Governing Documents

Lincoln Hills Players

GOVERNING DOCUMENTS

Adopted by membership vote November 10, 2025

SECTION 1. GOVERNANCE See Operations Manual (OM) for Organization Chart

A. Steering Committee

1. The Lincoln Hills Players Club (hereinafter the “Club”) is governed by a Steering

Committee (SC) consisting of six members: President, Vice President, Secretary,

Treasurer, Membership Coordinator (voting members), and Immediate Past

President (non-voting member).

2. SC Member Qualifications and Terms of Service. SC members must have been

Club members in good standing for at least twelve months prior to August 31 of the

election year. SC members serve a two-year term from October 1 through

September 30 (two years later). They can serve a maximum of two contiguous

terms, after which they must take at least a one-year hiatus, unless an exception is

granted by a vote at a membership meeting. (See Section 3 for SC responsibilities)

3. Non-completion of Service. In the event that a SC member does not complete a

term, the process for filling the vacancy shall be as follows: If the President’s position

is vacated, the Vice President will immediately assume the position and duties of

President. Filling all other vacated positions will require, with SC approval, either a

special election or the President may appoint a member to fill the position temporarily

(until the term is completed). A SC member may be removed, at the discretion of the

SC, before the completion of a term due to inability to perform duties of the office or

violation of Club or Association regulations.

B. Meetings. Membership meetings are held monthly; prospective members and guests

are welcome to attend. SC meetings are also held monthly; any member is welcome to

attend. Any member may submit an agenda item to be considered at either membership

or SC meetings. General membership and SC meetings follow parliamentary procedures

in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.

C. Voting

1. For membership meetings, a quorum is defined as 25% of the total number of

current members. Motions are passed by a majority vote of members present at the

meeting.

2. For SC meetings, a quorum is defined as 60% of voting SC members, motions to be

approved by a majority vote of members present.

SECTION 2. STEERING COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

A. General Information

Two separate ad hoc committees are formed before the July general membership meeting

of the election year to facilitate elections: a Nominating Committee and an Elections

Committee. The functions of each are specified below. Memberships of these committees

are distinct and must not include (a) current Steering Committee members nor (b) members

intending to run for office.

B. Nominating Committee

1. The purpose of the Nominating Committee (NC) is to select one or more members from

the general membership to stand for each Steering Committee seat.

2. The President appoints a chairperson for the Nominating Committee before the July

membership meeting. The chair then appoints two additional members from the general

membership. All NC members must be members in good standing for twelve months

prior to August 31 of the election year. The NC membership will be announced at the

July meeting.

3. The NC chair will announce its committee nominees at the August membership meeting.

Additional nominations will then be permitted from the floor. Nominations will be closed

upon adjournment of that meeting. The NC will send an email to all Players members

with the final slate of candidates.

C. Election Committee

1. The purpose of the Election Committee (EC) is to conduct the actual voting process.

2. The President appoints a chairperson for the EC who then appoints two additional

members from the general membership before the July meeting.

D. Nominees’ statements

1. Nominees will have the opportunity to make a brief oral statement at the August Players

meeting to inform members of their background, qualifications for the position, and if

desired, their platform.

2. No later than two weeks before the September meeting, all nominees must send to the

EC chair a written statement, not to exceed 300 words, summarizing their background,

qualifications for the position, and if desired, their platform. Nominees’ statements will

then be emailed to the membership no later than one week before the September

meeting elections.

E. Elections

1. Steering Committee elections will take place at the scheduled September Players

membership meeting in an election year. Eligible voters are defined as Players members

in good standing as of June 30.

2. Voting will be by secret ballot. The Election Committee (EC) will have prepared and

printed the ballots to be distributed near the beginning of the meeting, filled out,

collected, and tallied immediately. Each EC member will validate the counting and

results. The chair will then announce the results to the membership during the meeting.

F. Absentee Voting

If a member cannot attend the general meeting but wishes to vote in the elections, the

member must contact the Election Committee chair to obtain a paper ballot, which must be

filled out and returned to the chair at least one week before the September meeting.

SECTION 3. STEERING COMMITTEE POSITION DESCRIPTIONS

A. President

1. The President should be a person with (a) demonstrated theatrical experience, (b)

organizational expertise in leading groups, (c) ability to promote the mission of the club in

developing of new talents and skills among club members; and (d) the resourcefulness to

articulate and promote a vision for the club’s ongoing success.

