Tavern Troupe’s Conducting of the Chorus

The Tavern Troupe’s Conducting of the Chorus

(Definition of Authority)
The Tavern Troupe’s Conducting of the Chorus states that the Order will be governed by three officers, known as the Speaker, the Vice-Speaker and the Treasurer; and a voting body known as the Council. The chorus always sounds best when it is in full voice, meaning that all positions should be filled at all times - a chorus does not sound very good with few voices singing.

TAVERN TROUPE PERFORMING ORDER OFFICES AND COUNCIL RULES AND REGULATIONS:

A. THE SPEAKER

1. The Speaker shall be seen by the Provincial Administrator of Orders as the "Head" of the Troupe Order. With this recognition, it is assumed the Speaker speaks for the Troupe and has the authority to make decisions on behalf of the Troupe when dealing with the Administrator of Orders.
2. When a Council of the Orders is held with the Provincial Administrator of Orders, or other government officials, the Speaker of the Troupe will be the individual who attends, representing the Troupe.
3. There are no term limits on the office of the Speaker. Should the Speaker ever leave the Troupe, The Vice Speaker will immediately become Speaker. Once the Vice Speaker assumes the office of the Speaker, it will be their responsibility to nominate a replacement for the office of Vice Speaker, with this nomination being voted upon by the Council for approval.
4. The Speaker is the officer of the Troupe that presides over official swearing in ceremonies of new members, officers, and Council members.
5. In the event a Council cannot convene enough of a majority to fill its seats, the Speaker will appoint members until a majority of the seats have been filled.
6. The Speaker will appoint Sub-officers as needed.
7. The Speaker will make all the tough decisions that cannot be unanimously decided by the Troupe members at meetings. Also, if a Troupe policy is adversely affecting the Troupe, it will be the Speaker’s duty to investigate, and to take action, including referring the matter to the council for a vote.
8. The Speaker will interview all aspiring new members, and, once he/she approves, will submit the aspiring new member, once they have completed their introductory commentaries, to the Council for a vote. The aspiring members’ introductory commentary will be submitted to the council prior to voting.
9. The Speaker is obligated to follow all processes in relation to organizing events as detailed in Performance and Gigs.
10. The Speaker will negotiate all gigs and/or Troupe sponsored events with complete authority. Hey, somebody has to do it! Once the Speaker is satisfied, the gig/event is turned over to the council for a vote.
11. The Speaker will collect all funds paid by patrons, and distribute them as necessary, including paying Troupe members for performances, or giving funds to Treasurer to deposit in Troupe funds. All Troupe expenses will be paid by the Speaker, such as refreshments. The Speaker reserves the right to attempt to shake down the rest of the Troupe for contributions, but they are not mandatory.
12. The Speaker will collect at least a 50% deposit of the total agreed upon gig fee once a gig has been negotiated with the Patron(s). This deposit is refundable if the council votes against acceptance of the gig (see Activity Proposal Process, Acceptance of Activities). Once the deposit has been made, the Speaker will inform the entire Troupe of the gig, and will notify the Troupe member who wrote the performance piece the patron has chosen, that he/she will be directing the gig, or that member’s agreed upon director (see directing section).
13. The Speaker will make the final decision on which Troupe members will perform at each gig, through discussions with the Director. Although generally the Director will be in charge of assigning roles, the Speaker reserves the right to over-ride the choice if a particular member is 'in the doghouse', or facing other disciplinary actions (see Disciplinary section).
14. The Speaker will determine the amount of coin from each gig that will be used to hire security, and deliver that coin to the Treasurer before each gig.
15. The Speaker will plan and organize all troupe meetings, practices, and gigs, except the Council meetings, which the Council Leader will plan, and practices or gigs that a Director is chosen for. If the Speaker is going crazy and booking too many gigs, the council will be empowered to vote for him to stop it and slow down.

B. THE VICE SPEAKER

1. The Vice Speaker will be considered the second point of contact for the Provincial Administrator of Orders in the event the Speaker cannot be contacted.
2. The Vice Speaker will be the "backup" individual who attends provincial Councils of the Orders when the Speaker is not available.
3. Is it the Vice Speaker’s responsibility to understand the Troupe's charter and bylaws and any changes made to them, so they may clarify for any member the nature of the charter and bylaws.
4. The Vice Speaker will assume the role of the Speaker if the Speaker must be absent for any Troupe function.
5. The Vice Speaker will act as counselor to the Speaker, informing him when he is making an arse out of himself.
6. There are no term limits for the Vice Speaker. Should the Vice Speaker ever leave the Troupe, it will be the Speaker's duty to nominate a replacement, which shall be subject to a vote of approval by the Council.

