Burlington High School Stage Crew

A student group at Burlington High School that is committed to 1) providing a professional technical crew for Burlington High School's Fogelberg Performing Arts Center, 2) cleaning and organizing the stage, its accompanying spaces, and its technical systems, and 3) ensuring knowledgeable students can assist teachers, faculty, and out of school groups in the use of the center's full capabilities.




Constitution

For easier reading, request to see the latest printed copy of the Constitution, located in the Stage Crew Office in the Fogelberg Performing Arts Center.

Burlington High School Stage Crew


Constitution and Declaration of Purpose

In order to ensure the continuation and progression of the Burlington High School Stage Crew and to further the study of stagecraft and technical theatre, this Constitution and Declaration of Purpose shall ordain the methods of organization and clarify the goals and responsibilities of the club known as Stage Crew.

-- Article I: Name, Location, and General Goals --

Section A. The name of this organization shall be the Burlington High School Stage Crew.

Section B. The operations of this group take place in the Fogelberg Performing Arts Center at Burlington High School, 123 Cambridge Street, Burlington, MA 10803.

Section C. Burlington High School Stage Crew is a student group at Burlington High School that is committed to

1) providing a professional technical crew for Burlington High School's Fogelberg Performing Arts Center;

2) cleaning and organizing the stage, its accompanying spaces, and its technical systems;

3) ensuring knowledgeable students can assist teachers, faculty, and out of school groups in the use of the center's full capabilities.





-- Article II. Organization and Leadership --

Section A. Core Crew

To accomplish its goals, each year Stage Crew will have a Core Crew, comprised of the Leadership Team and a group of Technical Specialists. The Core Crew as a whole represents the most dedicated and active members of Stage Crew, who are relied upon to provide technical support for a variety of projects and upkeep.

Subsection 1) The Leadership Team

The Leadership Team is the student group that directs Stage Crew throughout the year, ensures that it continues its duties ably, and meets regularly with the advisor.

The positions below are those on the Leadership Team, in order of rank/authority, listed with duties that each position is expected to perform.

1.) Stage Manager (SM) – The stage manager is the spokesperson and leader of the group. The stage manager handles most of the logistics of the group and oversees all of its functions. The stage manager meets often with the advisor, and is kept aware of any upcoming events requiring Stage Crew services. The stage manager is also responsible for training the Senior ASM as his/her successor. It is expected that the stage manager is the head of any Stage Crew project, and performs the expected duties of a stage manager for dramatic performances, also (i.e. fall play, spring musical). See Appendix A for a description of stage manager’s expected duties during a dramatic production.

2.) Booth Chief (BC) – The booth chief must have vast technical experience and extensive knowledge of lighting and sound systems. Since lighting and sound systems require such specific knowledge, the booth chief is especially in charge of the “Booth Crew” (any stage crew that works in the booth on lights or sound). However, the booth chief still is under the oversight of the stage manager, and the booth crew still takes orders from SM and his assistants. The booth chief may or may not have organizational and logistical tasks also delegated to them. It is expected the booth chief serves a technical role on lights or sound for the school’s dramatic performances however, for the purpose of education, they may hand their role to a stage crew member under them for a portion of the show.

3.) Assistant Stage Manager (ASM) – The assistant stage manager should be a junior or younger in high school and will be trained to succeed the SM when he/she graduates. The ASM assists the SM in leadership roles, and assumes the position of SM when the SM is absent or incapable of performing his/her duties. The ASM is a fluid position; the SM may delegate a lot of jobs to the ASM, or may not. It is expected that the ASM serves as an assistant stage manager in the school’s dramatic performances. See Appendix B for a description of an ASM’s expected duties during a dramatic production.

5.) First Officer (FO) – This position is optional. Only one First Officer can be appointed each year to the Leadership Team by special request of the SM. The appointment must be approved by 3/4 vote of the current Leadership Team (the FO does not vote on his own appointment) and the advisor. The First Officer’s duties will be determined by the appointing stage manager: typical duties could include an advising role or a logistical role.