2. Responsibilities include: (a) serve as the official representative of the Club to SCLH

residents and staff; (b) oversee the club’s procedures and events; (c) ensure compliance

with Bylaws and Governing Documents; (d) chair general membership and SC meetings; (e)

appoint (to be confirmed by SC) Support Leaders. (See Section 4)

B. Vice President

1. The Vice President should be a person who has all the qualifications named for President in

Section 3.A.1.

2. Responsibilities include: (a) assume the President’s duties in his or her absence; (b)

oversee and/or delegate selected tasks as assigned by the SC or President.

C. Secretary

1. 2. The Secretary should be a person with skills in word-processing and email communications.

Responsibilities include: (a) compose minutes of SC and general membership meetings; (b)

disseminate club announcements to the membership; (c) maintain the Club’s current official

documents; and (d) file meeting agendas and minutes in Club records/archives.

D. Treasurer

1. The Treasurer should be a person with proven skills in using accounting software (such as

Excel or QuickBooks).

2. Responsibilities include: (a) maintain the Club’s accounting records; (b) report periodically to

the membership; (c) reconcile Club and bank account records; (d) file required government

tax reports; (e) provide access to financial records requested by any active Players within 30

days of request

3. Donations from the Club. Oversee the process of making donations to outside (non-Club or

non-SCLH) organizations, which may be considered, with SC review and approval. First, the

SC must give priority to using the Players’ treasury for (a) projected club expenses; (b)

future productions (tech equipment, props, sets, costumes, etc.); (c) other fulfillment of the

Players’ mission and purpose, (d) improvements in PAC productions (typically tech

equipment to be used by all 4 PAC clubs). Then, the SC may consider making donations

outside the club. SC-approved recommendations to make outside donations must be

subsequently approved by a membership vote before funds are distributed.

(See Operations Manual [OM] Budget & Finance for further details)

E. Membership Coordinator

1. The Membership Coordinator should be a person with skills in word-processing, email

communications, and using a digital data base containing membership information.

2. Responsibilities include: (a) Maintain a membership roster; (b) Communicate with members

on membership matters; (c) Assist the Secretary as needed with Club correspondence; (d)

Oversee the sign-in of members at meetings and events; (e) Seek and welcome new

members.

(See OM Membership Coordinator for further details)

F. Immediate Past-President

1. 2. Provide continuity and history for the SC.

Advise the SC as appropriate in a non-voting position.

SECTION 4. SUPPORT LEADERSHIP

The President and other SC members are supported by a number of leaders, chairs of committees,

task forces, and ad hoc committees. Leaders A through F below are appointed by the President

with SC approval for a two-year term, or in the case of midterm appointments, until the end of the

SC term. Reappointments beyond the two-year term are permitted upon re-evaluation of the

candidate. Other leadership positions may be appointed by the President or SC.4

A. Play Review Committee Chair

The Play Review Committee (PRC) Chair oversees a committee of 5 or more members

charged with reading, reviewing, and recommending plays to the SC for all of the Club’s

theatrical performances. The PRC also reviews applications for the Approved Directors Pool

(Section 7.F.1) and makes recommendations to the SC for approval. Procedures for PRC

operations are detailed in Section 7.C.

B. Media Publicity Coordinator

Manage club news, announcements, and club articles for public media (mostly Compass

and Sun Senior News) for readers beyond Club membership; this also includes overseeing

publicity for Theatrical Productions

(See OM Media Publicity for more details.)

C. Historian

Collect and maintain appropriate materials for Players shows and other events; this includes

photos, tickets, programs, flyers, and news articles (mostly Compass and Sun Senior

News).

(See OM Historian for more details.)

D. Webmaster

Maintain the Club website (www.lhplayers.org), the purpose of which is to disseminate Club

procedures, events, and news.

(See OM Webmaster for more details.)

E. Sunshine Coordinator

Send messages of congratulations, joy, and condolences as occasions occur, in

appreciation of how much every member is valued,

F. Social Coordinator

Oversee the planning, budgeting, publicizing, and arranging of Club social events (parties,

dinners, luncheons, etc.).

