HOOF 'N' HORN
Student-Run Musical Theatre since 1936
HOW WE CHOOSE SHOWS
STEP 1: FORMING THE PLAYREADING COMMITTEE
The Playreading Committee was created in 1991 to solicit interest in shows from the general membership, research those shows, and use those findings to create a ballot with three show options per season (fall, winter, and spring) for approval by the executive council to present to the general members to be voted upon. The committee members are selected by the chair at the beginning of the academic year.
Playreading Committee members go to committee meetings, gather information/read scripts, and vote on shows to put on the proposed ballot. They also present the shows that end up on the approved ballot to the general members at the fall and spring General Body Meetings.
STEP 2: GETTING INPUT FROM THE GENERAL BODY
Once the Playreading Committee is assembled at the beginning of the academic year, they send a survey out to the general body of Hoof 'n' Horn to gather show suggestions to choose the shows. Members are encouraged to submit and defend as many ideas as they can.
After the committee has heard from the entire body, they go through submissions looking for themes and researching the possibilities. Between their own ideas and those submitted by the greater Hoof 'n' Horn body, they put together a ten show ballot. This ballot is put back in the hands of the community, where everyone has the chance to rank the ten options and provide feedback on which shows they think are the best fit for the organization.
At this point the committee meets once again, reviewing the results of the ballots and discussing pros and cons to create the final ballot that will be discussed and presented at a General Body Meeting. Though the rankings of the shows on the surveys plays a major role in the committee's decision, they are free to choose any three shows from the full ballot as the final contenders.
With three shows chosen as finalists, the committee puts together playreading packets consisting of show summaries, character descriptions, technical requirements, etc. for the general body to educate themselves before the big vote.
STEP 3: THE GENERAL BODY MEETING
In the spring, we hold a general body meeting where shows, constitutional amendments, and executive positions are voted on. At this meetings, the playreading committee presents their final show ballots and facilitates discussion amongst Hoof 'n' Horn members before the electorate votes to determine which shows are in the best interest of Hoof 'n' Horn for the upcoming season. Anyone who has been involved in Hoof 'n' Horn in any capacity within the last calendar year is eligible to vote. Votes cast by members present at the meeting are worth one vote and those cast by members unable to be present for discussion are worth half a vote. These are collected by absentee ballots distributed before the meeting begins. Once a simple majority is reached for each show, we've found our season!
For more information regarding the Playreading Committee and our show selection process, see Executive Council Policy C in the Hoof 'n' Horn Bylaws. Please feel free to reach out to our current Playreading Chair, Tyler King, at tyler.king401@duke.edu with any questions about the process or suggestions for shows we should do!