C. THE TREASURER

1. The Treasurer will have total access to certain financial information concerning the Troupe.
2. It is the responsibility of the Treasurer to keep the Speaker, Vice Speaker, and the Council, informed on the Troupe’s financial status.
3. The Treasurer will assume the role of Vice Speaker if the Speaker or Vice Speaker is absent.
4. Only the Troupe's Treasurer will have the authority (ability) to transfer monies between funds (see Finances).
5. The Treasurer will be responsible for moving funds out of the Trust fund and into other funds as requested by the Speaker.
6. The Treasurer will refuse to let the Speaker take out loans from the Troupe for beer.
7. It will be the duty of the Treasurer to coordinate all Troupe security, including working with the Director of any performance to provide adequate security for any gig. The Treasurer may recruit Security Team members from the general Troupe membership, or outside of the Troupe membership if needed. The Treasurer will disperse this coin amongst Security team folks equally, following the gig.
8. There are no term limits on the office of Treasurer. If the Treasurer ever leaves the Troupe, it will be the Speaker's duty to nominate a replacement, which shall be subject to a vote of approval by the Council.

D. THE COUNCIL

Responsibilities and Duties
a. The troupe must have a standing "Council of Ten." The Council of Ten shall be considered the governing body of the Order, voting on all required Troupe issues as indicated throughout the charter and bylaws.
b. Should a Council member step down, seats on the Council are "appointed" by the Council member vacating that seat.
c. All Council seats must be filled at all times. Any seat left open for a period of more than two weeks will place the Troupe in jeopardy of losing its sanctioning.
d. In the event a Council member cannot be contacted, and has missed four consecutive Council meetings, the remaining Council may vote that Council member's seat vacant, and vote in a replacement member.
e. No officer of the Troupe may sit on the Council while they hold office. Any Council member voted into office will immediately vacate his or her seat, without the option of being able to appoint his or her replacement.
f. A Council seat left vacant because the member was voted into office will be filled by a vote of the remaining Council body.
g. The Council has the authority and responsibility of setting the weekly dues members are required to pay.
h. Council is not empowered to vote a loan system into place.
i. Council members will not have term limits. If they wish to get out of being a council member, they must try to find some other member to trick into taking their seat. If a council member retires without finding a replacement, the Speaker will nominate a new council member from amongst the general members, who will be voted approval by the council members.

Meetings and Voting

a. Council meetings will be held in private. Not even the Officers of the Order will be permitted in the Council Chambers when an official meeting is convened.
b. Council Meeting will be declared official when convened in the Council Chambers with at least a majority of Council members present.
c. The council members will meet to vote on the approval of potential new members, approval of gigs and/or Troupe sponsored events, and all related governing decisions including but not limited to:

1. Acceptance and revocation of Troupe Officers and general members.
2. Items submitted by the Speaker
3. Amendments to the Charter and Bylaws
4. Officer Inactivity and Dissent – the Troupe Council has the authority to hold a vote of ‘no confidence’ regarding officers of the Troupe.
5. Once the Council has held a successful vote of ‘no confidence’, the Council will have the authority to vote an Officer out of office. (That Officer does not lose his or her membership in the Troupe, only his or her position of Office.)

d. All items that are voted upon will require a Majority of the entire council for ratification (six of the ten-member council). If the Council cannot present a body of members large enough to satisfy an official vote, then the Speaker will fill the missing seat(s). e. All motions put forward on the Floor of the Council Chamber will be announced in the room directly outside the door of the Council Chamber. All voting results will be announced in the same manner.
f. Council votes will be secret. Not even the members of the voting Council will no how the others voted. A Council member may respond to a motion with YES, NO, or ABSTAIN.
g. The Council attendant will tally the votes. If the majority vote is YES, the motion is carried. If the majority vote is NO, the motion fails. If there is no majority vote, a NO VOTE situation is declared.