G. Performing Arts Consortium (PAC) Representatives

PAC’s purpose is to coordinate and enhance resident performing arts events. Two

representatives from each of the four PAC clubs comprise the PAC Steering Committee.

One of the two Players representatives should be a SC member, for familiarity with Club

governance. Representatives enable communications between Players and the other PAC

clubs.

(See OM Performing Arts Consortium for more details.)

H. Other Support Leadership

As needed, the President and SC may appoint Club members to serve in other, usually

temporary, positions (e.g., bylaws revision committee, task forces for specific objectives,

event planning committees).

SECTION 5. CLUB MEMBERSHIP

A. B. Members must be current residents of Sun City Lincoln Hills. The term of membership for

Club members is one year, beginning January 1 and ending December 31.

To be stipulated by the SC annually: (1) Annual dues amount and due dates; (2) When

Membership Coordinator should send reminders to those not yet renewed; (3) Acceptable

deadlines for informing members that their names will be dropped from the roster.5

C. Members deemed to be in violation of Club Bylaws, Governing Documents, or Association

Rules and Regulations may be subject to disciplinary action at the discretion of the SC.

SECTION 6. RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER SCLH ORGANIZATIONS

A. B. The President and/or other designated Club member(s) will oversee communications with

other organizations including, but not limited to: Performing Arts Consortium (PAC, See

Section 4.G.); Clubs and Community Organizations Committee (CCOC); Sun City Lincoln

Hills (SCLH) Association Staff, specifically Lifestyle staff; and the SCLH Board of Directors

(BOD).

As a Shared Interest Group in SCLH, the Players Club is subject to the rules and regulations

for Clubs as stipulated by the CCOC and the BOD.

SECTION 7. THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS

A. General information

1. In order to provide a variety of theater experiences for members and audiences,

Players theatrical productions include comedy, drama, melodrama, musical, mystery,

radio/TV show, and more.

2. Productions range from full-length (~2 hour) shows to 1-hour shows comprised of

one or more short plays.

3 Full-length plays (normally ~2 hours) involve extensive costuming, sets, props, and

blocking. These plays are memorized. They are ticketed, revenue-generating events.

4. Short plays (usually ~1-hour shows), at the Director’s discretion, may use simple

costuming, sets, and blocking, and may require memorized lines; other short-play

productions will offer the opportunity to read from scripts. These plays are currently

performed free to the public, and therefore non-revenue-generating.

5. The Club will ensure several opportunities each year (usually within short-play

productions) for actors to use scripts in on-stage performances.

B. Procedures

1. All Players productions are subject to approvals, budgets, timelines, and procedures

stated in these Governing Documents. Optional guidelines and suggestions are

recommended in the accompanying Players Operations Manual.

(See Operations Manual for an organization chart)

2. Plays must be approved by the SC before auditions can be held or monies spent on the

production. See 8.C.5.

3. Once approved by the SC, and before auditions and rehearsals can begin, full-length

and short plays must obtain any required rights and permissions from the publisher

(unless material is in the public domain).

4. 5. All members cast in a Players production must first be auditioned.

Club membership is not required to audition, but if selected, non-members must become

a Club member before being confirmed as a cast member.

6. The Director of a production shall not be cast in an acting role in the same production.

The Producer and Assistant Director, at the discretion of the Director, may be cast in an

acting role; in such a case, the Producer and/or Assistant Director must not participate in

the Auditions panel. All other production team members may audition and be cast in the

production, with no approval needed from the Director.

7. Cast and production team members may not receive monetary compensation for their

services in a theatrical production.6

8. Any exceptions to requirements in items 8.B.6&7 must be approved by the SC.

C. Play Review Committee

1. The Play Review Committee (PRC) is responsible for researching, reading, reviewing, and

recommending plays to the SC for all of the Club’s theatrical performances. The SC is

responsible for final approval of plays, directors, producers, and budgets for all theatrical

productions.

2. The PRC also receives and reviews applications for the Approved Directors Pool, and sends

their recommendations to the SC for approval.

3. The PRC Chair, appointed by the President with SC approval, is responsible for selecting

four or more committee members, at least two of whom must be Club-approved directors

(see Section 7.F.1). All PRC committee members must be approved by the SC. Over time,

rotation of committee members is recommended.

4. Most play suggestions originate from the PRC’s research process or from a director. All “at

large” suggestions (by any Club member or non-member) for future plays must be submitted

as a formal proposal to the PRC for review and consideration.

