This book is the property of the Society and must be returned to the Secretary when resigning.

MILLOM AMATEUR OPERATIC SOCIETY RULES

1 The Society shall be called "Millom Amateur Operatic Society".

2 OBJECTS: The object of the Society is to educate the public in the dramatic and operatic arts to further the development of public appreciation and taste in the said arts (to assist and further such charitable institutions and charitable purposes as the Committee shall from time to time determine); and in furtherance of this object but not otherwise the Society through its Management Committee shall have the following powers:-

(a) To promote plays, drama, comedies, operas, operettas, and other dramatic and operatic works of educative value.

(b) To purchase acquire and obtain interests in copyright of or .the right to perform or show any such dramatic or operatic works; and to acquire by purchase or otherwise such property as buildings or land as may be required for use by the Society.

(c) To purchase or otherwise acquire plant, machinery, furniture, fixtures, fittings, scenery and all necessary effects.

(d) To raise funds and invite and receive contributions from any person or persons whatsoever by way of subscription, donation and otherwise; provided that the Society shall not undertake any permanent trading activities in raising funds.

(e) To promote the use of the Palladium Theatre for cultural, educational, social and recreational activities.

(f) To do all such other things as shall further the objects of the Society.

3 CONSTITUTION: The Society shall consist of President, Trustees, Acting and non-acting Members with voting rights and Junior Members aged 8-15 years with non-voting rights, and may include as Life Members such persons as shall have rendered long active service to the Society.

4 MANAGEMENT: The Society shall be managed by a Committee consisting of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary and Production Manager, all of whom shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting plus the trustees. Subcommittees may be elected at the Annual General Meeting or next general meeting of the management committee from a list of people who have expressed an interest in helping manage the society.

5 ELIGIBILITY for MEMBERSHIP: Membership shall be open to all those having sympathy with the objects of the Society and desiring actively to further it and pay the entrance fee and annual subscription prescribed by the Rules.

6 APPLICATION for MEMBERSHIP: Application for Acting and Non-Acting membership shall be made in writing signed by the applicant, to the Membership Secretary, who shall submit the same to the Committee for its decision.

7 CAPABILITIES of CANDIDATES for MEMBERSHIP: Prior to election all candidates for Acting membership shall satisfy the Committee as to their histrionic and/or musical ability.

8 EXPULSION of MEMBERS: (a) ANY member of the Society who in the opinion of the Committee confirmed by an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society shall be guilty by his actions of misusing the privileges of the Society or of otherwise bringing the Society into contempt or disrepute may be suspended or expelled from the Society. (b) The Committee may, by a unanimous vote, remove from the list of Members the name of any Acting Member who has persistently

neglected the work undertaken by the Society and the name of any member whose conduct they consider likely to endanger the welfare of the Society.

9 SUBSCRIPTIONS: The annual subscription to to the Society shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting preceeding each Season for each section of Membership.

10 PAYMENT of ENTRANCE FEES and SUBSCRIPTIONS: Entrance fees shall be included as part of the first annual subscriptions and shall be paid to the Treasurer on notice of acceptance into the Society by the Secretary, and all subsequent annual subscriptions shall become due on 1st July each year and shall be paid to the Treasurer not later than 31st. December in that year. Should rehearsals start after that date Acting Members' subscriptions shall be paid within 21 days after the first rehearsal.

11 LIFE MEMBERS: Life Members may, on the nomination and recommendation of the Committee only, be elected on such terms as the Members of the Society at an Annual General Meeting may decide.

12 FINANCE: (a) The funds of the Society shall be applied solely to the stated objects of the Society.

(b) No Member of the Society shall receive payment directly or indirectly for services to the Society or for other than legitimate expenses incurred in its work.

13 FINANCIAL YEAR: The financial year of the Society shall commence on 1st July and an annual profit and loss account and balance sheet shall be prepared within one calendar month after 30th June in each year.

14 ADJUSTMENT of SUBSCRIPTIONS: The Committee shall have power to remit such portion of the subscription as they think right in the case of Members elected after 1st January or Members leaving the neighbourhood and resigning their membership before the end of any season and to re-admit to the Society without entrance fee any persons who have previously been Members when such persons have resigned owing to leaving the neighbourhood or for other good cause.

15 RESIGNATIONS: Members wishing to resign must give written notice to the Secretary before 1st July, and in default of so doing will be liable for the subscription for the current year commencing on that date.

16 NON-PAYMENT of SUBSCRIPTIONS: The Committee shall have power by ordinary resolution to suspend any member whose subscription remains unpaid after 31st December (or following that date after 21 days from the start of rehearsals) in any year from exercising all or any of the privileges of membership until his or her subscription is paid.

