Bawdy Caste Bylaws
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Title: Bawdy Caste Bylaws
Last Updated: Aug 5th, 2020
Checksum: d9324efc9f3e628ea4c97f555519ce32
  1. Name
    1. The name of this Organization shall be the Bawdy Caste
  2. Purpose
    1. The Bawdy Caste, serving the San Francisco Bay Area, is committed to watching the same horrible movie, over and over again, and performing it in front of a live audience, whilst blocking the damn screen!
    2. The Bawdy Caste is committed to creating a space that is free of the oppressive structures and behaviors that pervade society. We are an anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic, gender inclusive organization committed to providing a haven for people in the Bay Area to come together, find one another, and shout stupid things at a forty+ year old movie.
  3. Membership
    1. The members of this cast shall be aged 18 years or older.
    2. They become members by application; Applications will be approved in a timely manner by the Directors. No qualified application will be unreasonably denied.
      1. Prior loss of membership does not automatically disqualify an applicant, but prior behavior leading to loss of membership may be grounds for denying an application.
        1. An applicant who has previously experienced loss of membership will be considered a new member for official purposes, including qualification for Cast Officer positions (5.3).
    3. Active and inactive membership:
      1. Active status shall be evaluated at quarterly meetings.
      2. Any active member who is unable to attend at least one cast function (show or membership meeting) in a quarter will become inactive until attending a cast function in a following quarter.
      3. “Active” status can also be maintained over longer periods of absence from cast by prior arrangement with the Directors(s).
    4. Privileges and responsibilities of membership:
      1. Voting: Each active member is entitled to one vote in each cast decision that comes to a membership meeting. Inactive members are ineligible to vote.
      2. Privileges: Each active member shall be entitled to all services of the cast equally with other cast members.
      3. Partici...pation: Each active and inactive member shall be entitled to participate in all cast events.
      4. Responsibilities: Each active and inactive member shall:
        1. Endeavor to better the cast in all actions.
        2. Pay dues to the cast of $20 per calendar year, to be collected by the Financial Secretary each January, or if the member is not at any cast function in January, at the earliest cast function at which the member is present.
          1. Dues shall be prorated for all new cast members who join after January in a given year at $5 per quarter.
        3. Make a good faith effort to attend as many shows as possible.
        4. Participate in membership meetings. (see Article 6)
          1. All active cast members must attend at least one membership meeting per year. Inactive members may choose to attend these meetings.
          2. Excused absences shall be granted by the Directors for any reasonable cause.
            1. An excused absence shall excuse the member from requirement to attend a meeting; for the purposes of quorum, an excused absence shall reduce quorum by one.
        5. Be a member of one or more departments.
          1. A member of a department can be assigned tasks for that department.
    5. Loss of active membership:
      1. Loss of active membership means:
        1. The member cannot vote.
        2. The member’s status becomes “inactive” (3.3.).
      2. Failure to attend required meetings or shows
        1. If a member fails to attend meetings or shows (in accordance with article 3.4.4.1 ), the Directors shall inform the member that they are in danger of becoming inactive.
          1. The member shall respond within one week and set up a plan with the Directors to correct this problem. If the problem persists, the member’s status shall be changed to inactive.
          2. Any active member may request to waive this requirement. All such reasonable requests shall be granted by the Directors.
        2. Failure to attend meetings or shows, or to obtain a waiver thereof, may also qualify as grounds for discipline (Section 7).
    6. Total loss of membership:
      1. Loss of membership means a member isn’t on cast anymore. They no longer qualify for “active” or “inactive” status.
      2. Membership in the cast shall be revoked for the following reasons:
        1. Failure to pay dues
          1. If dues are one (1) month late, the Financial Secretary shall inform the member (via e-mail or the member’s preferred method of contact) that they are in danger of losing membership if dues are not paid.The member shall respond within one week and set up a plan with the Financial Secretary to pay back dues.
            1. In general, this plan should involve payment at the next cast function the member attends, but discretion is left to the Financial Secretary in this.
            2. If dues are still not paid in accordance with the agreed upon plan, the member shall lose membership and have to reapply to join the cast.
            3. Re-application privileges shall be granted when the member pays all dues owed to the cast.
        2. Any member may at any point prior to loss of membership, request to waive cast dues or set up an alternative arrangement for payment (installments, extensions, other services rendered to cast, etc) for reasons of financial hardship. All such reasonable requests shall be granted by the Financial Secretary.
        3. Conduct unbecoming a member
          1. Membership shall be revoked for conduct that puts cast or audience members at risk, or that jeopardizes the cast as a whole.
