University Theater By-Laws

I. The University Theater Committee

A. Duties and Responsibilities

1. As the governing body of University Theater, the UT Committee represents the UT community’s interests to the TAPS Production Staff and to the University at large. The students on Committee maintain artistic control of University Theater, scheduling its productions and encouraging the creative development of the community.
2. Individual Committee members should be committed to the overall improvement of the organization and its ability to provide opportunities to those who participate in theater at the University of Chicago. Although elected members often play important roles in other aspects of UT and its productions, they must remain committed first and foremost to fulfilling their duties as Committee members. These duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:
   • Representing the UT community;
   • Publicly supporting both the Committee’s decisions and the theater projects of every member of the UT community;
   • Allowing ample time for regular weekly Committee meetings (5pm every Monday), quarterly proposal meetings, and other special meetings called as necessary;
   • Voting on seasons University Theater will produce and determining the scheduling of Dean’s Men and University Theater shows (UT Committee neither passes nor schedules shows for Off-Off Campus);
   • Offering suggestions to Pro-staff concerning policy and day-to-day operation;
   • Electing its officers;
   • Preparing Programming Coordinating Council (PCC) budget requests;
   • make every human effort to assist with general maintenance and clean-up of UT facilities, attending quarterly Project Days, etc.;
   • Maintaining a positive public persona, including talking to prospective and incoming/new students at University-sponsored RSO events;
   • Being available for advice and guidance when other community members need assistance;
   • Serving as Committee Liaisons to all UT shows (this includes Mainstages, Workshops, Dean’s Men, Theater[24], and Collaborations);
   • Training and orienting their replacements at the end of their tenure;
   • In a neutral, positive manner and setting, promoting Committee elections and encouraging students to run and vote;
   • Make every human effort to see all UT productions, including at least one Off Off show per quarter and one Theater [24] festival per year;
   • Distributing the “University Theater Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct Resource Sheet” and “Recommended Process for Complaint Escalation” to productions.
   • Attending annual Title IX training in the Spring to be led by the Phoenix Survivors Alliance (PSA). The Chair will reach out to the Co-Presidents of PSA in order to arrange a time, place, and workshop leader (See Section I.B.4.a.i).
3. The Committee Liaison is responsible for ensuring the safety of all members in a production and acts as a communication point between a production and Committee during the show’s production process and performances. A Committee Liaison can only be responsible for one production per quarter. The responsibilities of a Committee Liaison include the following:
   • Reaching out to and meeting with the production’s director, stage manager, and production manager before the first rehearsal to establish expectations around how the Committee Liaison will interact with the production process.
   • Giving a brief presentation on Chicago Theater Standards before the end of the second week of production to both the cast and crew. This presentation should also highlight the roles of Cast/Staff NEDs and University Theater’s Conflict Resolution Path.
   • Scheduling and attending check-ins with the Cast/Staff NEDs at least once every two weeks after the first rehearsal.
   • Attending production meetings every week, at least one rehearsal once every two weeks, and every rehearsal during the last week of the production. They should also make every human effort to attend rehearsals involving fight and intimacy choreography, as well as strike.
   • Documenting any outstanding concerns, especially safety issues that pose an immediate threat to the members of the production, during production meetings and rehearsals discovered either through observation or communication with a member of the production. The concerns should be relayed to the show’s management, Committee, and/or TAPS Professional Staff if relevant.
   • Assisting with the mediation of conflicts and complaints between members of the production whenever necessary. Unless anonymity is explicitly waived, the identities of all those involved must be anonymous.
   • Implementing and facilitating the distribution of an online production feedback form that is available throughout the entire production process. The cast and crew should be regularly reminded of its presence and how to access it. The form must have an option which maintains the anonymity of the submission.
   • Coordinating with the production’s director and management to create weekly updates on the state of the show and any issues that have occurred in the time since the last update. This update will be presented to Committee at its next meeting, and should attempt to be informative to the extent that any Committee member can take over for the liaison with enough knowledge of the production’s dynamics, history, and ongoing concerns.
   • Should the Committee Liaison be unable to make a scheduled commitment detailed in (a), (b), (c), and/or (d), they should reach out to another Committee member as soon as possible so that the Committee member can represent the Committee Liaison at said commitment. The Committee Liaison must give the Committee member any extra information about the production that is required to properly fulfill the responsibilities of a Committee Liaison.