Lead Council Member

1. There will be one Lead Council Member, selected from amongst the council members. If the Lead Council Member ever steps down, the council will vote on which of the existing council members shall take over as Lead Council Member. The Speaker will break tie votes. As with all other council members, the Lead Council Member will follow the bylaws regarding council members, and regular troupe members.
2. The Lead Council Member shall be the contact for any individual troupe member seeking an audience with the council, and the Lead Council Member shall determine the method to present the individual’s audience request (i.e. allowing the member to address the council personally, having the member write down their request and submitting it, etc).
3. The Lead Council Member shall keep all council members informed of any information pertinent to the council.
4. The Lead Council Member will coordinate with the Speaker on all council agendas, and report to the Speaker on the results of all council meetings that are pertinent to the Speaker, i.e. Information that the Speaker needs to know to conduct his duties.
5. The Lead Council Member will schedule all council meetings, and set the agenda for all council meetings.
6. There are no Term Limits on the Lead Council Member position.

Sub-Officers

1. The Speaker may appoint sub-officers. Council Members can also be Sub-officers. The Speaker will submit duties of a proposed sub-officer to the council for voting approval.
2. Sub-Officers retain their position only for as long as the Speaker deems necessary. All troupe members reserve the right to decline the Speaker’s request to become a Sub-Officer.

Sub-officer, the Troupe Secretary

a. Troupe Secretary has the duties of logging all gigs, logging any meetings as requested by the Speaker, maintaining troupe files, and displaying files to Patrons.
b. Should the other three officers of the troupe suddenly be simultaneously absent with no known time of return and no communication with the Troupe, the Secretary will assume the role of Speaker. Once this role is assumed, the Secretary shall be required to step down from the council if a member, until one of the other officers returns or a new one is elected.
c. The Secretary sub office has no term limits.

General Member Requirements and Responsibilities

1. All members must have fun whilst being a member of the Troupe. If being in the Troupe is no longer fun please quit and do something that is fun!
2. No pawning of Troupe items. If a member needs a beer that bad, see the Speaker. If a member leaves the Troupe for whatever reason, he/she is required to return any 'official order' items he/she has. All other items remain the member’s personal property.
3. All Troupe members shall help the younger Troupe members with any technical or creative questions they may have, and support them as best they can. This is pretty obvious, but in consideration of some of our more intoxicated Troupe members and member candidates, it needs to be stated.
4. Troupe members are not restricted to only performing for the Troupe. The Tavern Troupe does not own any of its members. However, Troupe members are not allowed to directly compete against Tavern Troupe with another troupe. If you like another troupe better than Tavern Troupe, join it instead!
5. All Troupe members will treat our Patrons with the utmost consideration, kindness, and goodwill. These are the folks that pay our bills, folks.
6. All members must show tact, friendliness, and genuine goodwill towards their fellow members, whether at Troupe functions or outside of Troupe functions. This is a Troupe, not a competition or battlefield.
7. All members are expected to mention the Troupe's services when it comes to aiding folks of Elanthia in holding their parties or gatherings that would otherwise be extremely dull and boring without a lively entertainment group. Interested folks will be directed by members to discuss this with the Speaker.
8. All members are expected to come to the aid of young folks of the realms who need assistance in any endeavor our members may be able to help with. Remember, these may be future patrons!

Functional Membership Requirement

1. All members are required to attend the once a month general meeting. Not showing up for two subsequent monthly general meetings opens the absent member up to disciplinary action (See Disciplinary section).
2. Each member must pay his/her dues to the Official Order deposit box.
3. If a member fails to comply with either of these requirements, he or she will face disciplinary action (see Disciplinary Action.)

Rules and Guidelines for losing membership

1. Breaking any of the Troupe bylaws, leading to disciplinary action (see Disciplinary Action) that results in being booted out of the Troupe.
2. Walking the starry road, or disappearing from the realms. This must be verified by the Speaker, and go through the third step of the disciplinary process (see Disciplinary Action).
3. Notifying the Speaker that you are quitting the Troupe. Special Note: if any Troupe member threatens to quit the Troupe to the Speaker, the Speaker has the right to immediately allow that Troupe member exodus from the Troupe, no further procedures necessary, instantly terminating Trouper’s membership.

