Last Amended April 12th, 2024

 

 

Article I.      Name

 

                     The name of this organization shall be the Duquesne University Red Masquers.

 

Article II.    Purpose

 

Section 1. To provide an extracurricular outlet for students who wish to participate in theater activities.

Section 2. To provide an opportunity for students who desire to learn about theater work and activities.

Section 3, To provide the university and the students with the educational and cultural benefits that accrues from a dramatics program.

Section 4. To provide the university with on-campus and off-campus prestige and publicity.

Section 5. To provide the city of Pittsburgh with a collegiate voice in the dramatic arts and provide the university’s students with access to the Pittsburgh dramatic community.

 

Article III.   Membership

 

Section 1. Membership shall be open to all students of the university who shall be interested in the purpose of the organization.

Section 2. Membership is defined by the active participation in one or more productions by the organization over the course of an academic year and remains in good academic standing in the university and their respective schools, defined as 2.0 or greater GPA per semester.

Section 3.  Members must participate in crews and strike for productions in which they are participating in or forfeit privileges and opportunities afforded to members unless given permission by Faculty Advisor, Technical Director, or production leads of said production.

Section 4. A member shall have the privileges of voting, holding office, attending functions of the Red Masquers, and participating in productions.

Section 5. An honorary member, a distinction awarded at the discretion of the Executive Producer for service and participation in the Red Masquers shall be entitled to such privileges as attending productions for free, attending Red Masquers functions, and participation in the Alumni Production.

Section 6. All members shall conform to the policies set forth in the University Mission Statement and Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct

 

Article IV.   Executive Board

 

Section 1. The elected officers of the organization shall make up the Executive Board

Section 2. The Faculty Advisor shall serve as a nonvoting member of the Executive Board.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall meet at the beginning and end of each semester and before each general meeting or as deemed necessary.

Section 4. All Members of the Executive Board shall have swipe access to the theater.

Section 5. The officers of the Red Masquers shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, and Historian.

Section 6. The officers shall be elected for the term of one calendar year by the members of the organization. The process of the election shall first be a meeting of members who shall nominate candidates. Voting will be performed later via Campuslink ballot if available.

Section 7. The President shall exert general executive authority over the affairs of the organization, shall serve as Chairperson of the Executive Board, shall preside at all meetings, shall keep in contact with all university dignitaries, handle outreach to other campus organizations and fill vacancies and oversee productions if necessary. Any nominee must have been a member for at least 3 semesters.

Section 8. The Vice President shall assist the President in the administration of the organization, have authority over all chair positions, see to it that vacancies in productions are filled as well as oversee the student run productions by appointing members as production leads. All nominees must have been a chair for one calendar year.

Section 9. The secretary shall keep the minutes of all Red Masquer meetings, shall report the minutes of all meetings to the general members, which shall be available to all members of the organization, and shall conduct all of the correspondence of the group including minutes, general announcements, auditions, etc., which shall be held for one calendar year and then turned over to the historian. Additionally, the Secretary shall be in charge of maintaining a list of dignitaries and maintaining the email account of the organization and keep in contact with campus organizations in tandem with ad/pr chair(s) that may be beneficial to publicity.  All nominees must have been a member for at least 2 semesters.

Section 10. The Historian shall see to it that cast photos are printed and displayed as well as create a record of all activities, performances, and important correspondence of the organization in a yearbook. Additionally, the Historian shall help the Secretary to maintain an up-to-date alumni list and shall use it to maintain relations with the Red Masquers alumni. All nominees shall have been an active member for at least 1 semester.

 

Article V.    Production Departments

 

Section 1. Each Production Department shall consist of the chairperson and assistant/co-chairs as chosen by members of the Executive Board and approved by the Technical Director and Executive Producer.

Section 2. A representative from each Production Department shall be required to

attend all production meetings and all members of a given department are responsible for the duties of their position.

Section 3. The standing positions shall be: Advertisement and Public Relations, Costumes, Hair and Makeup, House, Lighting, Props, Social, and Sound.

Section 4. The chairpersons of all positions are responsible for notifying members of upcoming crews and for training suitable replacements for the upcoming year at least 1 semester in advance.

 

Article VI.   Advisor

 

Section 1. The Advisor shall be a member of the university faculty or staff and shall attend all meetings of the Red Masquers. It will be the Advisor’s duty to oversee the participation in Red Masquers activities.

Section 2. The Advisor shall submit an annual report of activities to the Dean of Students at the close of the academic year.

Section 3. The Advisor shall also act as the Executive Producer of the Red Masquers

Section 4. The Advisor is in charge of the budget.

 

Article VII. Technical Director

 

Section 1. The Technical Director shall be in charge of and supervise all technical aspects of the productions.

Section 2. The Technical Director shall work directly with the director, Executive Producer, set chair, lights chair, and sound chair relating to their respective positional duties.

 

Article VIII. Meetings

 

Section 1. General Meetings shall be held at minimum three times throughout the academic year, at the beginning of each semester and a final meeting in the weeks preceding the end of the semester to handle Executive Board nominations and any end of year announcements such as Banquet.