Subsection 2) Technical Specialists

The Specialists are qualified and knowledgeable about their expertise and provide a professional operation of their system to assist in projects and upkeep their system.

Specialist positions are listed below:

Lighting Specialist (LS)

Sound Specialist (SS)

Rigging Specialist (RS)

Construction Specialist (CS) (set construction, painting, general knowledge of tools

and carpentry)

All Specialists are under the direction of the SM. The Lighting and Sound Specialists work directly under the BC, while the Rigging and Construction Specialists work directly under the ASM. However, even though the BC is not directly in control of RS or CS, he is still higher in authority than they are; the same applies to the relationship between ASM and SS/LS.

Subsection 3) Core Crew Selection

i.) Stage Manager ascends to position from being selected originally as Assistant Stage Manager, unless the advisor has seen a reason not to allow this ascension.

ii.) Assistant Stage Manager should be selected from a group of qualified underclassmen candidates by a process of interviewing and testing. Candidates should be evaluated for dedication, willingness to learn, initiative, leadership, cooperation, and technical knowledge. The final decision for ASM will be made by the rising SM (current ASM) and the faculty advisor, although the Booth Chief and, if applicable, First Officer, will give their opinions and be involved in the decision process. The outgoing SM  and alumni SMs should also be involved in the decision process.

iii.) The Booth Chief should be selected like the ASM, but with a heavier focus on the candidate’s technical knowledge of light and sound systems. The Booth Chief should have been an LS or SS in a previous year, but his/her age does not matter.

iv.) Specialists are selected based on demonstrated interest and proficiency. More than one person in Stage Crew may be trained in (or already have) specialized experience, but only one person serves as the official Specialist. This allows clarity in hectic performance situations.

Section B. General Stage Crew Membership

Any Burlington High School student may participate as a General Member of Stage Crew. The requirements of Membership are these:

1) Fill out and have on file a membership form

2) Attend General Membership meetings

3) Participate in at least two (2) Stage Crew projects

Section C. Faculty Advisor

The Faculty Advisor of BHS Stage Crew is responsible for making sure the group remains a student-led, self-sufficient club. The Advisor weighs in on the decisions of student leadership and resolves issues of discipline or conflict in the group. The Advisor must also procure a space for General Membership meetings to take place, ensure that the student SM continues duties running the group, and maintain a liaison between the students and Burlington High School Administration.



-- Article III. Specific Duties and Goals of Stage Crew --

Stage Crew’s goals can be divided into two categories: assisting with events in the Fogelberg Auditorium (Projects), and cleaning and helping to maintain the Fogelberg Auditorium (Upkeep).

Section A. Projects

Projects are variable and can take many different forms. Projects can be as small as helping set up the projector screen to as complex as crewing the spring musical. Stage managers must be able to work dynamically and decide who and what is needed to handle and accomplish a project. Projects may include:

Set up and strike for BHS Music concerts Mass Bay Music Festival

“Spring Sing” BHS Spring Musical

BHS Music Booster Benefit Concerts BHS Fall Play

Visiting Theatre/Dance Groups Burlington Educational Summer Theatre

Communication between stage manager and advisor is essential to prepare for projects in a timely manner, because often it is the advisor who will be aware of upcoming projects.

For larger projects, the Stage Manager will offer a sign-up sheet at the monthly General Meeting for members to sign up for. Ultimately the Stage Manager will select who exactly will participate on each project, and for smaller, time-sensitive projects, the Stage Manager may simply contact certain members.

Section B. Upkeep

There are many systems and rooms in the Fogelberg Auditorium that need to be cleaned, organized and kept in order. The list below details all of the current duties that fall under upkeep.

