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Nomads Theatre Company
Constitution
Nomads Theatre Company is a non-profit student organization.
I. Goals
Our mission is to provide theatre opportunities (including, but not limited to:
acting, directing, designing, stage management and playwriting) for students,
outside of the theatre department shows. This means focusing on providing
a healthy quantity of theatre opportunities for students who may have not
been able to participate in the major departmental productions. We will also
strive to require as little time from our student actors and directors as
possible to account for the busy UCSD student lifestyle.
The content of our shows will center on the search for identity many
disenfranchised and minority students face in our American culture today.
Theatre has long been an avenue for artists to find who they are, in a
personal and artistic way. We hope that the content of our shows can do
the same for those outside the theatre as well. The American culture can
be daunting and oppressive to those who do not find themselves to fit in to
the “regular mold”. We here at Nomads do not wish to try and adhere to
existing stereotypes or the status quo – rather, we hope to find “new molds”
to counter stereotypes in a positive way.
II. History
1. Nomads Theatre Company was conceived by Carol Cabrera. Theatre is spelled
with an “re” because Carol also spells “color”, “colour.”
2. Nomads Theatre Company was founded by Carol Cabrera and Janny Li.
3. The founding members of the organization included:
Artistic Director/Playwright Representative: Carol Cabrera
Production Representative: Edward Delos Reyes
Director Representative: Janny Li
Actor Representative: Ray Dequina
Design Representative: Jessie Margolis
Stage Management Representative: Kirsten Turkle
4. The first show Nomads Theatre Company put on was Symbiosis by Carol
Cabrera. It went up on Thursday, September 10th, which is Nomads’ official
birthdate.
5. The official mascot of Nomads Theatre Company is Scabies’ Bear, who became
our mascot after Spring 2010’s “Evening of Comedy.”
III. Organization
Meetings will be held every week on Sunday nights at 8pm. All board
members are required to attend and all general members are invited. If a
board member is absent, she or he should make every effort to notify the
Board beforehand and supply any of his or her individual updates to our
meeting minutes.
We will strive to host two shows per quarter. Our shows will primarily be
collections of short, student written one-acts, each around 10-15 minutes in
length, often with a common theme. Bigger productions we produce can
replace one of these two shows, but not both, and will require much more
planning ahead of time.
To be a member of Nomads, one only needs to participate in one of our
shows. General and specific show auditions are open to the entire student
body. As a general club member, Nomads may be placed on one or more
of our contact lists (such as The Nomads Newsletter) and may be notified and
invited to participate in future shows.
To become a Nomads Board member, one must already be a general
Nomads member. If one is interested in joining the Nomads Board, or
receives a recommendation from another Board member, an interview will
be held between:
the Prospective Board Member
the current Artistic Director
another board member who holds the position the Prospective Board
Member is interested in or a similar position or field within Nomads
Board
After which, the Board will receive the opinions from the two Board
members in attendance and decide as a Board whether to send an
invitation to the Prospective Board Member for a specified position.
IV. Shows/Workshops
This is a list of the main productions and workshops that we put on during
each year. Other devised pieces such as Asian American Theatre Festival
and other more involved shows will require different planning and
resources than the regular shows we produce.
Productions:
Variations
3-6 plays ranging from 10-15 minutes in length all produced in one
week’s time each with a common theme, prop and line of dialogue
24 Hr Play Festival
3-6 plays ranging from 10-15 minutes in length all produced in 24
hours each with a common theme, prop and line of dialogue
Evening of One Acts
Multiple plays put on over a course of 2-3 weeks
Workshops (will always involve very specific content - only general examples
are given here)
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Directing
Playwriting
Acting
Stage Combat
Stage Management
V. Funding
Nomads Theatre Company will request funding from AS per quarter as well
as participate in on-campus fundraisers, depending on how many plays are
lined up to be produced. At a maximum of 10 short productions (15-30
minutes in length), we will request a maximum of $500 with $50 devoted to
each short piece.
Again as with time, Nomads Theatre wants to push the extent of
imagination and limit money as well. Great art can come out of a limited
time to create. Great imagination must be used if there is a limited amount
of money to create with. We want to push costume designers to find
creative ways to make costumes and set designers creative ways to make
sets.
All art we produce will be free admission—created by and for the students.
All funding will be managed by the Funding Manager who will decide how
much each production actually needs, with $50 at maximum per
production.
VI. Positions - (Descriptions and Responsibilities):
This is a list of all the positions available within the company:
Base Positions (these positions must be held at all times)
Artistic Director
Executive Producer
Funding Manager
Publicity and Marketing Coordinator
Core Positions (not all these positions should be held every year, but without
representation from at least three, Nomads will run the risk of losing its artistic vision)
Workshop Captain
Playwright Representative
Director Representative
Actor Representative
Design Representative
Movement Representative
The Webmaster
The Artistic Director is in charge of the overall functions of the Company.
S/he should aim to increase outreach by finding new members, new
venues, and discovering opportunities outside of UCSD to spread the good
news of Nomads. The Artistic Director must be able to handle high stress
situations, and maintain calm in even the direst of circumstances. S/he is
the foremost representative of the Company, and is encouraged to be in
contact with other organizations in the effort to collaborate.
Executive Meetings: The Artistic Director is responsible for organizing
the itinerary for every meeting. In the event difficult decisions must be
made, the Artistic Director must be able to maintain neutral ground,
arguing passionately about both sides and facilitate the Company into
the best possible decisions. The Artistic Director must primarily
uphold the interests of Nomads Theatre Company.
Opportunity: The Artistic Director should believe whole-heartedly in
the power of art, and push to provide as many opportunities for
expression in the community, without overwhelming company
leadership and resources. The Artistic Director should hold a vision
for the Company going forward through the season, but hold true to
that vision without being exclusive.