B. Membership, Meetings and Voting

1. Composition

   UT Committee consists of student voting members and non-voting UT/TAPS Professional Staff. The student members are elected annually from the UT community, and consist of:

   • 10 general members
   • 1 Dean’s Men representative, nominated by the Dean’s Men
   • 1 Off-Off Campus representative, nominated by Off-Off
   • 1 representative from Student Administrative Staff
   • 1 representative from Student Technical Staff

2. Elections

   Students on the Committee serve one-year terms. Elections for general members are held Seventh Week of Winter Quarter. Elections for representatives from the Dean’s Men, Off-Off, Student Staff, and Tech Staff are held according to the schedules determined in the bylaws of those organizations. Vacancies at other times will be filled by Special Elections. At least two weeks in advance of the election, a notice shall be posted to the UT general list-host (utheater-general@lists.uchicago.edu).

   • Eligibility

     To run for and serve on Committee, a candidate must be a registered student and have at least TWO (2) Quarters of Involvement in the University Theater community during their enrollment at the University of Chicago, including the quarter of the election. A Quarter of Involvement is an academic quarter in which a student has done one or more of the following:

     • Participated as a cast or production staff member in a University Theater production (including Workshops), where performances of that production took place in that quarter
     • Participated in TAPS productions, projects, and programs that give significant experience relevant to University Theater (e.g. regularly attending a TAPS design/management cohort, being a cast or production staff member in a TAPS Independent Project or Pro Show). Note that participation in a TAPS production only counts for the quarter in which performances took place.
     • Participated in an artistic project or program sanctioned and/or funded by UT Committee (e.g. monologue festivals, paper projects, UT Mentorship Program)
     • Participated in Radio[24] or Theater[24]
     • Was an active member of Off-Off Campus
     • Was an active member of the Dean’s Men Board or UT Committee

     Candidates must also be prepared to be available for the 5pm Monday meeting time for the entirety of their potential term.

     To vote in Committee elections, a community member must be a registered student and have at least ONE (1) Quarter of Involvement, as described above.

     Candidates and voters will be asked to describe how they were involved during their Quarter(s) of Involvement.

     Members of Pro-staff may not vote in the elections for Committee. Collaboration credits do not count as University Theater credits.

   • Nomination

     Candidates must provide one-page statement listing their past UT involvement and motivation for running for Committee. This statement must be submitted to the sitting Committee Chair by 5PM the Friday before the election. A list of the candidates and their statements must be emailed to the UT General Listhost that evening. A ballot shall be prepared listing every candidate. If necessary, the Committee Chair will verify the eligibility of candidates and voters.

   • The Election Meeting

     If the sitting Committee Chair is not running in the election, he or she shall chair the election meeting. Otherwise, a member of Pro-staff shall chair. No rehearsals or other UT events may be scheduled at the same time as the election meeting. Each candidate will be given one minute to make a statement followed by a question-and-answer session, lasting not more than two minutes per candidate. Personal endorsements are not allowed. Finally, each voter may cast a number of votes up to the number of vacancies on the Committee. All votes, absentee or otherwise, must be turned in fifteen minutes after the election meeting. The votes shall be tabulated by members of Pro-staff and the results will be posted to the UT general listhost immediately following the elections. Vote totals will remain confidential. Two- or three-way ties will result in the election of all the tying candidates to Committee. Any larger ties, if they bring the number of elected non-staff student Committee members above 10 (as in Section I.B.1), are arbitrated by coin toss.

   • Special Elections

     Should the number of general student Committee members (excluding Off-Off rep and Dean’s Men rep) drop below ten (10) at any point, special elections will be held at the next possible committee meeting. An email will be sent out within twenty-four (24) hours of the resignation or removal of the previous committee member asking for statements, as per the general election requirements. These statements must be received before the meeting in which the election will take place. Sitting members of the committee then vote to fill the seats up for election from amongst the candidates. Eligibility for special elections is the same as for general elections, and the number of seats up for elections will be limited to those vacant (i.e., until the number of general Committee members is restored to ten).