Organize Set-Piece Storage Rooms

Organize and Maintain Construction Shop

Ensure stage and wings are swept and free of clutter/junk

Fly System- Pipes balanced; legs, valances have proper heights

Maintain Lighting System

-Ensure that dimmer rack air filters are free of dust and debris

-Check frequently for dead lamps

Maintain Microphones and Sound System

-Make sure all microphones are stored properly when not in use

-Check that all board settings are set up for town meetings and school

assemblies.

Keep technical booth organized and neat

When leaving Auditorium after school hours, ensure all doors are securely locked

Maintain and Organize Prop/Costume Room

Clean Rehearsal Rooms

Update Inventory Lists

These duties occur throughout the school year, and should be performed either during General Membership meetings, by students in Field Study, or in some other manner that the Advisor and Stage Manager deem fitting.



-- Article IV. Meetings --

Section A. Meeting Frequency

The frequency of meetings is up to the discretion of the current stage manager and advisor. Because of the unique nature of Stage Crew’s work, Leadership Team meeting frequency can vary throughout the school year. Anyone requested to be at a meeting must be notified in person or via e-mail from the Stage Crew official e-mail address.

However, once every month there must be a meeting of the General Membership. The date of General Membership meetings may vary month to month, but the date must be publicized via email and blog at the beginning of each month.



Section B. General Membership Meetings

The SM will run the General Membership Meetings. The advisor may or may not be present. The SM will make a report of the group’s current and upcoming projects. Questions from the General Membership may be asked, and Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed, and then recorded in writing to be submitted. At these meetings the Leadership Team has special duties: ASM: – record minutes of meeting, to be published via email post-meeting

BC: – maintain new membership sheets, add new members to the file

Subsection 1) First General Meeting

At the beginning of each school year, a heavily advertised General Membership Meeting should be held which is dedicated to recruitment of new members and telling new members about what stage crew is like, and telling old members changes that will happen with the new year. At this meeting the Description of Stage Crew sheet should be handed out to all attendees (see Appendix C). A copy of this constitution should also be made available and possibly reviewed at this meeting.



-- Article V. Media and Documents Relevant to Stage Crew --

Section A. Documentation

1) The Stage Crew Office will have a box for file folders to be kept to organize all information regarding Stage Crew including: Membership Lists, Constitution, Inventory, Duties of SM and ASM, Project Files, and Sayings/Commandments.

2) All documents that have information regarding Stage Crew operations and procedures can also be found electronically with the current stage manager, who has a flash drive passed down from each stage manager with all club-related documents.

3) Inventory lists (for all theatre-related school property) are held also by the Advisor, or in the “Inventory” folder in the Stage Crew Office.

Section B. Media

The Stage Crew group has a blog and an email account that must be maintained. The current SM and advisor have usernames and passwords for both. The SM is responsible for these accounts.

The blog is www.bhsstagecrew.blogspot.com

The email address is bhsstagecrew@yahoo.com The email account must be kept updated with all the contact emails of members of Stage Crew. A contact category should be created each new school year, so emails are sent only to current members of stage crew, not older ones.

There is also a Twitter account, bhsstagecrew.



-- Article VI. Amendments to the Constitution and Authority --

Section A. Proposal and Acceptance of Amendment

An amendment to this Constitution may be made by any member of the Burlington High School Stage Crew at a General Membership Meeting. The Leadership Team and Advisor will vote on its validity; a 2/3 vote in the affirmative is required for the amendment to be added to the Constitution.



Section B. Authority

As Stage Crew is an extracurricular club, all of its actions and activities, and the behavior of its members during such activities, fall under the rules of the Student Handbook. Any stance or action of the group ultimately can be vetoed by the Principal.

































We, the founding members of the Burlington High School Stage Crew, sign our names to this document’s affirmations and regulations as an acknowledgement of the greater ambition and promise it holds for the future of this institution.







Kevin Deane Parker, SM Victoria Carrabino, ASM Christopher LaRocque, BC