with the verified Total Sheets.

Any requirements for expenditures, such as additional refreshments, will be done in the standard manner, i.e.; the expenditure will be reimbursed after the fact upon providing proof of expense.

Tickets will be sequentially numbered. Tickets given out to be pre-sold will be logged, indicating the ticket number(s), and the person/facility receiving the tickets. This includes tickets to be sold at the door for a performance. All unsold tickets are to be returned to the Producer. All money from advanced ticket sales is to be given to the Producer. Money received from advanced ticket sales should reasonably represent the number of tickets sold in advance.

The House Manager is responsible for overseeing the ushers and refreshments at a show. The House Manger is responsible for the décor, cleanliness and order of the lobby and bathrooms, providing a warm, friendly atmosphere for the audience. The House Manager will find and coordinate the tasks of the ushers and refreshment people. The House Manager will coordinate with the Stage Manager to help the audience to and from the theatre, before the show and during intermission. The House Manager also has a role in handling ticket sales receipts.

The Vice-President will ascertain eligibility of a nominee, the nominating person and the nominee’s willingness to serve. The nominating persons are not revealed. Names of persons declining nomination will not be revealed. The Vice-President will request a brief bio from anyone accepting a nomination to office. This bio will be included in the pre-election newsletter.

Merrimack Community Theatre shall publish a Newsletter to inform the Membership of elections, shows, auditions, meetings, other activities and news. It shall be published when a General Meeting or Election is scheduled, and when the President specifies. The Editor of the Newsletter must be a member of MCT, and shall be appointed by the President. The Editor shall submit each Newsletter to the President for approval before distributing it. The Newsletter is intended as an informational medium of the Board to the Membership. This letter shall not be used for the airing of disputes within MCT, or for any purpose prohibited by Article 2, Section 2 of the Bylaws. This newsletter shall not be used for campaigning for office within MCT except as provided for in Article 9 of the bylaws.

MCT may also distribute information electronically, through a Web Site on the Internet. In this case, the Web Site Operator shall be appointed by the President, and shall work with the Newsletter Editor. All other Newsletter rules stated above shall apply to the Web Site.

Any member who has a grievance with MCT, or with the Board of MCT, can bring it to the attention of any member of the Board. That Board member has the duty to bring said grievance to the table at the next scheduled Board meeting, for the purpose of having the Board address said grievance. The member placing the grievance will be notified of the next scheduled Board meeting, at which the grievance will be addressed, and has the right to attend.