Introduction
The Policies in this Manual were initially drafted by a Policy Committee in 2011-13, based on:
- Expansion of provisions in the Society’s Registered Constitution and Bylaws
- Prior Board resolutions from 1997-2012
- Remembered traditions, practices and procedures
- Personal views and suggestions of committee Members The initial draft was amended as required, and approved by the Board 18 July 2013.
Policies are created and amended by Board resolutions. If any proposed resolution conflicts with an establish policy, it is the Chair’s duty to call attention to that fact before a vote is taken.
There is no provision for any “executive decision” that conflicts with established policy.
Policies are further amplified by:
- References to government laws & regulations & our Society’s registered Constitution & Bylaws (“Governing References”-left-hand column of policy document)
- Procedural documents, such as Board organizational charts and calendars
- Committee terms of reference (TORs) & members’ job descriptions (“Subordinate References” – right-hand column of Policy document)
- Addenda (which may include any of the above)
Contents
| Section A | Definitions – (in addition to those in Board Bylaws) |
| Section B | Membership – Active, Honorary, Life: Theatre BC, OZone, complaints, suggestions |
| Section C | Governance – elections, meetings, appointments, TORs & JDs |
| Section D | Financial control – budgets, bookkeeping, personal expenditures, debit cards, cheques, a/c reviewers, borrowing |
| Section E | Communications – publicity, information to Members |
| Section F | Productions & workshops – planning, implementation, holdovers, supervision, festival entries |
| Section G | Facilities – Development Plan, Powerhouse use, lighting & sound, rentals, lending and borrowing, scene shop |
| Section H | Records & archives – Management, storage, donations |
| Section J | Safety & Security |
| Addendum 1 | Constitution & Bylaws |
| Addendum 2 | Skeleton Org. Chart |
| Addendum 3 | Outline Board Calendar |
| Addendum 4 | Outline Committee TORs – Artistic, Costume, a/c Reviewers |
| Addendum 5 | Code of Conduct – Harassment Procedures |
| Addendum 6 | List of job descriptions, President, VP-Tech, VP Facilities, Sec., Treas., Publicity/Business Director, Directors-at-Large Managers – Rentals, Costume Bank, Safety, Lighting, Sound, Keymaster |
| Addendum 7 | List of job descriptions, Production team – Director; Set, Lighting & Sound Designers, Tech and Admin Producers |
Section A – Definitions
| Board | The elected Directors of the Society, acting as a group |
| Director | An elected Member of the Board |
| Directors – Elect | Those Directors who have been elected in May, but who do not take office until the AGM in September |
| Executive | An informal and misleading term referring to the Board |
| Facilities | Land, building, equipment & supplies owned by the Society |
| Fiscal Year | 12 months ending 30th June |
| Job Description (JD) | The outline of the delegated authority, tasks, and reporting requirements associated with any Member’s position, as drafted by the incumbent and approved by the Board |
| Maintenance | The schedule inspection, upkeep, repair, replacement & disposal of any Facility, (including the keeping of inventories & records) |
| Member | An Active, Life or Honorary Member of the Society |
| Natural Person | A person that is not a Company or other Institution |
| Production Period | The time when a Powerhouse production has exclusive use of the auditorium, stage, control booth, scene shop, upper dressing room & sound & lighting facilities; and priority access to the green room, club room and foyer |
| Mission Statement | Para 2 of the Society’s Constitution |
| OZone | The Okanagan Zone of Theatre BC |
| Season | Current season – year ending 31st August next
Upcoming season – year beginning 1st September next Following Season – the year following the Upcoming Season (N.B. For greater clarity, a season is described as [e.g.] 2012/13 season) |
| Terms of Reference (TORs) |
The outline of the delegated authority, tasks, and reporting requirements of a committee appointed by the Board |
Section B – Membership
| Governing References | Policy | Subordinate References |
|---|---|---|
| BL2.1(a) | Policy B1 – Active Membership | Application form |
| BL2.2, 2.6 | a. Applications. May be submitted at any time to the Membership Director, on a form approved by the Board that includes Members’ obligations, privacy waivers, previous experience & volunteer preferences. | Calendar |
| BL2.3 | b. Fees. Must accompany the application, at the annual rate ratified at the preceding AGM, pro-rated for the balance of the current season. | AGM agenda |
| BL2.1(b) | c. Acceptance. Upon receipt of application the future Member is able to start rehearsing or other volunteer work with the theatre. The membership application is subject to acceptance by the Board. | Calendar |
| BL9.2 | d. Members must have a current membership for 30 days prior to voting on any Powerhouse business. | AGM agenda |
| BL2.1(c) | e. Privileges. Participation in Society activities | Calendar |
| Policy B2 – Honorary Membership | JD Admin Prod. | |