          2. This includes but is not limited to; harassment or abuse of any kind on the basis of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability status, or medical condition (including HIV status).If an allegation of this kind is brought by either an audience member or a cast member, the accused shall be given due process before dismissal.
  4. Cast Structure: Departments
    1. Cast is broken down into a series of different departments, with most of the day-to-day operation of the cast falling to the respective departments. Departments shall operate with a high degree of autonomy. They shall set their own democratic procedures and be responsible for making all day-to-day decisions in their respective areas of cast management.
    2. To be a member of the cast means being a member of one or more department.
      1. Upon joining cast, the Directors, in consultation with the new member and the heads of all relevant departments, shall help the new member find the best department to join.
        1. Each new cast member must join at least one department (as per section 3.4.4.5 ).
      2. If a member wishes to join another department, they may do so with the consent of the Directors and the head of the department that they wish to join.No request to join a new department shall be unreasonably denied.
      3. Being a member of multiple departments is not prohibited.
      4. One may not be the head of multiple departments at the same time.
    3. Department decisions are subject to review and reversal by a majority vote of the whole membership.
    4. Department heads shall be elected from within each department by a majority vote of the cast at large.
      1. This election shall be reviewed and confirmed in a timely manner by the existing Cast Council.
    5. Departments may request a budget as part of the annual budget process.
      1. Departments are not guaranteed a budget.
      2. Once money has been set aside for a department, that department has the authority to spend that money on its designated purpose without further approval.
    6. The Financial Secretary shall be kept appraised of all expenditures made by departments.
    7. The permanent standing departments of this cast shall be:
      1. Actoring--Includes anyone who performs on stage.This group is responsible for decisions about performance matters between the 20th c Fox Logo and the end credits.
      2. Tech Crew--The people who make the show actually happen. This group is responsible for the technical side of the show, including props, cues, lights, and working with theaters on technical matters. Don’t piss them off.
      3. Security--The people who keep us all safe.This group is responsible for all decisions related to the safety of the cast, the audience and the theater.
      4. Sales-- n. Mongers, the people who hawk our wares.This group is responsible for making sure we have cool merch and survival kits to sell at shows, and for coordinating with the Financial Secretary on sales.
      5. P.E.N.I.S.-- (Stands for Promotion, Engagement, Networking, Internet and Social-media). This group is like a marketing team.Their main job is to make sure the show is fun for both the audience and the cast. They come up with ways to promote the show, get new audience members in the seats, keep our regular audience coming back, and they maintain our internet and social media presence.
      6. Pre-shows--This group includes all our Emcees, along with anyone who is interested in making the beginning of the show (from the line up to the start of the movie) more fun for the audience. They come up with and choreograph new pre-show routines too.
      7. The department structure may be amended as needed by a simple majority vote at membership meetings. This constitutes a modification of these bylaws and is the only modification of the bylaws that doesn’t require a two-thirds vote.
    8. Ad hoc committees may be formed by the Directors or by cast meetings.Ad hoc committees are temporary committees with a narrow charge (e.g. planning additional shadow-casts, discipline and dismissal processes)
      1. Ad hoc committees shall dissolve when their purpose is completed.
      2. Membership and/or leadership in an ad hoc committee is not a cast officer position.
      3. Ad-hoc committees shall define their own leadership. If necessary, they may elect a leader in accordance with 4.4.
      4. No reasonable request by a member to join an ad hoc committee shall be refused.
  5. Cast Structure: Officers
    1. The operation of the cast and all decisions not made atMembership Meetings or by decision of relevant cast departments (in accordance with article 4) shall be carried out by cast Officers, according to the duties specified in this article.
    2. Cast Officers are elected from the current membership:
      1. Two Directors, elected by the cast at large for 2 year terms on alternating years.
      2. a Financial Secretary, elected by the cast at large to a 2 year term.
      3. Heads of standing departments, elected by the cast at large to 2 year terms.
        1. Head(s) of Acting
        2. Head(s) of Tech
        3. Head(s) of Security
        4. Head(s) of Sales
        5. Head(s) of P.E.N.I.S.
        6. Head(s) of Preshows
      4. Elections will be held at membership meetings (section 6). Any qualified candidate may nominate themselves for an elected position (5.3) . The candidate with the most votes for a given position will be elected.
        1. In the event of a tie, a runoff vote will be held with the tied candidates.
        2. Elections for Director and Financial Secretary shall be held in the February membership meeting. Elections for Heads of standing departments shall be held in the November membership meeting.
        3. Before each election, the Directors shall appoint an active cast member to serve as Election Manager.
          1. The Election Manager shall be responsible for conducting the election, ensuring a fair and accurate vote is collected, and reporting the results to the cast at large.