3. Removal of Committee Members

   The Committee may remove a member by a two-thirds majority in the following instances:

   • The Committee member in question submits a letter of resignation to the Chair of the Committee.
   • The Committee member in question ceases to be a registered student at the University of Chicago.
   • The Committee member does not meet the standards outlined in I.A.2. or has proved ineffective in their other duties, especially as a Committee Liaison to a UT production.

   The motion for the removal of a Committee member may be made by another Committee member or by a community member lodging a formal grievance to the UT Committee, and must be included in the next meeting’s Agenda.

4. Committee Officers

   • Position Descriptions

     • Chair

       Sets weekly meeting agenda. Runs all Committee meetings. Serves as a voting member of the University of Chicago Program Coordinating Council (PCC) and as a liaison with the Center for Leadership and Involvement (CLI). Sits on the Logan Center Student Advisory Committee and the Performing Arts Roundtable. Coordinates annual Title IX trainings with PSA (See Section I.A.2.q).

     • Treasurer

       Serves as University Theater’s non-voting member of the Program Coordinating Council (PCC) and attends the annual PCC budget negotiations. Works with University Theater’s Managing Director to prepare and present UT’s budget for the PCC budget negotiation meeting. Meets quarterly with the Managing Director to “wrap” each season.

     • Secretary

       Takes minutes at all Committee meetings, sends the draft to the Committee for approval within 24 hours, and sends the approved minutes to the general listhost after an additional 24 hours. (For most information on the protocol for the minutes, see Section I.B.5.b.) Also records any changes to the by-laws after each Committee meeting, keeping a regularly updated copy and noting the changes in the public Committee minutes. After the final committee meeting of each quarter, emails the most recent edition of the bylaws to the UT general listhost. Actively maintains the “University Theater Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct Resource Sheet,” updating information, noting changes in public Committee minutes, and posting the most current version of these documents in the UT Lounge.

     • Social Chair

       The Social Chair shall primarily be responsible for helping and encouraging Committee to foster a sense of community within UT. They will reach out to the appropriate leadership of the Dean’s Men and Off-Off Campus to coordinate ways to ensure that UT remains cohesive as an organization. The Social Chair will be responsible for any social events put forward by Committee, and they are expected to facilitate at least one event per quarter.

     • Other Positions

       Further officer positions may be created by each new Committee to serve its own needs and those of the community. Frequently such positions include liaisons to organizations outside the Performing Arts Roundtable, such as FOTA.

   • Terms of Office and Eligibility

     Officers’ terms are from the time of election through the end of the following winter quarter. If an officer needs to be replaced prior to this time, a special officer election shall be held at a regular Committee meeting. Officers can be replaced by a two-thirds majority vote of the Committee. In the case of absences, each officer may designate another Committee member to fulfill their duties. Student Staff Committee members (Student Administrative and Technical Staff) are ineligible for Committee Officer positions.

   • Election of Officers

     New officers are nominated and elected during the Ninth Week Committee meeting of Winter Quarter by the newly elected voting Committee members who will begin serving in the Spring Quarter. Position descriptions shall be provided to the new Committee by the outgoing Committee at the end of the Winter Quarter. After brief presentations by those who are running, the Committee shall vote by secret ballot. The individual who receives a majority vote of those present shall fill the position.

   • Filling Vacant Offices

     If at any time an office is vacated through the removal or resignation of a committee member, the duties and responsibilities of that office (but not the office itself) may be taken on in the interim by another member or divided up among members of the Committee. This is done by a nomination or motion during the meeting at which the vacancy occurs or is discovered, and is approved by majority vote. After the number of elected committee members is restored to TEN (10) through special elections (see Section I.B.2.d), a special officer election will be held for the vacant offices, to be held until the end of the winner’s Committee term. Committee members already holding an office are permitted to run for vacant offices, but if elected must give up their previous office, which will then be filled by special election within that same meeting.