5. All formal proposed play/production recommendations from the PRC must include: (a) play

title and synopsis; (b) list of cast characters; (c) director (in the Approved Directors Pool);

(d); (d) producer; and (e) tentative budget (including rights and royalty fees), all of which

must have the approval of the proposed director and producer.

D. Budgets

1. Proposed budgets for theatrical productions – with as much detail as possible – shall be

submitted to the SC for review, revision as needed, and when acceptable, approval by the

SC. Proposed budgets typically include the cost of royalties, script printing, programs,

marketing, sets, costumes, tech supplies, other production needs, and a post-production

celebration. Subsequent increases in an approved budget will require additional justification

and the approval of the SC.

2. For revenue-producing productions: The maximum budget that can be approved – without

additional justification – will be 75% of the maximum ticket revenue (sellout) from ticket

sales.

3. For non-revenue-producing productions: A limited budget, with a cap to be approved by

the SC, will be allocated for each production.

(See OM Budget & Finance, #3 Show Production, for details)

E. Auditions

The Director oversees the audition process. The Director appoints two or more

additional members to form an audition panel. Once audition dates are determined,

information is announced at membership meetings, posted on the website, and emailed

to members. With audition panel input, the Director casts the show.

(See OM Auditions for further details)

F. Director

1. Approved Directors Pool. Members wishing to direct either full-length or short-play

productions must be in the Approved Directors Pool. Director applications are reviewed

by the PRC, which submits their recommendations for approved directors to the SC for

endorsement. Members who have no prior experience in directing may have an

opportunity to be an assistant director.

(See OM Director for application and approval details.)

2. The director is responsible for overseeing the artistic elements of the production,

including the performance of the actors/dancers, sets, costumes, props, and technical

effects. The director’s artistic vision provides focal points for all facets of the production.

Responsibilities include:7

(a) Appoint an Assistant Director and Producer.

(b) Oversee the audition process. (See Section 7.E)

props handler, costumer, and assistant director, and technical director) to achieve

the director’s artistic vision.

(d) For a musical production, appoint and work with musical director and choreographer.

(e) In collaboration with the producer, oversee and approve the technical design

including lights, sound, set design, costumes, props, etc.

(f) Participate in production meetings.

(See OM Director for further details.)

G. Producer

The Producer is appointed by the Director and approved by the SC. The Producer reports to

the Director and is responsible for the operational and managerial elements of the

production. Responsibilities include: collaborating with the Director and Assistant Director,

appointing and overseeing production team members, and maintaining communications with

SCLH Lifestyle and other Association personnel.

(See OM Producer for details)

SECTION 8. PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

The Club retains ownership of all costumes, stage sets, and props that have been purchased

through Club funds or donated to the Club by individuals. The Club is responsible for:

1. 2. 3. Storage of all such property, including rental of storage space as needed;

Management of property, including appropriate maintenance of property in storage unit(s)

Communication with other PAC clubs wishing to borrow Players Club property.

(See OM Property Management, for a list of responsibilities)

SECTION 9. AMENDMENTS

The Governing Documents may be amended by a vote of the Club membership. Amendments

may be presented by an appointed ad-hoc committee, by individual Club members, or by the

Steering Committee (SC). Each amendment to the Governing Documents must proceed

through the following steps:

1. If presented by an ad-hoc committee or by a member, the amendments must first be

presented in writing to the SC. The proposal must contain the exact desired replacement or

added text. The rationale for the amendments must also be included.

2. Upon approval by the SC, the President will send an email to the membership with the

proposed amendment(s) and the rationale for the change. The President will also

disseminate the amendments and rationale in paper form at the next membership meeting.

Members will have until a specified membership meeting to review the change. Members

may comment either by email, or orally at the meeting.

3. If there have been any comments necessitating review, such comments will be reviewed at

a subsequent SC meeting. If necessary, the SC may edit the amendments, then revert to

Step 2 with the updated amendments.

4. At the above specified membership meeting, provided a quorum is present, the President

will entertain a motion to accept the amendments, which will be enacted by a majority vote

of the members in attendance at the meeting.

The Governing Documents will be reviewed periodically to ensure their currency, efficiency,

conformity to Association’s club guidelines, and effective promotion of the mission of the Club.