          2. The Election Manager may not run in an election they are managing.
          3. Any cast member may decline an appointment as Election Manager.
          4. The position of Election Manager shall dissolve once the election is concluded and the results reported.
    3. Qualifications:
      1. The Directors shall each have been a member for no less than 2 years.
      2. The Financial Secretary shall have been a member for no less than 1 year.
      3. The heads of each department must each have been a member of their respective departments for no less than six (6) months.
      4. Inactive members may not hold an officer position.
        1. Cast Officers who become inactive, because of failure to pay dues or attend the required number of shows, shall be hurled into a volcano.
          1. If a volcano is unavailable, the officer shall lose their position and be subject to discipline according to Section 7 . The vacancy shall be filled according to Section 5.7.
      5. No Cast Officer is qualified to hold another officer position simultaneously.
    4. Duties of Officers:
      1. The Directors are responsible for coordinating work between committees and facilitating communication between Cast Officers. If the Directors cannot be present at a cast function, their duties shall be assumed by a designee.
        1. The Directors shall conduct check-ins for each show, and consult Department Heads before final casting is released.
        2. The Directors shall nominate (a) facilitator(s) for each meeting.
        3. The Directors may facilitate meetings in accordance with Section 6.5.1.
        4. The Directors shall ensure that all committees are staffed and all vacancies filled, should vacancies arise between membership meetings;all vacancy appointments to departments by the Directors must be confirmed at the next meeting of the department concerned.
        5. The Directors of the cast shall be an ex-officio member of all departments, but their vote on department matters shall only be as a tiebreaker.
          1. Directors may vote on Cast Council decisions normally.
        6. The Directors shall be ultimately responsible for ensuring all other duties not specifically addressed in these bylaws are fulfilled, but shall consult with all other cast officers (the Cast Council) in major decisions.
      2. The Financial Secretary shall:
        1. Maintain an accurate ledger, cast roster and account of dues.
          1. These items must be made available to any cast member for review, by request.
        2. Solicit budget requests from departments every November and draft a proposed budget for the cast every year by the February membership meeting, to be voted upon by the cast.
        3. Present and circulate a financial report at each membership meeting.
      3. Department heads shall be responsible for coordinating the work of their respective departments.
        1. Department heads are responsible for convening meetings as needed to decide important issues relating to that department’s function; if the department so chooses, online discussions or chats are an acceptable medium for this deliberative process.
        2. Department heads (or their designees) are responsible for presenting status reports at cast membership meetings.
        3. All other responsibilities of departments are to be allocated by the departments themselves. Any reasonable allocation is permitted.
    5. Cast Council
      1. All cast officers (Directors, Financial Secretary and all Department Heads) shall make up the Cast Council.
        1. If a department decides to separate the function of “member of Cast Council” from the function of “head of department”, they may do so.In such cases, the head of that department would no longer be a member of the cast council and a cast-wide election will be held for that department’s council representative.
      2. The Cast Council shall be responsible for discussing and voting on all major decisions that come up between membership meetings.
      3. The Cast Council shall decide on all expenditures that come up between meetings and that are not anticipated in the cast budget.
      4. All decisions by the cast council shall be circulated to members and must be approved or ratified by the cast at the next membership meeting.
      5. Wherever possible, if a decision is not urgent, the Cast Council shall either (a) defer that decision to the next membership meeting or (b) facilitate an online vote.
        1. If circumstances dictate that a decision is urgent, the Cast Council shall be empowered to make the decision itself (subject to ratification by the membership at the next meeting).
      6. Cast Council business shall be conducted transparently.
        1. Any member, whether on the Council or not, may both observe and participate in cast council discussions and meetings. Members who are not on the cast council shall not be able to vote in cast council votes.
      7. Failure to meet these responsibilities, including acting without the oversight of the cast as a whole, are grounds for removal for Council members through the process outlined in Section 5.6.3.
    6. Vacancies and Removal:
      1. If a vacancy arises in the role of Director, the Cast Council shall convene within one week to select from among them an Acting Director.The Acting Director shall remain in place until the next membership meeting.At that point, a vacancy election shall be held and the newly elected Director shall serve out the rest of the vacant term.
      2. A vacancy in the office of the Financial Secretary shall be left vacant, with the Directors delegating the duties of that position until the next membership meeting, at which point an election shall be held for an interim Financial Secretary whose term shall expire at the next scheduled Financial Secretary election.
      3. Any officer, including the Directors, may be removed from office by a vote of two-thirds of the members at a regular cast meeting.