17 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: The Annual General Meeting shall be held in the month of November following receipt of the professionally audited accounts when the Report of the Committee and said accounts shall be presented, the Officers of the Management Committee, President, Vice-Presidents and Life Members elected, and all general business transacted.

18 EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING: An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society may be called at any time at the discretion of the Committee and shall be called within 21 days after the receipt by the Secretary of a requisition in writing to that effect signed by at least 6 Members. Every such requisition shall specify the business for which the Meeting is to be convened and no other business shall be transacted at such Meeting.

19 QUORUM at GENERAL MEETING: No business other than the formal adjournment of the Meeting shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum be present and such quorum shall consist of not less than five persons present and entitled to vote.

20 RESOLUTION at GENERAL MEETING: Unless otherwise provided by these Rules all resolutions brought forward at a General Meeting shall be decided by a bare majority of the votes properly recorded at such Meeting and in the case of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

21 RETIREMENT of OFFICERS & COMMITTEE: The Committee and elected Sub-committees (including the Officers) shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election by those Members present and voting at the Annual General Meeting. Any Members submitting an apology for absence from the Annual General Meeting who wish to be considered for Office or membership of any Subcommittee being elected shall submit their names to the Secretary in writing 21 days before the Annual General Meeting and if more names are proposed than the number required to fill the vacancies and sufficient names are not withdrawn at or before such Meeting, the election shall be by ballot. If all the positions required are not filled at such Meeting or any casual vacancy shall thereafter occur the same shall be filled by the remaining Members of the Committee/Sub-committee.

22 NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETING: A printed or email notice of every General Meeting and Annual General Meeting shall be circulated to all members and in the case of the Annual General Meeting a Statement of Accounts for the past year shall be made available for perusal by all members and in particular for each Member attending such Meeting or having submitted a written" apology for absence from such Meeting. Notice shall be given 21 days before either Meeting and in the case of the Annual General Meeting may include particulars of nominations for Officers or Subcommittees and of any Life Members proposed.

23 APPOINTMENT of SUB-COMMITTEES: Elected Sub-committees shall have power to appoint such lesser Sub-committees as are necessary for the required furtherance of their work in the specific section of the Society's work for which they are elected and shall continue to hold office until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting at which their successors may be elected.

24 SELECTION OF CAST: The cast for any production shall be selected, by the Subcommittee elected with power to do so or the Producer of the show with the guidance of the Cast Sub-Committee consisting of the Chairman and not less than 4 Members of the Society. Any member with a vested interest in the proceedings must step aside during cast selection (especially where a family member is involved).

25 REVISION of CAST: The Cast Sub-Committee and/or Producer under advisementt shall have power to revise the cast from time to time, if any acting member to whom a character has been assigned shall, in its opinion, prove unsuitable for the part.

26 OBLIGATIONS of ACTING MEMBERS: Acting Members shall to the best of their ability play the parts assigned to them, whether principal or chorus and obey the directions given at all rehearsals and performances.

27 CONTROL of REHEARSALS: The Producer or Director of a Production shall conduct and control all music rehearsals and the Stage Manager or Producer/Director in his absence shall control all stage rehearsals.

28 ATTENDANCE at REHEARSALS and PERFORMANCES: A record of the attendances of Acting Members at rehearsals and performances shall be kept by the Secretary and the Committee shall have power to prohibit any Member whose attendance at rehearsals shall have been irregular from taking part in the performance or the work in preparation. Acting Members absenting themselves from three consecutive rehearsals may, at the discretion of the Committee, be deemed to have resigned their parts in the work then in rehearsal.

29 ACTING MEMBERS in EXCESS of REQUIREMENTS: If at any time the number of Members rehearsing a production exceed the number of persons required for the presentation of the same, preference shall be given to the Members who, by the regularity of their attendance shall, in the opinion of the responsible Committee have rendered themselves most efficient.

30 SELECTION of WORKS: The elected Production Manager or Subcommittee for Productions shall select the works to be from time to time produced by the Society.

31 PRODUCTION MONEY: All moneys due from Members in connection with the production and performance of any work,shall be accounted for, and paid to the Treasurer responsible within 21 days after the conclusion of the final performance.

32 PRODUCTION ACCOUNT: Within two calendar months after the final performance of any work produced by the Society a full statement of the receipts and expenses of each production shall be made available for the inspection of Members.

33 PRIVILEGES OF NON-ACTING MEMBERS: The privileges of non-acting Members other than and except the right to attend and vote at the General Meetings of the Society shall be determined from time to time by the Management Committee.

34 RECOVERY of MONEY due to SOCIETY: All moneys due and owing to the Society, including subscriptions of Members, shall be recoverable at law in the name of the Secretary.