5. Meetings

   • Frequency

     The Committee meets regularly, once a week during the regular school term (Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters). Meetings are at 5pm on Monday evening. Any member of the Committee may ask the Chair of the Committee to call a special meeting, at which point a phone or email poll of the other members will determine if quorum can be reached, at which point a meeting is held. Regular Committee meetings should be scheduled for at least one hour with a reasonable amount of time set aside for accidentals, incidentals, and unforeseen important business. Committee members should not schedule rehearsals, builds, etc. that conflict with the already-scheduled Committee meetings. Members who wish to have item put on the agenda should contact the Chair of the Committee at least 24 hours before the meeting.

   • Agendas and Minutes

     Open Session minutes should be shared with the community in full, with edits made for clarity and effective information dissemination. Executive Session minutes should be shared with the community unless pertaining to confidential information or topics.

     Confidential topics might include but are not limited to:

     • Proposals.
     • Information that involves identifying or may identify individuals to the larger UT community.
     • Discussion of show-specific conflict that does not relate to the larger UT community. This may include—but is not limited to–conflict resolution, communication problems, or concerns about harassment.
     • Information that might require action by a Mandatory Reporter.
     • Anything marked confidential during or after the meeting.
       
       

     The agenda for the meeting should be emailed to the Committee 24 hours before the meeting. Minutes of the meeting should be posted to the UT Committee Executive Session listhost by the Secretary within 24 hours of the end of the meeting. These minutes must clearly differentiate confidential minutes from for-public minutes. Committee has an additional 24 hours after the Secretary sends out the full minutes to suggest any changes in information, wording, or regarding the proposed minutes, or to make further additions. Minutes sent out to the community must be anonymized. Executive session minutes will not be confidential unless otherwise specified at this point. All changes must be requested on a platform accessible by all of Committee, such as a Committee meeting, shared communication platform, or Committee listhost. Any member of Committee can make this request. In the case of any objection, the information in question is excluded from that week’s minutes. After this period, the Secretary posts the minutes, with confidential information removed, to the UT general listhost. Any changes to by-laws occurring in a Committee meeting must be noted in the public minutes.

   • Attendance and Quorum

     Committee meetings, with the exception of the Mainstage Proposal Meeting and open forums, are closed (‘Executive Session’). Quorum for a regular meeting is a majority of voting members. For a proposal meeting, at least four of those members must be elected, non-staff student members.

   • Voting

     General issues are voted on by ‘secret ballot,’ either on paper or by secret show of hands. The committee chair is not able to vote and is responsible for counting the votes. At any point during a Committee meeting, a Committee member can request the issue at hand be put to a vote. While individual votes are secret, vote totals may be published in the notes.

   • Open Session

     Meetings are in open session starting at 5pm during this time any member of the UT community is welcome to join the meetings. This open session moves to executive session during which time meeting guests can no longer sit in on the meeting unless a member of committee invites them and committee votes to allow it. In addition to this chance to join a meeting, any member of the community can request a place on the agenda before the meeting to bring up issues, concerns or questions. This can be done by contacting the Committee Chair or any other member of Committee prior to said meeting.

C. Committee Policies

1. Subcommittees

   Any Committee member may initiate the creation of a subcommittee for the purpose of more focused discussion around a specific topic, typically with some tangible goal (i.e. producing a bylaw, creating new documents). A subcommittee is created once Committee informally agrees on its subject matter / goals and three or more members of Committee volunteer to participate. If anyone on Committee believes that the subcommittee should be closed (see below), a simple majority vote can be taken to determine if it will be closed. Committee members who were not originally members of the subcommittee can request to join the subcommittee at any time. Creation of the subcommittee, it’s initial membership, and any subsequent changes in membership must be noted in the minutes. A member of the Subcommittee will present updates on its progress to Committee at regular Committee meetings.

   • Open Subcommittees: In the case of an Open Subcommittee, community members must have an opportunity to request to be involved in the subcommittee. These requests will be reviewed by the Committee members on the subcommittee to determine if the request will be accepted or denied. In the rare case that a request is rejected, reasoning must be provided to Committee and can be overridden by a simple majority vote. Members of the Subcommittee should exercise discretion when discussing matters regarding Subcommittee business outside of committee meetings.
   • Closed Subcommittees: In the case of a Closed Subcommittee, community members may still send feedback to Subcommittee members, however community members may not be involved directly in the Subcommittee.