        1. The person under consideration shall be given an opportunity to be heard at the meeting with sufficient notice of the proposed removal or suspension. The person under consideration shall not be counted in determining the presence of a quorum nor whether the required two-thirds vote has been obtained.
      4. All votes to strip officers of their position shall be conducted by secret ballot.
  6. Membership Meetings
    1. The highest decision making body in the Cast shall be the Cast as a whole.
      1. Votes in Cast meetings, or appropriately conducted online cast votes, shall take precedence over decisions made at any at other levels of cast leadership.
    2. Membership Meetings will be held quarterly, in February, May, August, and November.
      1. Notification of meeting shall be made ten (10) days prior to said meeting.
      2. Notification shall include a tentative agenda, and a solicitation for members to submit additional agenda items.
      3. An updated agenda shall be circulated by the Directors two (2) days prior to the meeting.
    3. The Directors of the cast may call additional meetings, provided that notice is sent out ten (10) days in advance, and includes a tentative agenda and a solicitation for additional agenda items.
    4. Quorum:At all meetings of the cast a quorum shall consist of one more than one half the members of the cast.
    5. Meeting procedures:
      1. Each meeting shall have a facilitator (or several facilitators).
        1. The Directors shall motion to select the facilitator(s) and the membership present shall confirm the facilitator(s) by majority vote at the start of each meeting.
        2. Facilitation should not fall to the same person at two consecutive meetings unless no other facilitator can be found.Care should be taken to ensure facilitation does not fall to the same person or group of people, since that sucks.
        3. The meeting facilitator is responsible for finding a volunteer to take minutes.
      2. Efforts should be taken at every meeting to ensure that all voices are heard on every issue.
      3. Voting:
        1. Voting shall be conducted by majority vote by those present in a meeting.
        2. Voting shall be conducted by a show of hands, unless the facilitator deems it appropriate to conduct the vote in some other manner (such as a secret ballot or online cast vote).
        3. Votes to amend the bylaws must pass by two thirds vote of those present.
      4. Each meeting shall include a report on cast finances made by the Financial Secretary or their designee.
      5. Each meeting shall discuss and approve the proposed agenda, and any amendments or additions.
      6. The date of the next occurring membership meeting shall be decided within 7 days of the previous one.
      7. Minutes shall be taken at each meeting, to be circulated within two days of the meeting and approved at the next cast meeting.
      8. In general, conduct of the meeting shall be left to the discretion of the meeting facilitator, and need not follow Robert’s Rules of Order; If, however, any controversy is raised at a meeting by any cast member about the proper conduct of the meeting, meeting conduct shall revert to Robert’s Rules.
  7. Discipline and Dismissal
    1. The cast shall periodically discuss and democratically ratify cast rules and best practices.
    2. Excepting behavior that creates an unsafe or hostile environment for cast members or the audience, or behavior that jeopardizes the existence of the show or the cast, violation of cast rules shall be addressed by a collaborative process aimed at correcting the behavior without removing the member from cast.
      1. In cases where the problematic behavior is not severe (for example, showing up late to call, failure to check in for shows on time, performance that is not up to standards set by the cast,) the Directors or the relevant department head shall meet with the member and attempt to collaboratively come up with a plan to address the behavior.If an arrangement cannot be reached to eliminate the problematic behavior, a plan shall be made to minimize its impact on the show and on other cast members.
      2. In cases where the problematic behavior is more severe--meaning that it is directly or chronically impacting the show, the audience or other cast members in a substantive way (for example, being visibly drunk on stage, being careless with another cast member’s belongings), the Directors or relevant head of department shall first attempt to address the behavior with the member similar to (7.2.1).
        1. If no accommodation can be reached, the Directors shall convene a larger group to collaboratively discuss the problem and implement a plan to either change the behavior or mitigate its impact on the show. This group shall consist of either:
          1. The whole relevant department, or
          2. An ad hoc committee.
            1. The ad hoc committee will consist of two members chosen by the Directors and one member chosen by the member in question.
              1. The member in question will be invited to attend and speak at meetings by the ad hoc committee.
              2. The member in question may decline to nominate a representative to the ad hoc committee.
              3. If the member in question is one of the directors, or a director is a party to the complaint or grievance, the director shall not make decisions on the disciplinary committee's formation, excepting the choice of their own advocate where they are the member in question.
        2. This committee’s mandate is not to punish the member, but to discuss and implement changes they deem necessary to maintain the quality of the show and the cast environment. This may include the member no longer being assigned responsibilities that they are not meeting.