| Nomination of any natural person may be submitted to the Board in writing, by any Active or Life Member. Must be renewed at each AGM. No voting privileges | Code of Conduct | |
| Policy B3 – Life Membership | Harassment Policy | |
| Nomination, based on exemplary service to the Society, may be suggested by any Active Member and submitted to the Board. Criteria for Board approval will include the candidate having been an Active Member for at least 25 years. | ||
| Policy B4 – Theatre BC/Okanagan Zone Membership | ||
| Group Membership paid by Society. Individual fees paid by Powerhouse only as needed for participation in a Theatre BC Festival entry. | ||
| Policy B5 – Complaints & Suggestions | ||
| May be made to any Director, who will pass it on to the appropriate Board Member for action, and will ask the Secretary to include the matter in the agenda for the next Board meeting. |
Section C – Governance
| Governing References | Policy | Subordinate References |
|---|---|---|
| BL5,6.1, 6.2 | Policy C1 – Election of Directors | Committee TOR |
| BL4.2, 7.1, 7.2 | Nominating Committee appointed by Board in March, elections held in May. | Calendar |
| BL 8.1 | Policy C2 – Job Descriptions | JDs, Calendar |
| BL9 | Reviewed by incumbents in April, changes approved by Board in June | JDs, TORs. Calendar |
| Policy C3 – Appointments, Calendar, Committee TORs | Calendar | |
| The Board must in June assign duties to all Directors, and appoint members to committees and all supervisory positions for the upcoming season | President’s JD | |
| Policy C4 – Board Meetings | Calendar | |
| Monthly, scheduled in August. Special meetings at call of Pres. In camera sessions for privacy and contractual discussions | President’s JD | |
| Policy C5 – General Meetings |
Section D – Financial Control
| Governing References | Policy | Subordinate References |
|---|---|---|
| BL3.6.5 | Policy D1 – Budgets | JDs Treasurer, VP Prod |
| BL3.6.5 | a. Annual budget – prepared by Treasurer, in consultation with individual Directors and appointees. Approved by Board prior to AGM, and by Members at AGM. | JD Treasurer |
| BL7.2.3 | b. Production budgets – prepared by Treasurer in consultation with VP Productions | Contract terms |
| BL3.3 | c. Festival budgets – prepared by Treasurer in consultation with show producers. | JD Treasurer |
| Policy D2 – Bookkeeping | Reviewers’ TORs | |
| By contract, supervised by Treasurer | Calendar | |
| Policy D3 – Personal Expenditures (for Powerhouse) | ||
| Refunds authorized by Treasurer. | ||
| Policy D5 – Advances & Debit Cards | ||
| Cash advances and debit card withdrawals are permitted for production expenses only. | ||
| Policy D6 – Cheques | ||
| Signed by 2 of 3 Directors appointed by Board. No pre-signed cheques. | ||
| Policy D7 – Account Reviewers | ||
| Appointed by Board, report to Board by August, and to Members at AGM | ||
| Policy D8 – Borrowing (see Bylaw) |
Section E – Communications
| Governing References | Policy | Subordinate References |
|---|---|---|
| BL4.1 | Policy E1 – Publicity | JD Publicity Dir. |
| All communications to public responsibility of Publicity Director. | JDs Membership Director, Spotlight Editor, | |
| Policy E2 – Information to Members re Powerhouse activities | Website Mgr. | |
| To be routed through Membership Director to Spotlight Editor. Supplemented by email & Members Only section of website (to include calendar, organization chart & links to Job Descriptions and Policy Manual. |
Section F – Productions & Workshops
| Governing References | Policy | Subordinate References |
|---|---|---|
| BL5, 7.2.1 | Policy F1 – Planning | Calendar |
| BL3.6.2 | a. “Upcoming season” – In April, Board to confirm program, including | Calendar |
| LPEC | i. Choice of shows & Directors, based on Artistic Cttee report | Calendar |
| Safety Standards Act | ii. Productions dates | TORs Artistic Committee |
| Prov. Regs. | iii. Number of performances & times | Calendar |
| iv. Appointing Tech and Admin Producers for first show (in consultation with show director) | . | |
| v. Schedule appointment of Producers for remaining shows at least three months ahead | JDs Lighting & Sound Mgrs, Tech Prod., Designers & Crew | |
| vi. Preliminary decision about Festival entries | JD House Mgr. | |
| b. “Following season” – In May, Board to decide | JD Tech Prod. & | |
| i. Length of Production Periods (see Section A –Definitions) | Admin Prod. | |
| ii. Production dates, based on pre-planning, public holidays and competing events; liaison with Rental Manager re: provisional bookings; provision for possible holdovers and Festival entries | ||
| c. Artistic Committee – appointed in June to plan workshops for “upcoming season” & productions for “following season”. Committee to report to Board monthly, and submit final recommendations in March | ||
| Policy F2 – Implementation | ||
| Responsibility of VP Prod., including support of production teams, & post-mortems | ||
| a. Holdovers – at discretion of Board, based on recommendation of Marketing & Publicity Director, and in liaison with Rentals Manager and Producer , based on 100% sell-out by opening night. No advance publicity. | ||
| b. Stage lighting – lighting manager to be first point of contact for Tech Producer, Lighting Designer & operating crew, | ||