2. Grievances

   In the event that a community member or members, or Committee member or members, feel that a member or members of Committee have acted inappropriately (i.e., does not fulfill the responsibilities as outlined in Section I.A.2), they may propose the issue to the Committee Chair within 24 hours of the meeting. In such circumstances, each side should be allowed to make its case. Committee members directly involved in the complaint will then be excused while the remainder of Committee determines a response in an Executive Session. If the Committee determines that the Committee member or members have acted inappropriately, formal responses can range from censure (i.e. a public statement in the minutes) to removal from the Committee.

3. Fairness

   If a community or Committee member or members are concerned about a Committee member’s ability to vote fairly during a proposal meeting or regular meeting, the Chair should ask publicly or privately that the individual or individuals in question consider their fairness. If the situation has not changed, any member of the Committee may ask for a vote on the person’s further participation in the process, which can include removal from vote or discussion. Should the Committee Member choose to remove themself from the vote, they may have the opportunity to state so at the beginning of the proposal meeting. If the Chair is an individual in question, the Director of UT/TAPS should be approached.

4. Budgeting and Financial Matters

   All Cross-Quarter productions can apply for a budget of up to $5000. All One-Quarter productions, including Dean’s Men shows, can apply for a budget of up to $3000. Weekends of Workshops performances have a budget up to $250. All Mainstage productions must submit a rough budget to the nearest $500 when their proposals are due. If passed, budgets may be adjusted by up to $500 based on a final budget submitted to Committee by noon the day of Uber Prod. Budgets for all productions cannot exceed the aforementioned amounts for Uber Prod (e.g. a One-Quarter show passed with a $2750 budget cannot have an Uber Prod budget greater than $3000). Final budgets are subject to approval by a majority vote by Committee, with budget approvals taking place by the Friday of 9th week in consultation with TAPS Pro Staff. If budget revisions are requested by Committee, they must be submitted by noon on the Monday of 1st Week of the following quarter, and the revised budget will be voted on during the Committee meeting of 1st Week.

   One-Quarter and Cross-Quarter shows may apply for additional funding beyond their approved budget due to unforeseen costs (up to $1000) by submitting a Budget Extension Form to Committee by the Sunday before their first performance. Any additional funds may not be spent until approved by a majority vote of Committee, and forms are reviewed the first Monday after they are submitted. See Section V.A.1. for more information regarding One-Quarter and Cross-Quarter shows.

   Throughout this process, shows should aim to budget for only what they need to realize their proposed artistic vision, with budgets made to the team’s best ability.

5. Amending the By-Laws

   These by-laws can be amended by a two-thirds vote of the entire Committee. After each meeting, any amendments to the by-laws must be made in the Secretary’s running copy of the by-laws and noted by the Secretary in the public committee meeting minutes. After the final meeting of each quarter, the Secretary emails the most recent edition of the bylaws to the UT general listhost if there have been changes that quarter.

   • Any proposal deliberated on by committee must be decided and enacted under the bylaws that existed when it was proposed. Once a decision has been reached, committee will not hold another vote on the matter unless new information arises. A change of the bylaws is not considered new information for the purposes of reconsidering a decided matter. This item of the by-laws may only be changed by a unanimous vote of committee.
   • Any amendments to the by-laws must be proposed and added to the committee agenda at least twenty-four hours in advance of any meeting in which they can be passed.
   • Any amendments to the by-laws which are not deemed urgently necessary by the Chair must be shared with the community for feedback at least 48 hours before the amendment can be voted on. The author(s) shall not be identified when the by-law is shared unless they request to be identified. Amendments can subsequently be modified and voted on based on the feedback received without being shared again.

D. Diversity, Representation, and Inclusion Statement

1. University Theater is committed to fostering diversity in its community and in its productions. University Theater does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected groups under the law (see the University of Chicago’s Non-Discrimination Statement and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972).