35 MEETINGS of COMMITTEE: The first meeting of each elected Sub-committee shall be held within 28 days after the Annual General Meeting when the required officers for each shall be elected from whom the stated officers in Rule 4 shall be called by the Secretary to attend and form the first Meeting of the Management Committee. All subsequent Meetings of the Committee shall be called by the Secretary in accordance with any resolution to that effect passed by the Committee and failing any such resolution at the discretion of the Chairman and Secretary. Five shall form a quorum.

36 COMMITTEE'S POWERS: The Management Committee shall have power to decide any questions arising out of these Rules and all other matters connected with the Society (other than and except those which can only be dealt with by the Society in General Meeting) and make and maintain and publish all necessary orders regulations and bye-laws in connection therewith.

37 PROPERTY:

(a) No real or leasehold property shall be purchased or taken on lease or on a tenancy unless a majority of two thirds of the Members or the Management Committee present and voting at the Meeting of the Committee pass a resolution to that effect.

(b) The property of the Society shall be vested in Trustees who shall deal with the said property as directed by resolutions of a two thirds majority of the Management Committee.

(c) Subject to such consents as may be required by law the Trustees shall hold the property of the Society on trust for the Members of the Society according to the Rules thereof to be sold, leased, mortgaged or otherwise dealt with by the Trustees as the Management Committee of the Society shall from time to time direct.

(d) The Management Committee through its appropriate Sub-committees shall discharge all general and water rates, rents, taxes, costs of repairs and maintenance, renewals, insurance premiums, mortgage interest and capital repayments and all other outgoings payable in connection with the property of the Society and shall indemnify the Trustees against the same.

(e) The Management Committee through its appropriate Sub-committees shall insure and keep insured the property of the Society against loss or damage by fire to the full value thereof in any insurance office of repute approved by the Trustees in the name of the Trustees and shall also effect such other insurances as may from time to time be necessary for the protection of the Trustees and the Society and shall when required by the Trustees produce to them the receipts for the last premium paid.

(f) The Trustees shall not be required or expected to pay any of the out-goings referred to in paragraph (d) of this Rule but if the Trustees in their discretion make any of such payments they shall immediately give notice in writing thereof to the Officers of the Management Committee who shall forthwith reimburse the Trustees to the extent of the payments made by them. If the Management Committee within one month of receiving the aforesaid notice fail to reimburse the Trustees, they may without further consent or discretion of the Management Committee sell the property of the Society or any part thereof and repay to themselves the amount expended by them as aforesaid.

(g) Subject as aforesaid the Trustees shall so far as is practicable in any disposition or dealing with the property of the Society act in accordance with any resolution or direction of the Management Committee of which they shall have notice, but no purchaser, mortgagee, tenant or any other person dealing with the Trustees shall be concerned to see or to be at liberty to enquire whether any resolution or direction of the Management Committee has been made or given.

(h) The Trustees shall be elected at a Special or Annual General Meeting of members of the Society and when elected shall hold office for life or until they shall resign. Should the number of Trustees at any time fall below three, additional Trustees shall be elected to bring the number up to a maximum of four as soon as possible.

(i) A copy of each resolution of the Management Committee relating to the property of the Society, signed by the Chairman or Secretary and two of the Committee Members present at the Meeting at which the resolution was passed, shall be delivered to each of the Trustees within seven days of such resolution being passed.

(j) For the purpose of this Rule, 10 members of the Management Committee shall constitute a quorum.

38 DISSOLUTION of SOCIETY: The Society shall only be dissolved by resolution passed by a majority of at least five sixths of the Members present and voting at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose of considering such dissolution. In the event of dissolution any balance of cash remaining in hand after the realisation of assets and payments of debts shall not be distributed among the members of the Society but shall be applied for such charitable purposes similar to those of the Society or be paid distributed or transferred to such charitable institutions or institution having objects similar to the objects of the Society as the Committee with the consent of the meeting shall determine.

39 ALTERNATION to RULES: (a) No alternation of these Rules shall be made except at a General Meeting nor unless 21 days prior to such meeting a written notice of the proposed alternation or of one substantially to the like effect shall have been given to the Secretary who shall give notice thereof to the members and the resolution embodying such proposed alteration shall be carried by a majority of at least two thirds of the votes recorded thereon at the Meeting.

(b) No alternation may be made to Rules 2, 38 and 39 without the approval of the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales or other authority having charitable jurisdiction from time to time.

40 The Society may on the advice of the trustees and management committee become/create a limited company to assist in the furtherance of the societies objectives with a simple majority vote a general management committee meeting where a quorum is 10 persons for the purpose of this rule.