Troupe Activities

Activities by Patron Request

a. No single member, excepting the Speaker, may conduct business in the name of the Troupe, unless it involves bringing perspective patrons to the Troupe, or bringing matters that may affect the Troupe to the Troupe’s and Speaker’s attention. In other words, you can’t sign the Troupe up for events without asking. That is a no-no.
b. The Speaker is available to potential Patron contact by scroll within the Order Offices and personal contact (usually over the Speaker’s favorite beverage at a local tavern).
c. No quoting the Speaker to Patrons. If the Speaker has something to say to Patrons, he/she will do so. If a member does quote the Speaker, the Speaker reserves the right to take disciplinary action (see Disciplinary Action).
d. Patrons will be required to choose which performance piece they desire. Patrons may choose any of the performance pieces that are currently available in the Troupe archives. If the patron agrees to a 'custom' performance piece to be created at a later date, it is the Speaker's duty to inform the Patron that they will have to review the finished custom piece at least 3 weeks before the actual gig, to reserve the right to choose from the Troupe archives instead.
e. Patrons may choose which Troupe members they wish to craft and/or perform their custom song, should they desire one (See Member responsibilities). Should a Patron not be willing to choose, it will be up to the Speaker to select Troupe member(s) to do the custom song, should one be requested. As with performance pieces, custom songs become the property of the Troupe, though those crafting such songs will also reserve the right to use the song both in and outside of the Troupe.

Member Activity Proposal

a. All members are welcome to submit designs, ideas, artwork, songs, plays, or other material for Troupe use.
b. All submissions will be submitted to the Speaker for approval.

Acceptance of Proposals

a. Speaker presents the proposal to the Council:

1. Patron Activities: Upon successful negotiation of a proposed gig with Patrons, the Speaker will put acceptance of the gig to a Council vote.
2. Member Activities: The Speaker will submit the member’s activity proposal to the council for voting.

b. Council Votes: The Council will vote whether to accept or reject both member and Patron sponsored activity proposals.

Notification

1. Patron-Sponsored Activities:

a. The Speaker will notify Patrons that the Troupe Council has approved their activity.
b. The Speaker will inform the bard of the Patron’s choice for custom songwriting, if any, as well as the Director of the chosen performance piece, that their bardic services will be required for this activity.

2. Member-sponsored activities:

a. Once approved as an official Troupe item (item meaning plan, idea, subject, not a physical item) by the council, the Troupe Secretary will distribute the item to all Troupe members.
b. Implementation of approved item will be designated by the Speaker.
c. Once an idea for a member-sponsored event is approved, the Speaker and any members who he/she appoints, and who agree to help, will organize the event.
d. All member-sponsored submissions become property of the Troupe (That is, the Troupe will always reserve the right to use such submissions in the future.) However, the individual retains the right to use the material should they ever leave the Troupe, or at outside the Troupe functions.

Responsibilities for Activity Participation

Volunteering for gigs

There are two types of volunteering, General and Understudy. All members may volunteer for gigs, either volunteering General or volunteering Understudy, as long as they accept the laws of gigs. No matter which type of volunteering a member chooses, it is requested he or she make an attempt to find another Troupe member to fill the part if he or she may have to back out of a gig.

Volunteering General

1. Any member volunteering General for a gig subjects himself or herself to possible appointment of crafting a custom song.
2. Once a member volunteers General for a gig, it is his or her responsibility to show up to both practice and the gig itself. Should emergencies deter the member from showing up, it will be the Director's (see Director section) call to take action of reporting the member or not. If a member does not show up and is actively engaged in another non-Troupe activity, the Director must be report said member to the Speaker. Once reported, the member may be subject to disciplinary action (see Disciplinary section). IF A MEMBER IS NOT CERTAIN THEY CAN COMMIT TO SHOWING UP FOR A GIG AND THE PRACTICE(S) ASSOCIATED WITH IT, IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED YOU DO NOT VOLUNTEER GENERALLY FOR THE GIG!
3. Should a member not show up for performing or directing a gig, excepting emergencies, he or she will be subject to disciplinary action. If a member knows in advance that he or she will not be available for a gig after volunteering he or she should make every effort to find a replacement for his or her role.

Understudy Volunteering

1. Members are allowed to volunteer Understudy which does not require committing to practice and or gig, unless the member is a 'key understudy' which will be determined by the Director (see Director Section).
2. 'Key Understudies' will be chosen from those who Volunteer General.
3. A Troupe member who wishes to perform songs individually and does not desire to be in a group performance for a gig may volunteer Understudy and simply decline to participate in group performance.