   If one or more of the protected groups listed above are integral to a character’s identity per the playwright’s text and/or the directorial team’s vision, then directorial teams should cast an actor that represents the protected group(s) through the actor’s own identities. If none of the protected groups listed above are integral to a character’s identity per the playwright’s text and/or the directorial team’s vision, then directorial teams should be mindful that such factors of an actor’s appearance and/or identity do not negatively impact in any way an actor’s chances of being cast in the role.

   In addition, University Theater values and invites storytelling that showcases, celebrates, and/or uplifts all identities. As such, when conceiving of production visions, members are encouraged to consider “identity-conscious” approaches (rather than “identity-blind” approaches)—that is, explicitly and intentionally leveraging identity in casting, crew, and production work with the aim of increasing awareness, honoring culture, fostering equity, and/or promoting identity and identity-focused discourse.

   These approaches may include (and are not limited to):

   • Intentionally assembling diverse casts and crews to increase representation and encourage many different voices in the rehearsal room, the production room, and on stage.
   • Being attentive to casting and stage pictures that depict or are reminiscent of historically discriminatory viewpoints and consciously avoiding such depictions unless they are crucial to the playwright’s text and/or the directorial team’s vision.
   • Selecting theater pieces for performance that are written by and/or present the perspectives of under-represented/minority groups.
   • Consciously casting people who identify as a member of one or more protected groups—where there may not be precedent to do so—in roles that serve to uniquely portray, uplift, or present the perspectives of their protected group(s).
   • Consciously employing a staff of directors, designers, managers, and/or assistants who identify as members of one or more protected groups to uniquely portray, uplift, or present the perspectives of their protected group(s) in all aspects of production—not just in acting.
   • Actively engaging with organizations on campus and/or in the larger community that have relevant missions related to diversity, inclusion, and/or promoting awareness of different identities both while conceiving of production visions and throughout the rehearsal process.

2. A Note on Programming

   University Theater honors its commitment to diversity, representation, and inclusion by producing at least one show per quarter authored by and/or centering on the stories of communities historically underrepresented and underproduced in the arts. This means that:

   • At least one show per quarter must be authored by and/or center on the stories of communities historically underrepresented and underproduced in the arts. This includes (but is not limited to) works authored by and/or centering on Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), queer and trans people, and women; plays that treat identity intersectionally, contemporary plays (i.e. plays written in the last decade), and plays by contemporary Chicago-based playwrights are to be particularly encouraged. This also includes student-written work. A reimagining of a play that does not traditionally meet these standards of representation (e.g a Shakespeare play) will not be considered under this bylaw.
   • UT Committee recognizes that in order to honor its commitment to UT’s four pillars, Opportunity, Education, Artistic Excellence, and Community, it must be an active participant in meeting the standards of this bylaw, and it must consistently work to create a space that showcases, welcomes, and uplifts artists of all identities. Committee’s approaches may include (but are not limited to):
     1. working with the community to compile and promote an accessible library of underproduced work by BIPOC playwrights;
     2. regularly organizing workshops for Committee members and the community in topics such as (but not limited to) copyright laws and ownership in theater industry, rehearsal room safety, and anti-racist theater practices;
     3. organizing and funding community trips to productions by theater companies in Chicago committed to showcasing new work by BIPOC, queer and trans playwrights;
     4. actively supporting the work of and seeking out collaborations with organizations that have missions related to diversity and inclusion, representation in the arts, and promoting awareness of different identities on campus.
   • If no production that meets these standards of representation is proposed by the community, UT Committee will initiate a search for an appropriate director and play, working in conjunction with TAPS faculty and pro staff for support. If a production or reading cannot be organized, any UT programming that does not meet these standards of representation may not be scheduled in its stead.
   • Production of shows authored by and/or centering on the stories of communities historically underrepresented and underproduced in the arts is by no means limited to one per quarter. This bylaw is in place to ensure that there be at least one such work produced per quarter.
   • All UT proposals will be rigorously looked at for their commitment to I.D.1.I-VI, in addition to Opportunity, Education, and Artistic Excellence.