Section 2. There shall be at least one check in meeting during each semester with the Executive Board and the Production Departments to act as a review of how the semester went and to ensure all departments feel adequately supported.

Section 3. Each production shall have a production meeting with the Production Departments and production leads.

 

Article IX.   Amendments

Section 1. Any proposed amendment to this Constitution shall be presented at a

meeting of the active membership and a quorum comprised of greater than 50% of the active members shall serve as the necessary requirement to pass that amendment.

Section 2. At least once every 2 years this Constitution shall be reviewed by the Executive Board for possible amendments or additions to by-laws.

Section 3. Any question concerning Constitutional Law is subject to review and final decision by majority of Executive Board and Executive Producer.

Section 4. Copies of this Constitution shall be kept with the Student Government Association, the Executive Producer, and the Secretary of the organization.

 

 

By-Laws

 

1. All cast must audition for their roles.

 

2. Whenever possible, no one may hold a major role in more than two major productions in one scholastic year. Major roles are decided upon by the director.

 

3. Whenever appropriate, at least one production per season shall be called the Alumni Show. This production shall be open to all honorary Red Masquers and students of the university to participate in acting and technical positions. This production shall be determined by the Executive Producer at the beginning of the season.

 

5. One production of year shall be called Premieres. This production shall consist of plays written or adapted by faculty, honorary Red Masquers, or students of the university. The plays shall be chosen by the directors selected for the production, of which shall be students who have stage managed, directed, or taken a directing class. This production shall be student produced.

 

6. Whenever possible, one performance of the year shall be called One Acts for Charity. This production shall be performed for the benefit of a charity selected by the student producer. It shall consist of 3-4 student directed plays and shall be student produced. The plays shall be professionally written.

 

7. Whenever possible, one performance of the year shall be called Play in a Day. This production shall be written, directed, and acted within the span of 24 hours. It shall consist of 3-4 student or alumni directed plays and shall be student produced. The plays shall be written by students or alumni.

 

8. There shall be at least one production meeting before the rehearsal process begins, at latest the day of the first read-through. All actor, stage manager, and ASM contracts will be due at the time of the first read through.

 

Responsibilities

The following responsibilities shall be those of the chairperson of each position and may be delegated to others as necessary.

 

Hair and Makeup

 

1. Make sure needed makeup is on hand whenever necessary.

2. Responsible for makeup to be at productions at time of first dress rehearsal.

3. To be available to assist actors with their hair and makeup.

4. Clean and store all makeup after productions.

 

Set

 

1. Notify the secretary of crews at least a week in advance to advertise it.

2. Maintain contact with set designer, Technical Director, and Executive Producer.

3. Responsible for updating a list of set pieces that shall be kept on file.

4. Maintain cleanliness and usability of set shop.

 

Props

1. Locate and gather all production properties with a written list of their owners.

2. Return all properties to their respective owners.

3. See that any properties belonging to the Red Masquers are properly stored.

4. Maintain a running file of where specific properties may be obtained for future use.

5. Properties shall include all items brought on stage by actors as well as furniture and set dressing in the production. Furniture shall be coordinated with the set chair.

6. Responsible to update a list of properties to be kept on file. 

7. Maintain cleanliness and usability of prop shop.

 

Sound

1. Acquire all sound necessary for the production.

2. Make any sound-related materials required for smooth running of cues during production. Coordinate with props to find props to make sounds.

3. Prepare equipment for storage after production.

4. Prepare a list of all sound/music that shall be kept on file.

 

Lights

1. Responsible for lighting each production as designed by the lighting designer.

2. Dismantle and store lights after each production.

3. Maintain an inventory of all lighting equipment that shall be kept on file. 

 

Advertisement and Public Relations

1. Arrange for design, printing and distribution of all posters, flyers, press releases and press packets. In addition, shall be responsible for arranging display cases.

2. Keep in contact with campus organizations in tandem with secretary that may be beneficial to publicity.

3. Work in tandem with university public relations.

4. Keep website and social media accounts up to date.

 

Costumes

1. Responsible for all clothing worn in production in addition to making repairs and alterations as necessary.

2. Responsible for safe storage of all costumes owned by Red Masquers. All of these must be listed and kept on file. 

3. Sourcing costume pieces not available in house.

4. Maintain cleanliness and usability of costume shop

 

Social

1. Responsible for enabling the Red Masquers to maintain relationships outside of shows through activities designed to foster unity within the group.

2. Shall coordinate with stage manager to plan and run all cast parties after the final show of each production.

3. Shall work in conjunction with the stage manager of each production to ensure only those participating in strike attend the party.

4. Shall be in charge of planning and operating a year-end banquet for all members.

 

House

1. Responsible for the selling of seats for shows and providing ushers each night to assist in seating.

2. Responsible for the decoration of the lobby of the house for each production.

3. Shall be in charge of all door receipts and provide accurate accounts to the Advisor and Stage Manager and added to each night’s performance report.

4. Responsible for the design and distribution of all ticket designs and programs.