Activity Expenses:

All Troupe sponsored events will be paid for out of the Troupe Trust Fund.

Directing Activities or Performance Pieces

1. Once a member submits a performance piece, that member is required to direct the said performance piece, or find someone who will agree to direct it in the member’s place. Under no circumstances will a playwright be able to pawn off directing on the Speaker, unless the Speaker agrees. If a playwright submits a performance piece, and a Patron chooses it, that playwright (or someone they suckered into it) is immediately responsible directing it, scheduling practices and gigs and attending practices and gigs. Failure to comply means the playwright leaves themselves wide open to disciplinary yelling by the Speaker (See Disciplinary Action).
2. Directors of specific plays have the duty and responsibility of assigning roles. The Speaker reserves the right to overrule any director on role choices, or at least make invaluable comments concerning a prospective member taking a role, that the director would be wise to listen to. Directors will also be responsible for assigning understudies for every role, again, the Speaker reserves the right to overrule any director understudy choices, or at least make amazingly invaluable comments concerning a prospective member taking a role.
3. Directors are responsible for arranging practices. The Speaker reserves the right to make amazingly invaluable comments regarding practice times and frequency. In other words, if the director tries to have practice at bizarre times or too many practices, the Speaker can suggest otherwise, and if the director refuses to listen, the Speaker is entitled to override the kooky director with the deranged practice times. The Director must announce the planned practice times associated with the gig, PRIOR to opening up the gig for volunteers, either general or understudy.
4. The Director does not have the authority to discipline members. Should a member violate a practice or gig by not showing up or showing up and exhibiting behavior that is detrimental to the progress of the performance, the Director shall report said offender to the Speaker, who may resort to disciplinary action on said member (see Disciplinary Action). If the Speaker is the one not showing up or exhibiting detrimental behavior, the Director reserves the right to report him to the council. Hopefully, this will never happen, if the Speaker can’t behave himself, we are in deep trouble.
5. It is the Director’s responsibility to submit a list of all members who actually performed to the Speaker, who will make arrangements for said members to be paid for their efforts (see Concluding An Activity).
6. It is the Director’s responsibility to arrange for security team members for that particular gig. This could be as simple as requesting a specific number of security team members from the Treasurer, or could include recruiting security team members directly. The Treasurer and/or Speaker reserves the right to limit or boost the number of security team members for any particular gig, should the director go nuts and try to have way too many or too few security team members. The Director may report any security team members who do not show up for gigs to the Speaker for Disciplinary action (see Disciplinary Action).
7. The Director must assign 'Understudy' roles if enough Troupe members are available for a gig. Understudies are exempt from all disciplinary action for missing gigs or practices, unless they are designated as a 'Key Understudy'. 'Key Understudies' must be selected from general volunteers, and will be treated as a general performer in the said gig.
8. The Director must solicit a performance commentary from the Patron following the gig (See Concluding an Activity)

Concluding an Activity

Collection and Payment

1. It is the Speaker’s responsibility to collect all owed fees from Patrons. Should the Speaker not collect said funds, the Speaker will pay Troupe disbursements from his or her own funds.
2. The Speaker will disburse pay for gigs at an announced time following the gig. It is the performing members’ duty to show up at the arranged time, or make arrangements for someone else to receive their pay. The announced time will not be longer than one week from the date of the gig. Should a member not be able to make the announced time, or to send someone in their place, it will be his or her duty from that point on to chase down the elusive Speaker to get his or her pay. The Speaker reserves the right to be as sneaky and elusive as possible, to teach the late member a lesson.
3. The Speaker reserves the right to determine how much each Troupe member will be paid for a gig. The general rule is all performers get the same pay, as do all security team members. On the rare occasion someone goes way beyond the call of duty, the Speaker may award a bonus. In the event a Troupe member does not live up to the standard duty expected at a gig, the Speaker reserves the right to reduce that member’s pay.
4. It is the Director’s responsibility to solicit a commentary from gig Patrons following the gig. This commentary is to be delivered to the Troupe or publicly advertised. If the Patron refuses, the Director and/or Speaker reserve the right to beg and plead, but are not required to slay said Patron.
5. Once all Troupe members who performed in the gig, and all security team members are paid, the Speaker will give the Treasurer the 20% of the total gig fee to be deposited by the Treasurer in the Troupe Trust Fund.