Experience: Ideally the Artistic Director is well versed in many
aspects of theatre, acting as a resource for every Executive Board
member. (e.g. a director, with acting experience and the logistical
skills to manage producing). S/he would have ideally spent at least
one year with the Company in a position of leadership.
The Executive Producer works closely with the Artistic Director to make
sure all logistical needs are met within the Company.
Production Management: The Executive Producer’s main duty is to
manage every show or to (preferably) find a prospective production
manager for the current show from within the student body and/or
current Nomads members. The Executive Producer is responsible for
assisting this stage manager familiarize themselves with the
resources that Nomads Theatre Company provides them. The
Executive Producer is still ultimately responsible for the management
of every Nomads show regardless if they are personally handling it or
not.
Documentation: The Executive Producer is ultimately in charge of all
company paperwork from executive meetings, general auditions, and
productions. The Executive Producer is responsible for maintaining
the company’s Google Drive in such a way that is organized and easy
to access necessary documents for other Board members.
The Funding Manager is responsible for Nomads Theatre Company’s
budget and all fundraising.
Budget and Venues: The main duty of the Funding Manager is to
budget every quarter (find out how much money will be needed for
the shows we have planned). The Funding Manager must pay close
attention during meetings, to be aware of what shows Nomads plans
to do next quarter. The Funding Manager works closely with the
Executive Producer on the quarterly budget for productions and will
send funding requests to AS or other fund pools in order to maintain
our finances.
The Publicity and Marketing Coordinator is responsible for all publicity
for every Nomads event as well as general Nomads publicity to the UCSD
student body.
Shows: The Publicity and Marketing Coordinator should think ahead
an appropriate amount of time (2-3 weeks) before every Nomads
event to publicize Nomads and the particular event to UCSD
students. The Publicity and Marketing Coordinator should always be
thinking of new ways to bring in an audience and/or participants, from
the entire UCSD campus, not just the Theatre Department.
General: The Publicity and Marketing Coordinator will also publicize
other Nomads events such as workshops and get-togethers, as
needed.
TAP: The Publicity and Marketing Coordinator ensures that all TAP
forms are filled out correctly, for every show Nomads holds. They will
need to be informed about the specifics of every show, so that they
can complete the TAP form. The Publicity and Marketing Coordinator
should be well versed in being able to educate members about the
nuances of borrowed equipment, safety, and working with AS.
Nomads Webpage: The Publicity and Marketing Coordinator will take
on the duties of the Nomads Webmaster, if one does not exist
already, or will delegate updates to other specific members.
The Workshop Captain will be in charge of all workshops that Nomads
holds.
Workshops: The main duty of the Workshop Captain is to organize
Nomads Workshops. This includes finding a location, setting up
social media pages (such as Facebook), informing the Publicity and
Marketing Coordinator of the workshop well ahead of time and either
leading the workshop her/himself or finding a suitable expert (from
within Nomads, the UCSD student body, or outside the school).
Future Workshops: The Workshop Captain is to be constantly
thinking of the next workshop that will help Nomads progress. This
includes: attracting new talent needed for a particular Nomads show,
thinking of particular skills that students in the UCSD Theatre
Department would want to hone, or bringing in experts from outside
UCSD to broaden our members’ education.
The Director Representative acts as a liaison between the company
directors and the Executive Board of Directors.
Advising: The Director Representative will advise the Board on whom
to consider to direct in Nomads’ shows. This includes members of the
Board, but should ideally expand to the general student body.
Outreach events: plans for events that involve directors for both
formal and informal events. These events can involve workshops,
picnics, or casual hangouts.
Compiling and Managing the Director Database: manages the preexisting Director database (on Google Docs) to document both past
and present directors, providing easy research into contact info for
upcoming events.
The Actor Representative acts as a liaison between the company actors
and the Executive Board of Directors.
Planning General Auditions: The Actor Representative ensures that
there are opportunities for actors to come in and showcase their
talents in a time block of 2-3 hours a day over the course of 2-3 days.
These auditions are often at the beginning of each school quarter,
and must have room space signed out at least one week beforehand
and let the Publicity and Marketing Coordinator know ahead of time.
Outreach events: The Actor Representative plans for events that
involve actors for both formal and informal events. These events can
involve workshops, picnics, or casual hangouts.
Compiling and Managing the Actor Database: The Actor
Representative manages the pre-existing Actor database (on Google
Docs) to document both past and present actors, providing easy
research into contact info for upcoming events.
The Playwright Representative acts as a liaison between company
playwrights and the Executive Board of Directors.
Script submissions: The Playwright Representative reads all
submissions emailed to Nomads, sending replies with constructive
feedback. They will be the beacon of information for the Executive
Board when there is a new script, and shall evaluate production
potential of each play submitted.
Workshops and Staged Readings: In addition to reading each script,
the Playwright Representative is responsible for initiating
development of scripts through writing workshops, as well as staged
readings for the writers to observe.
Outreach: they will be the resource when it comes to encouragement
of new script submissions, contacting TDPW TA’s to invite new
voices and helping to foster a community of writers within the
company.
Script Database: The Playwright Representative will manage the
collection of past scripts for future use.
The Webmaster:
 Provides maintenance of Nomads website
 Ensures visiting users can find:
o (1) an overview of Nomads and staff
o (2) how to get involved
o (3) next events
o (4) past events and shows including pictures
o (5) a way to contact Nomads.
 Any other internet properties can also fall under the webmaster's
maintenance, including YouTube, Facebook and BlogSpot,
 Ensures Nomads events are advertised on the internet
 Manages the Nomads email, alerting the Board of any notable
occurrences