| c. Stage sound – Sound Manager the first point of contact for Tech Producer, Sound Designer & operating crew for any issues arising during the production process | ||
| d. Hearing Assistance – provided free to audience Members, under control of House Manager/Head Usher | ||
| e. Items borrowed for production – Tech Producer responsible for return in good order; any [problems to VP Tech. Thank you notes by Admin Prod. | ||
| f. Food & Liquor – provided at Opening night only, before show time | ||
| g. Festival entries – Remount subject to confirmed rentals | ||
| h. Paid Workshops – Board to approve contracts (4 Mar 13) |
Section G – Facilities
| Governing References | Policy | Subordinate References |
|---|---|---|
| BL3.6.3 | Policy G1 – Development Plan | Calendar |
| LPEC | Board to prepare a 5-year plan, and review annually | JD VP Facilities |
| LPEC | Policy G2 – Maintenance | JD Lighting Mgr. |
| BL7.2.2, 3.6.3 | Purchases at discretion of VP Facilities (within budget line items) | JD Sound Mgr. |
| Prov. Regs. | Equipment disposal recommended to Board by VP Facilities | JD VP Facilities |
| Policy G3 – Stage Lighting | JD VP Prod. | |
| Equipment, instruments, cabling & light bars to be the responsibility of the Lighting Mgr. | Contract form | |
| Policy G4 – Sound Equipment (inc. Hearing Assistance) | JDs Rentals Mgr. | |
| To be the responsibility of the Sound Manager. | & VP Facilities | |
| Policy G5 – Loans | Calendar | |
| a. Of lighting, sound or scene-shop equipment must have the approval of VP Facilities | JDs Supervisory Techs. | |
| b. Of costumes or props must have the approval of VP Productions | JD House Mgr. | |
| Policy G6 – Theatre Rentals | JD Supervisory Tech | |
| a. Contract form approved by Board, signed by Rental Mgr. | Contract form | |
| b. Excluded facilities – Costume Bank, Props Room & contents, Office, Former Dark Room, Outside store room, Scene Shop equipment & supplies | Contract form | |
| c. Firm bookings for “Upcoming Season” available in May of current season, deposit non-refundable | JD Costume Mgr | |
| d. Provisional bookings available for “Following Season”, subject to priority Powerhouse use (refundable deposit) | TORs Costume Committee | |
| e. Supervisory Technicians (Powerhouse Members) approved by Board, paid by tenant; duties to include protecting Powerhouse interests. May use scene shop equipment & supplies. | JD VP Facilities | |
| f. House Manager, approved by Board, paid by tenant, to be present when audience in. To provide hearing assistance equipment in return for deposit (car keys, credit card etc). | ||
| g. Service of food and alcohol subject to Provincial regulations | ||
| h. Tenants to receive safety briefing (inc. special effects) by hired Supervisory Technician. | ||
| Policy G7 – Costume Bank | ||
| a. Management – contract position, appointed by Board | ||
| b. Donations – acceptance at discretion of Manager. Donors to be advised that retention & disposal is at Powerhouse discretion | ||
| c. Disposal – at discretion of Costume Committee | ||
| d. Rental limitations – other non-profit & artistic groups & schools (by appointment). No rentals to general public | ||
| Policy G8 – Scene Shop | ||
| Private use by Members at the discretion of VP Facilities. | ||
| Private use by Members at the discretion of VP Facilities. |
Section H – Records & Archives
| Governing References | Policy | Subordinate References |
|---|---|---|
| Policy H1 – Management | JD Archives Mgr | |
| Archives Manager to be appointed by Board | JD Treasurer | |
| Policy H2 – On-site Storage | JD Treasurer | |
| a. Archival files & images | JD Club Photog. | |
| b. Current administrative files – in office | JDs Archives & | |
| c. Minutes of meetings (except in camera minutes) – in office | Costume Bank Managers | |
| Policy H3 – Off-site Storage | Costume Bank Managers | |
| a. Financial records & digital copy of images (Candox backup system) | ||
| b. In camera minutes – bank safety deposit box | ||
| Policy H4 – Museum Donations | ||
| At discretion of Archives Manager or Costume Bank Manager |
Section J – Safety & Security
| Governing References | Policy | Subordinate References |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Regs. | Policy J1 – Safety | JD Safety Officer, JD VP Facilities |
| City Restrictions | Safety Officer appointed by Board; if not a Director, supervision & incident reporting via VP Facilities | JD VP Facilities |
| Policy J2 – Security | JD Keymaster | |
| a. Surveillance, internal doors & cupboards, VP Facilities | Contract terms | |
| b. Main entrance – keys & codes by Keymaster | ||
| c. Alarm response after hours by contractor | ||
| Policy J3 – Safety | ||
| Our membership captures people of all ages. To reduce legal implications and safety concerns we will not permit distribution of Powerhouse Theatre keys to minors and/or vulnerable adults. We will not allow this group to be in the building unsupervised. | ||
| Minor: Person under the age of 19 | ||
| Vulnerable adult: a person aged 16 or over whose ability to protect himself from violence, abuse or neglect is significantly impaired through physical or mental disability or illness, through old age or otherwise. |