Financials

1.There will be three Troupe funds: the Trust Fund, the Building Fund, and the Loan Fund.
2. The Speaker shall determine if funds need to be transferred from the Trust Fund to the Building or Loan fund. If the Speaker sees a need, he or she will make the motion to the Council for voting approval. Once voted approval is granted, the Treasurer will perform the needed transfer(s).
3. Funds will only be transferred from the Trust Fund, to either the Building Fund, or the Loan Fund. No other transferring between accounts is allowed.
4. A mandatory 20% of all gig fees will be given from the Speaker to the Treasurer for deposit in the Troupe Trust Fund.

Expenses

Speaker will provide Troupe expenses from the Troupe Funds.

Dues

1. Dues are one copper Kronar a month for each member
2. Dues will be paid by each member by deposit in an official order deposit box.
3. Non-payment of Dues will result in the non-paying member being referred for disciplinary action (See Disciplinary Action).

Troupe Loan Policy

There will be no Troupe loans. If any member is hard up for cash, see the Speaker, who may be able to help the member out, but does not guarantee anything.

Disciplinary Procedures

A. First and foremost, all Troupe members shall adhere to all the governing laws of Elanthia. If a member is consistently breaking the laws of Elanthia, he or she will be subject to varying levels of disciplinary action.
B. Speaker will be responsible for Troupe disciplinary procedures, unless the Speaker is the subject for disciplinary procedures, in which case the council members will decide on the Speaker’s disciplinary action by council discussion and vote. Disciplinary action may be initiated when any Troupe member breaks the Troupe bylaws, or as otherwise noted in the bylaws.
C. Disciplinary action consists of three steps:

1. A stern, longwinded, boring session of Speaker lecturing offending member (For those of you thinking this would be a piece of cake, you are very, very wrong. Many folks would prefer death to this lecturing.) If this is deemed effective by the Speaker, the process may end, or, if deemed ineffective, may be escalated.
2. A much more animated verbal tongue lashing administered by the Speaker, possibly including yelling and/or Speaker flipping out and such. This can also be accompanied by the Speaker labeling the offending member as 'in the doghouse', which means the offending member will not be viewed favorably (i.e. least likely to be selected for gigs or performances) for a period up to, but not to exceed, two weeks when regarding Troupe functions. If this is deemed effective, the procedure may end, or, if deemed ineffective, may be escalated.
3. Speaker may submit offending member to the council for a vote on terminating that person’s Troupe membership. This vote will not occur until at least one week has gone by, so no rash decisions will be made. The Speaker has the right to withdraw the submission during this time period.

General Troupe Laws

A. Beverages and Refreshments:

1. Beverages of a fermented nature will always be allowed at all Troupe gatherings. Members are not required to indulge in said Beverages, but are welcome to.
2. No one in the order will be required to provide refreshments or beverages, but all members are allowed to bring whatever they wish.

Process of becoming a New Member (or how to be a Trouper in 6 easy steps!)

A. A current Troupe member must sponsor new members. This generally consists of the new member candidate finding a member, and blabbin’ about the Troupe with him/her, then deciding the blabbin’ wasn’t too bad, and moving on to the next step.
B. Once sponsored, the Speaker interviews new member candidates. Should they survive this hideous torture, they move on to the next step.
C. After being interviewed, new member candidates will be required to produce an introduction commentary about themselves either by scribe, recitation or solo performance. There are no requirements for length or content of this introduction commentary, but it should be appealing to council members, as they are the ones who review it whilst voting on the new member. It should also be interesting to Patrons who will be invited to review all introduction commentaries. The potential new member submits this introduction commentary to the Speaker, who relays it to the council for voting.
D. Council votes yea or nay on potential new member. Majority 'yea' means, “Welcome to the Troupe.” Majority 'nay' means, “Sorry, try again later if you desire.” Rejected member candidates must wait one month to reapply.
E. Lead Council Member announces the new members to the rest of the Troupe, congratulating them, and makes their introductory commentary public knowledge. The Secretary files a copy of the new member's introductory commentary in the Troupe files.
F. New members are welcomed at the next Troupe general meeting in a ceremony presided over by the Speaker, and are thereafter subject to the Troupe bylaws.