      3. In severe cases that create a hostile environment, or involve a threat to either the audience or cast members, or puts in jeopardy the continuance of the show or cast, the Directors shall immediately convene an ad hoc committee as described in 7.2.2.1.1.2 to address the issue and deal with the cast member that is causing the problem.
        1. Efforts shall be made to work collaboratively, but if a reasonable accommodation cannot be reached, the committee may recommend that the member be removed from cast.
        2. On such recommendation, removal from cast must be ratified by a majority vote of the Cast Council.
    3. Sexual Harassment and Assault.
      1. The Bawdy Caste takes matters of sexual harassment, assault and gendered violence with the utmost seriousness.We affirm that Rocky Horror should be a space where people are free from the forms of gendered oppression that pervade society and as such are committed to a survivor-led accountability process whenever matters of this nature arise.
      2. We recognize that in matters of sexual harassment and assault, survivors are often greeted with skepticism, and that this is a barrier to coming forward.This is a pattern that allows systemic oppression to continue.As such, we are committed to the principle that survivors coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment or assault should be taken seriously and the default attitude should be one of compassion and credulity.
      3. If an allegation of sexual harassment or assault arises, all efforts shall be made to maintain the confidentiality of the person making these allegations, both during and after the investigation and discipline process.
      4. No action shall be taken that will compromise this confidentiality unless there is an immediate threat to others.In such cases, the survivor shall be consulted and their input given substantial weight.
      5. The survivor shall be consulted and their consent should be actively sought in all decisions about the handling of the matter.
      6. Accountability Process:
        1. Matters of sexual assault and harassment shall be dealt with swiftly.
          1. On hearing an allegation of sexual harassment or assault, the cast Directors shall within 2 days consult with the survivor about forming a “accountability group” to address the matter and support the survivor in an accountability process.
            1. This group shall consist of members of the cast. It may involve a support person from outside the cast if the survivor so chooses.
            2. The group shall be appointed by the Directors in consultation with the survivor.
              1. No one shall serve on the accountability group that the survivor objects to.
        2. The aim of the accountability process is to address matters in a community centered way, understand the truth and perception of the situation, and to establish accountability for the circumstances.
          1. An accountability process is not a trial.
          2. This process is to be driven by the needs of the survivor and the needs of the community.
          3. The accused, too, is to be treated as a member of that community.
        3. Procedures for the process shall be set by the accountability group in accordance with the wishes of the survivor, with the aim of maintaining the safety of the survivor and the cast as a whole, and of devising a plan to address the situation.
        4. This plan may include the removal of the member in question from cast.In such cases, the procedures in 7.2.3 shall be followed.
  8. Appeals
    1. Any member may appeal any decision to a vote of the cast as a whole.This may be done in writing or in person to any cast officer, and that officer shall put that item on the agenda for the next membership meeting.
      1. Appeal requests may be made at any time between a decision being made and the following membership meeting. Decisions will remain subject to change in the future by cast vote.
  9. Implementation of these Bylaws
    1. In order to implement these bylaws, provisions must be made for going from no rules, to some rules. All provisions in this section are only applicable in the year 2017.
    2. Elections
      1. Directors will run for office in pairs, with one director scheduled to serve for two years, the other for one year.
        1. The candidate pair with the most votes shall win.
      2. Elections for Department Heads shall be held immediately after elections for Directors and Financial Officer. Term lengths for the first set of Department Heads will be shortened accordingly and those positions will be up for re-election in the Fall of 2018.
    3. These Bylaws shall be circulated to the cast for one week and then ratified by a two-thirds vote of all people who are members of The Bawdy Caste as of March 1, 2017. The bylaws ratification shall be coordinated by an Election Manager appointed by the current Interim Producers.
    4. Upon ratification, the Election Manager shall announce a nomination period of five days for cast officer positions. On completion of this period, the Election Manager shall circulate a list of candidates and conduct an online vote in accordance with these bylaws.
    5. Dues
      1. Upon election, the Financial Officer will request dues from all cast members. Any cast member may decline to pay dues due to financial hardship (in accordance with 3.6.2.1.1.2) or because they have already paid cast dues this year.
    6. The quorum provisions of section 6.4 shall not apply until November of 2017, or such time as this article is amended. A good faith effort shall be made by all parties to include as many cast members in membership meetings as possible.
    7. This article’s provisions, excepting provision 9.6, shall expire on the completion of the election for cast officers.
  10. Amendments
    1. These bylaws may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the cast present at any membership meeting.
    2. In such case as the bylaws require emergency amendment the Cast Council shall approve the bylaws on a provisional basis until they can be ratified at the next membership meeting.
    3. The membership shall be notified of adopted bylaw amendments by the most feasible means.